Invisible Israelis: Labor Rights for All |
 Israel currently has the largest income gap between rich and poor in the developed world. Unskilled laborers and those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Of major concern is the modern-day slavery that persists for Israel’s migrant workers. Despite a 2006 court ruling repealing the policy that ties a worker’s visa to a single employer, migrant workers remain the most exploited and helpless people in Israel. Also of great concern is the ongoing problem of trafficking of women; despite some progress, the importation of women for sexual slavery is a blot on Israel’s status as a healthy society. And, of course, the invisible Israelis of the periphery – development towns and low-income cities in both the Galil and Negev – continue to receive much less than their fair share of resources for housing, education, healthcare and infrastructure.
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Personal Story: Born to Volunteer
 There is a mixture of sadness and strength in Motti Golan's eyes.
In his meetings with social workers, Golan is angered by the stereotypical assumption that poor people like himself seek to squeeze as much as they can out of the State. “One of the reasons I volunteer is that I like to think of myself as giving rather than being needy. This is what motivates me. But even so, it takes a lot of strength to get up in the morning with a smile on my face.”
Even before gaining custody of his three children after his divorce, and even before the global recession gripped Israel, Golan, 46, struggled to make ends meet. A resident of Be’er Sheva’s impoverished Shchunat Daled neighborhood, he works as a counselor with disabled Israeli Defense Force veterans, and was recently told that the number of hours he works and his salary would be reduced due to the economic downturn.
Despite his struggles to support his family and keep a roof over their heads, he continues to volunteer for several organizations supported by NIF.
A cooperative store operated by NIF grantee Community Advocacy: Genesis Israel, which operates non-profit discount supermarkets in poor neighborhoods around Israel using volunteer labor, is one of Golan’s volunteer activities. In addition, he sits on the board of the Center for Nutritional Security, which seeks to raise awareness about nutrition and hunger among disadvantaged populations, as well as lobbying for new legislation and government policies. He also volunteers with his children at a local soup kitchen. He says, “My children enjoy volunteering. I don’t obligate them to do so, but I am pleased to see that they have followed my example."
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