Strengthening Democratic Values |
 Israel’s status as a democratic state is not guaranteed. As a nation facing real and serious threats, Israel must strike a balance between security needs and safeguarding the civil liberties and human rights of its citizens and residents. During the conflict in Gaza, the Central Election Committee voted to ban two Arab parties from running in the election - a decision later overturned by the Israeli High Court. The government also limited press access to Gaza throughout the conflict and repressed peaceful dissent. The recent election results add to the growing concerns about minority rights within Israel, while vigilante attacks on peace activists last fall, and a resurgent radical settler movement that pledges to disregard legal action to prevent further illegal settlement, are unsettling signs of a nation where the rule of law is too frequently questioned and disregarded.
Through innovative programming, litigation and education, the NIF family has been a powerful voice in challenging policies that threaten Israel’s democratic foundation.
NIF Successes and Resources
Personal Story: The Fight Against Nationalistic Extremism
 When Gady Gvaryahu heard about the march through the Arab Israeli city of Umm El Fahm by ultra-nationalist Baruch Marzel and his extremist supporters, his blood began to boil.
Dr. Gvaryahu, Executive Director of NIF grantee Yud Bet B’Heshvan – Promoting Tolerance in an Orthodox Context says, "As an Orthodox Jew I felt it was important to do something to counter the impression that all Orthodox Jews are intolerant extremists who hate Arabs, and to show the people of Umm El Fahm that there are alternative voices in the Orthodox community."
Consequently, Yud Bet B’Heshvan (the organization is named for the Hebrew date of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination) teamed up with NIF to bring over 300 Jews to Umm El Fahm in a show of solidarity with the city's Arab residents. Dr. Gvariyahu personally presented salt to Umm El Fahm Mayor Sheikh Khaled Hamdan to symbolize the religious covenant between the Jewish and Arab people.
Gvaryahu, 52, an agricultural researcher, has been fighting intolerance within the Orthodox Jewish community since Yigal Amir murdered Rabin in 1995. As well as establishing Yud Bet B’Heshvan, he set up the Yitzhak Rabin Synagogue in Rehovot, the only synagogue in Israel named after the slain Prime Minister. He also is active with the Religious Scouts movement, which stresses the importance of Jewish and democratic values for Orthodox youth. "The murder of Prime Minister Rabin by a religious fanatic," observes Gvaryahu, "was the most extreme act of intolerance, contempt for the law and hatred. Our movement seeks to strengthen freedom of opinion, listening to each other and respecting the institutions of the state among the Orthodox community. Baruch Marzel represents everything we abhor."
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