Written by Ruby Ong

A Few More Unsung Heroes The winter session of the Knesset is over. As many regular readers of NIF News know, more than twenty bills that we characterize as anti-democratic are in the legislative process, and three have now passed. Read more   A Report from the Front Lines: NIF and SHATIL work to safeguard Israel's democratic future Readers of NIF News know that Israeli democracy is increasingly fragile. In recent months NIF/SHATIL have been enmeshed in particularly challenging political and social developments, including a spate of legislative efforts designed to diminish fundamental democratic rights.  Despite our best efforts, the Knesset went into the Passover recess having passed two dangerous bills into law.  Another bill also passed, but was weakened so substantially by the NIF family’s efforts that it will have little of its intended impact. Read more   Bezalel Students Design Campaign for Equality in Mixed Cities In a project organized in partnership with NIF, students from Israel’s leading school of art and design, the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, participated in a project to design ad campaigns for equality in Ramle and Lod - Israeli cities with mixed Muslim, Christian and Jewish populations. The best ads are being exhibited at Dizengoff Center, one of Tel Aviv's busiest malls, from International Day against Racism (March 21) through the end of April. The students whose works appears have been awarded NIF scholarships. Read more   Report Documents Doubling of Racist Incidents in Israel The number of racist incidents in Israel over the past year has doubled from 287 in 2009 to 552 in 2010, according to the Coalition Against Racism in Israel (CAR),which comprises 26 human rights organizations, most of them NIF grantees including Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) for the Movement for Progressive Judaism (Reform), Mossawa Center, and Tebeka, Center for Legal Aid and Advocacy for Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Read more   ARCCI Head; Katzav's Punishment Sends a Clear Message In the wake of the seven year prison sentence for rape handed down to former Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Michal Rosen, Executive Director of veteran NIF grantee Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI,) said that while it a was sad day for Israel, the punishment sends a clear message to both the victims of sexual violence and their attackers. Read more   Mikvahs for social change and other liberal Orthodox news The ritual bath, or mikvah, is a communal space regularly attended by hundreds of thousands of women – yet controlled by ultra-Orthodox men. Is it possible to do more there than dunk and say a blessing? Is there a way to make women's voices heard among the still waters? Can a mikvah be a community space to educate about women's health, family violence prevention and more? Read more   A Budget for the People SHATIL is proud to announce the beta launch of The Open Budget, a new web-based initiative that will allow anyone and everyone to see and search through different components of Israel's national budget. It is aimed at activists, organizations, students and researchers who now have easy access to the budget for purposes of monitoring, developing projects and advancing social change.  Read more   ”We Learned the Truth” John and Vicki Goldwyn have always had deep ties to the US Jewish community and to Israel. During the Yom Kippur War, John took a break from college to go to Israel and contribute to the war efforts. Vicki has long been active in Jewish life in the Chicago area, having served in leadership positions, including as the executive director of two synagogues. They both express a deep commitment to social justice and to Israel. Read more   Share