Israel’s First-Ever Human Rights March Attracts Thousands of Supporters

December 15, 2009

Last Friday more than 100 Israeli social change organizations, many of them NIF grantees, and thousands of individuals, joined flagship NIF grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) for the first-ever human rights march held in Israel.  The event, which marked International Human Rights Day, was funded with a special grant from NIF and logistical assistance from SHATIL. 

Thousands march through the streets of Tel Aviv in the country’s first-ever human rights march (Photos by Irene Fertik).

Marchers included human rights groups, students, Arab rights advocates, social justice organizations, LGBT activists, migrant workers, environmentalists, feminists and ordinary Israelis who are simply concerned at the growing erosion of democracy in Israel.  The marcher's parade through Tel Aviv began at Yitzhak Rabin square and ended at the Tel Aviv Museum.

In a rally outside the Museum, ACRI presented the 2009 Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Awards to NIF grantee Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights founders Ruth and Paul Kedar for their work in monitoring human rights violations in the West Bank, and to the late Nir Katz, the community worker who was murdered in the attack on the Israel GLBT Association this summer.

Dr. Yifat Bitton, NIF Board Member and Project Director of NIF grantee Tmura, the Israel Anti-Discrimination Legal Center greeted the rally on behalf of NIF.  She said, "NIF sees this day for the miracle of human rights as bittersweet.  Today NIF celebrates the triumphs of 30 years of social change.  Thousands of organizations have received support, strengthening and assistance from NIF, enabling Israeli civil society to influence the public agenda. 

"This is a happy day, a festive day for all those who toil and stand in the forefront of daily, authentic social activities that through their strength will lead to wished-for change, and with their assistance will protect, re-evaluate and promote human rights in Israel. 

"Yet it is also a sad day on which the spotlight is again thrown on the many hurtful and blind injustices taking place in Israel society to disadvantaged groups who have their rights trampled underfoot.

NIF’s Kick Racism Out of Soccer marked International Human Rights Day with a tournament at Hapoel Tel Aviv’s training ground to protest plans to expel children of foreign workers.

"Many of the blind injustices, which have existed from long ago, have been joined in our generation by new injustices; Mizrachi girls in Emmanuel and Bet Shemesh continue to suffer the same discrimination as their parents; the Palestinian people continue to feel the pains of the lack of progress and hope from the occupation, and the lack of equality that their citizenship "bestows" on them; disadvantaged populations continue to try and improve themselves while paying the price of ignorance toward them; new immigrants suffer intolerance and racism; migrant workers unsuccessfully ask to belong; women do not even have control over their bodies.  The list is as long as this march, which strives to transform Israeli society into a more just society characterized by equality and mutual respect."

View an album of photos from the march here and here, and read the news coverage in the Jerusalem Post and Ha’aretz .