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April 9, 2008

Israel Office

SHATIL

Weekly Message

Two programs that I attended last week in Israel highlighted the country’s emergence as a growing, first world economy. At the same time, I was constantly reminded of the many challenges that Israel faces in dealing with issues of poverty, environmental degradation and, of course, the conflict with its neighbors. Despite economic progress for the Israeli elites, the NIF agenda remains as relevant as ever.

The theme for this year’s Jewish Funders Network (JFN) conference, which met for the first time in Israel, was “High Impact Philanthropy: Forging Synergies to Transform the World.” The number of Israeli participants exceeded expectations, reflecting the growth of a wealthy and philanthropic-oriented class within Israeli society. Indeed, to service these new Israeli donors and to strengthen connections between Diaspora Jewish and Israeli philanthropists, JFN announced the opening of an office in Israel.

These developments notwithstanding, a recurring conference theme was the dissonance between a seemingly booming Israeli economy and the uncertainties facing Israel’s underclass. Indeed, the respective roles of government and philanthropy in helping the poor and other marginalized groups, and in addressing the deteriorating state of the health and education systems, were the subject of debate in several of the sessions.

The conference also focused attention on the the weakening dollar, particularly its impact on the non-profit sector. SHATIL Director Rachel Liel and I were recruited as panelists for two special sessions at the conference on this subject. The sessions featured reports on the varying reactions of different foundations to the difficulties facing Israeli grantees as a result of the declining dollar, and on the steps that grantees need to consider in response to the availability of fewer shekels. An excellent three-page resource paper prepared by SHATIL for use by the Israeli non-profit sector was distributed at both sessions. [Note – The current Jerusalem Report has an article on this subject, “NGOs stung by plunging dollar,” which quotes Rachel extensively.]

Immediately prior to the JFN conference, I attended a “Workshop on Faith and International Development.” This workshop combined a discussion on the role of faith/religion in addressing issues pertaining to marginalized groups and endemic poverty, with a practical focus on Jewish and Israeli initiatives in the international development field as Israel prepares for entry into the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD.)

Drawing from my experience as a former official with USAID, I spoke on a panel entitled “Revamping Israel’s development cooperation agenda.” In my remarks, I stressed that Israel’s international development effort must form part of a holistic consideration of the concept of “tikkun olam,” which takes into account the poor within Israel, among its immediate neighbors (and particularly the Palestinians) and also among the broader global community.

As part of an informative retreat focusing on the environment, I joined in site visits to several projects in the Jordan Valley implemented by Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME), which is based in Amman, Bethlehem and Tel Aviv. FOEME, whose driving force is Gidon Bromberg, a former NIF law fellow and leading environmental activist, demonstrated real ability to maintain high profile programs throughout the most difficult years of the intifada. Two of the projects visited were a high school that is harvesting rain water as part of a program that FOEME is implementing in Palestinian and Israeli schools, and a proposed expansion of a peace park along the Jordan River, which will provide for increased opportunities for interactions between Israelis and Jordanians .

I also was pleased to join briefly a study tour to Bethlehem organized by the organization Encounter and to attend a SHATIL-sponsored conference on the impact of organizations implementing cooperative Palestinian and Israeli projects. Clearly, the yearning for peace among many Palestinians and Israelis remains strong, despite the constant obstacles and the feelings of despair that are all too common today.

Even as Israel’s political and economic successes are justifiably celebrated, and even as Israel is welcomed into the OECD, we at NIF will continue to highlight the needs of those left behind by the economic boom, the consequences of uncontrolled growth on the environment, and the political, economic and psychological costs of not doing all that is possible to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and its neighbors.

In this week’s NIF News, we report on a new Israeli government initiative to combat polygamy in Israel’s Bedouin sector. For many years, NIF and SHATIL have targeted programs assisting and empowering women in Israeli Bedouin society, and raising awareness of the problems caused by polygamy. We also report on the successful campaign of an NIF grantee to protect the rights of Israel's single parents. SHATIL reports on an op-ed written by Everett Social Justice Fellow Rama Bor, last week’s conference in Sderot and victories on behalf of students in the Negev.