Protecting All Families

In a victory for the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the High Court of Justice ruled that non-Jewish children adopted by Jewish couples will no longer be required to undergo strictly Orthodox conversions. In practice, this also means that non-Orthodox families will not be automatically disqualified from adopting non-Jewish children. Legal efforts and advocacy also brought about a landmark ruling allowing same-sex couples to adopt children domestically.

Responding to State-Sanctioned Settler Violence

Following a settler rampage in the village of Huwara, NIF supported solidarity visits with the residents and funded legal aid for those who were harmed. Work by Breaking the Silence and FakeReporter helped lead to revelations about IDF errors: Not only did the IDF fail to prevent the February 2023 attack on Huwara; the military blocked emergency services from responding and fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians being attacked by settlers.

Providing a Home for the Religious Left

In 2023, NIF helped launch a new group of religious progressives (Hasmol Ha’emuni, or the Faithful Left) that opposes the government’s agenda as well as the racism and extremism prevalent in some ultra-Orthodox and religious Zionist circles. The group’s inaugural conference drew some 700 participants, while the second one, held this March, attracted 900 attendees.

Cultivating Palestinian-Israeli Leadership

To address the dearth of young Palestinian-Israeli political leadership, Shatil launched Rawabit (“Connections”), a training program for Palestinian citizens in their 20s and 30s with potential to lead social change in their communities. Shatil launched a
second cohort in April and is building an alumni network—all part of NIF’s work to build the capacity of Palestinian-Israeli civil society in the long term.

Rooting Out Racism

IRAC’s Racism Crisis Center secured a ground breaking settlement in its class action lawsuit against Gett Taxi. The company’s “Gett Mehadrin” service effectively enabled passengers to order cabs driven exclusively by Jews. The settlement ordered Gett to eliminate that option and pay $1.7 million in damages to Arab drivers and shared society organizations. The lawsuit was supported in part by an NIF rapid response grant.

Recognizing an Extraordinary Activist

NIF awarded the single biggest prize in Israeli civil society to Nasser Nawaj’ah, a
researcher with B’Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. The William S. Goldman Truth to Power Award, named for the late NIF board member, is worth roughly $27,000. It was awarded to Nawaj’ah for his fearless work exposing the injustices of life under Israeli occupation.

Inspiring the Philanthropic World–Together

NIF’s supporters—you, who gave at record levels since October 7—were featured in the press.

NIF’s 2022 Annual Report

Join us as we look back to see how far we’ve come and gain inspiration for the challenges ahead.

Defending Israelis’ Right to Protest

Over the past year, Israelis have taken to the streets to protest against government corruption, violence in Palestinian-Israeli society, and home demolitions. NIF, Shatil, and grantees including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel have educated protesters about their rights and provided legal support. The Human Rights Defenders Fund has negotiated the release of over 250 protesters, and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel has filed over 70 reports of police brutality at various demonstrations since July 2020.

A coalition of activists in Tel Aviv including NIF grantee Achoti (Sister) for Women in Israel have finally won a decades-long battle to remove the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, a source of air pollution and other hazards, from its current site. Women living near the bus station are twice as likely to die of lung cancer than the national average, according to Ministry of Health data. The Tel Aviv Municipality agreed to vacate the current bus station by 2023.

Ending Arbitrary IDF Home Invasions in the West Bank

In June 2021, the Israeli Army announced it would severely restrict nighttime incursions into Palestinian homes in the West Bank for intelligence-gathering purposes, a decades-long practice that inflicted long-term psychological trauma on families. This policy change comes after a campaign led by Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), and Breaking the Silence, which included publishing a report critical of the practice.

Offering Hope for a Shared Future

In May 2021, as violence raged around the country between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel, NIF created a new NIS 1 million (just over $300,000) fund for Jewish-Arab shared society projects, sending a powerful message of hope and resilience during a dark time. Of the 600 proposals submitted, 21 “Voices of Hope” grantees were selected, representing a broad spectrum of ideas to foster mutual understanding, respect and dialogue, root out racism, introduce young Jews and Arabs and educate them about the “other,” and create shared spaces.