SHATIL Helps Train Intercultural Navigators
March 4, 2010
To prepare young leaders to deal with the challenges of a multi-cultural world, SHATIL recently collaborated with the British Council to train 27 young Jewish and Arab Israelis to become "Intercultural Navigators."
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"The Brightest Spot in Israeli Democracy"
February 18, 2010
As many of you now know, the New Israel Fund is under attack from those seeking to weaken Israel’s democratic foundation by equating the legitimate and necessary work of human rights groups with disloyalty to Israel.
The scurrilous campaign falsely accuses NIF of working to weaken Israel by supporting human rights, and personally demonizes NIF president and former Deputy Knesset Speaker Naomi Chazan, in a manner many commentators have likened to historic anti-Semitic propaganda. The comprehensive media campaign, which began three weeks ago with an exclusive article in Ma’ariv and a spate of advertisements in major Israeli dailies grotesquely caricaturing Professor Chazan with a horn on her head, was designed by the architect of the anti-disengagement settler organizations and is being spearheaded by Im Tirtzu, a right wing organization with strong ties and shared funding with extreme branches of the settler movement.
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High Court Criticizes Transportation Minister Over Gender Segregated Bus Lines
February 18, 2010
Israel’s High Court of Justice has heavily criticized Minister of Transportation Israel Katz for permitting gender segregated bus lines to continue operating, provided they are clearly marked and that the arrangement is “voluntary.” Katz’s decision contradicts a Ministry of Transportation committee report, which found that the lines are illegal because they humiliate and discriminate against women. Read>
The Assault on Democracy
February 12, 2010
Recently the New Israel Fund became the latest target of what appears to be a coordinated effort to stifle dissent and shut down the human rights community in Israel. Although the current crisis began with a smear campaign devised by a new right-wing group, the most significant threat to NIF and its work is a proposed ‘commission of inquiry’ in the Israeli Knesset, a proposal that may be voted on this coming week. In this rush to judgment, in the scape-goating of NIF for the anger and mistrust Israelis feel about the Goldstone report, it is not the New Israel Fund’s survival that is most at stake.
It is the very nature of Israeli democracy.
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Jerusalem Judge Orders ACRI Head and Other Activists Released Without Charges
January 20, 2010
Hagai El-Ad, Executive Director of flagship NIF grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), and 16 other human rights activists were arrested and held for 36 hours after participating in a peaceful protest in East Jerusalem on Friday. The activists were finally released without charges on Sunday morning. The regular protests, held every Friday morning, oppose the recent eviction of Arabs in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah from properties that were handed over to Jewish settlers. Read>
New Ad Campaign for Hotline on Gender Segregated Buses
January 20, 2010
While Minister of Transportation Israel Katz continues to delay his decision on whether publicly-funded gender segregated bus lines can continue to operate, NIF is funding and organizing an ad campaign on those same segregated buses, together with a coalition of grantees including Kolech – Religious Women's Forum. The ads advertise the new hotline to which Orthodox women can anonymously report instances of abuse and discrimination. Read>
Reality Show Contestant Who Supports Palestinian Rights Draws Hatred and Threats
January 20, 2010
Edna Kanti, a volunteer with NIF grantee Machsom Watch, is participating in the latest cast of Israel's most popular reality TV show, "Big Brother". Kanti chose to appear on the program and was selected by the producers to promote her experiences watching the hardships suffered by Palestinians at West Bank Israeli Defense Force checkpoints – an issue rarely discussed on prime time TV. Read>
SHATIL Launches High Profile Negev Leadership Initiative
January 20, 2010
In an effort to focus Negev leaders on the development of this severely neglected region in Israel, SHATIL last week launched the Negev Forum for Multi-sector Leadership. More than 40 of the region's most influential community leaders gathered in Be'er Sheva to kick off the initiative. Forum members will form 'think-and-do tanks' involving cross-collaboration on specific issues such as the development of affordable housing, promotion of employment and career opportunities, effective absorption of immigrants and promotion of Bedouin rights. And while this Forum will become a valuable network unto itself, each individual brings his/her own networks, adding further value to the project. Read>
