Success Stories

  • Supporting the Ultra-Orthodox LGBTQ Community

    NIF is supporting a new project to expand outreach to LGBTQ ultra-Orthodox individuals who often lack acceptance within their communities. Organizations involved in the project include the New Haredim and three religious LGBTQ organizations: Bat-Kol – Religious Lesbian Organization, Havruta – Religious Gay Community, and Shoval: Education and Tolerance. Shatil is supporting the initiative by connecting Haredi activists and leaders with these organizations. And in response to a petition by PHRI and other organizations, Israel’s Supreme Court in August instructed the government to clarify why it has refused to grant work permits to LGBTQ Palestinians seeking political asylum in Israel.

  • Championing Religious Pluralism

    The High Court ruled in March 2021 that conversions by the Reform and Conservative Movements in Israel will qualify Jews by choice to receive oleh (immigrant) status and Israeli citizenship, in accordance with the Law of Return. This ruling marked the end of a 15-year legal battle by NIF grantee Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) against Orthodox control over who qualifies as a Jew for the purpose of Israeli citizenship.

  • Expanding Access to Education

    Following a successful petition filed by ACRI and ASSAF – Aid Organization for Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Israel, children of asylum seekers and migrant workers in Petah Tikva received kindergarten placements for the 2021-2022 school year after long being denied permission to enroll.

  • Advancing Recognition for Bedouin Villages

    In March 2021, following a Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages-led petition to the government, the unrecognized village of Hashem Zaneh received government approval for setting up mobile kindergarten and school units in the village—a major milestone in the recognition process. Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights and Shatil were essential partners for Hashem Zaneh throughout the years-long process.

  • Combating Settler Violence and the Occupation

    NIF continues working to keep the occupation on the public agenda and to safeguard the rights of Palestinians living under Israeli rule in the West Bank. NIF recently approved an emergency grant to Haqel: In Defense of Human Rights to fund a 24/7 hotline for residents of the South Hebron Hills, who have been subjected to intensified settler violence in recent months.

  • People Holding Phones
    Fighting Extremism in the Digital Sphere

    FakeReporter, which launched with NIF support this year, worked to report and disrupt extremist groups on social media platforms. Their reporting led to the closure of dozens of Telegram and WhatsApp groups created to incite violence. Additionally, NIF grantees IRAC, Citizens’ HQ, and Mehazkim succeeded in petitioning for the deplatforming of extremist organization Lehava and leaders Michael Ben Ari and Baruch Marzel.

  • Ensuring Health-Care Equity

    Israel’s Minister of Health announced a historic investment in health care for Palestinian communities in Israel. PHRI, the Galilee Society, and the Shatil-led Arab-Jewish Citizens’ Forum for the Promotion of Health in the Galilee had all brought attention to the gaps in health-care services between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. The decision allocates an additional $200 million (NIS 650 million) toward health services in Arab communities.

  • A Man Holds a Woman's Hand
    Extending a Lifeline to Civilians in Gaza

    Following the hostilities between Israel and Hamas in May, PHRI distributed 1,500 food parcels to Gazan families whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the fighting, as well as medicine and medical equipment. During the fighting, when Israel further tightened already stringent limitations on exit permits for Gazans in need of urgent medical care, the organization petitioned the High Court of Justice, and the state repealed the new restrictions.

  • Fighting for a Shared Future

    After hostilities began between Israel and Hamas and within mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel, NIF grantee, Omdim Beyachad (Standing Together), brought thousands of Jews and Arabs across the country to the streets to unite against the escalation and violence. Before the announcement of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on May 21, Omdim Beyachad organized Jewish-Arab anti-war demonstrations in dozens of cities across Israel.

  • Supporting Marginalized Communities Through COVID-19

    At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel’s Ministry of Health was publishing urgent public health regulations, but only in Hebrew. After advocacy by Physicians for Human Rights Israel and Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, government websites began publishing public health information in Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya, and other languages. Thanks to these efforts, Arab citizens, African asylum seekers, and Ethiopian Israelis were able to access urgent and credible public health information in their native languages.

  • Fighting For Equitable Vaccination Against COVID-19

    Following intense pressure from NIF grantees, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gantz approved a vaccination drive for the roughly 120,000 Palestinians, or 2.5% of the Palestinian population, with permits to work in Israel and the settlements. After another successful campaign by five NIF grantees in January 2021, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) began vaccinating all prisoners over age 45, including Palestinian security prisoners.

  • Combating Settlement Expansion

    After a petition filed by 23 Palestinian local councils, together with human rights organizations, including veteran NIF grantees Adalah and ACRI, Israel’s Supreme Court struck down the “Expropriation Law.” Under this unjust law, the Israeli government retroactively approved illegal Jewish settlement construction on private Palestinian land.

Page 3 of 5