NIF Boasts a Long History of Helping Those in Need in Israel

Jewish Exponent, August 21, 2008

Naomi Chazan and Daniel Segal

On Aug. 14, the Jewish Exponent ran a Jewish Telegraphic Agency report on activities of the New Israel Fund, titled "NIF Questioned Over Grants to 'Apartheid' Campaigners." In the same issue, the Exponent published an editorial that referenced the issues raised in the JTA piece and sharply criticized the NIF.

Anyone remotely familiar with this fund would find shocking the Exponent's description of the NIF as "underwrit[ing] an escalation of vicious attacks on Israel" and as only "claim[ing]" to support civil-rights and anti-discrimination efforts. For almost 30 years, the NIF has founded, trained, supported and funded more than 800 nonprofit organizations representing Israelis whose voices are too rarely heard in the corridors of power.

From Israel's first rape-crisis centers to its equivalent of the Americans With Disabilities Act, our work has empowered millions of Israelis to fight their own battles for human rights, social justice and religious pluralism.

Yes, that includes the 20 percent of Israelis who are Arab. Israelis and Diaspora Jews are rightfully proud of a Jewish homeland that explicitly guarantees equality to all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion. The New Israel Fund was the first organization to assist and empower Israeli Arabs who asked that Israel live up to its Declaration of Independence by erasing glaring inequities in everything from land use to school funding.

These inequities -- and the perils that accompany them -- are increasingly recognized by the entire Jewish community. Today, more than 80 Jewish organizations -- including the NIF, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and UJA-Federation New York -- have joined the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli-Arab Issues, as it is now understood that the deepening rift between Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens is dangerous to the survival of the state, and a blot on Israel's commitment to Jewish and universal values. Here, as with many other cutting-edge issues, the NIF manifested a commitment early on that is, thankfully, now being embraced by the broader community.

The editorial noted that some of the groups we fund criticize Israel in harsh terms, or support alternate conceptions of Israel with which we often strenuously disagree. As anyone who has lived in Israel appreciates, arguments about the future of the state and how to characterize its identity are the national pastime -- and those arguments are part of living in a vibrant democracy. We will not compromise our commitment to civil liberties, social justice and free discourse by demanding strict ideological conformity from each group we support.

All of our grantees are duly registered and recognized by the Israeli government; they are legally using Israel's democratic institutions to achieve equality and fair treatment for Israel's minority populations, and for those affected by human-rights abuses. They are also contributing to a necessary conversation within Israeli society regarding the contours of Israeli democracy.

Without a constitution for 60 years, Israel is now debating whether and how to remedy that void. We at the NIF, along with many other organizations, are part of that debate.

We were among the first to fight openly against the Orthodox monopoly on Judaism in Israel. Ask the Conservative and Reform rabbis in your community about our significant and steady support for the same freedom to be Jewish in Israel that American Jews enjoy. In a country with an enormous, expanding income gap, we are also vigilant on behalf of the many Israelis left out of the booming economy, most recently through successful pressure to amend a punitive and unfair welfare-to-work program.

Some reject any criticism as "anti-Israel," and apply a rigorous and often self-serving ideological litmus test to determine "real" support for Israel. But as a core value of our uncompromisingly pro-Israel identity, the New Israel Fund will continue to fight the forces of extremism, intolerance and injustice, and we will look to the millions of Israelis and Americans who agree with us for continued support.

Far from being threats to Israel's survival, democratic debate -- and the free exchange of ideas and a commitment to equality for all Israel's citizens -- remain the bedrock of Israel's strength and purpose as a nation.

Naomi Chazan is a former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and President of the New Israel Fund. Daniel Segal is the chair of the New Israel Fund Philadelphia Regional Council.