One of the great pleasures of working at NIF is seeing how members of our community find inspiration from the activists we support in Israel. And through this, strengthen their relationship with Israel.

This was brought home to me by NIF UK board member Dani Jaff-Klein who recently spent two years living in Israel with her family. Dani used her time in Israel to volunteer with some of our grantees. She also shared her experiences through writing about these organizations and inviting her friends help shape her philanthropy.

On her return we decided it was important to bring the essence of what she was doing to a broader community. Vote for Change was born from this.

As Dani said at our launch: “What amazed me when I was living in Israel was the number of inspiring initiatives on the ground. In the UK we hear little about this. I want people to know, and Vote for Change is a way to showcase as well as support this work.”

The Vote for Change idea is simple. We profile four organizations through the eyes of one incredible activist and ask you to help allocate the modest prize fund. Our aim is to bring to life the fantastic work being achieved in the grassroots in Israel and to inspire and educate wider audiences here in the UK and beyond.

So far, thousands of people have voted. This year’s finalists include organizations helping African refugees in Israel, combating human trafficking, promoting Jewish learning and social justice, and empowering Israeli’s on the most disadvantaged Israelis.

We are currently running our third Vote for Change competition. This year, we have handed it over to our New Generations group and they have chosen four organizations they have a personal connection with. The causes are diverse; poverty, Jewish renewal, refugee rights and the trafficking of women. But what unifies them is that they all young Jews in the diaspora finding real, live, positive and passionate ways to get involved with Israel.

Feeling inspired? You can vote by visiting the Vote for Change website .