Civil and Human Rights Projects

New Israel Fund of Canada works to help Israel live up to its founders' vision of a state that ensures complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants without regard to religion, race or gender.  This work is at the core of our identity as a cutting-edge organization taking on the most difficult issues. The following are some of our current projects safeguarding human and civil rights in Israel.

Association For Civil Rights in Israel’s Public Hotline

NIFC works with key NGO the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to provide information to the Israeli public on their basic rights. ACRI’s hotline handles questions, complaints and referrals from more than 5,000 individuals every year who need information on their basic rights and potential violations. The hotline, run by staff members and volunteers, provides information in four languages and also enables ACRI to identify trends relating to human rights issues in Israel. NIFC and ACRI’s Education Department conduct educational human rights programs and organize conferences and lectures on human rights education. The Education Department provides information to a wide range of clients including teachers in the Jewish and Arab school systems, students, security personnel, and social and community workers to ensure that they can better serve the public by understanding the rights of their clients.

Association to Support Arab Minors (ASAM)

NIFC works with the Association to Support Arab Minors, established by a group of young Israeli-Arab professionals in the Triangle region, that monitors equality for Arab youth and improves the services provided to them. A specialist is analyzing the budgets of four municipalities to examine the adequacy of funding designated to services for local youth. Following the completion of the budget analysis, this NGO will hold a conference presenting its research findings on the needs of Arab-Israeli youth in the region. ASAM will inform decision-makers and professionals about the areas in which services are significantly lacking and will explore methods of addressing the gaps. In addition, ASAM engages Arab-Israeli youth to effectively work with local leadership to express their needs for increased services and to identify the challenges in their community.

Education About the Arab Minority With Sikkuy

NIFC works with the NGO Sikkuy to educate both local Israeli citizens and visitors from abroad about the importance of equality between the Jewish and Arab citizens. Sikkuy hosts public educational lectures and panels on equality between the Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel and takes Israeli groups (both Jews and Arabs) and foreign visitors on field trips to Arab villages, towns and cities (including mixed Jewish-Arab cities). They meet with local citizens and municipal leaders in order to become more knowledgeable about the Arab minority in Israel. Educational trips also include visits to neighboring Jewish communities to meet with local citizens and municipal leaders involved in cooperative efforts with their neighboring Arab communities.