Read NIF's latest press releases and statements. For press inquiries, please contact Elisheva Goldberg at: 917.740.4031 phone or [email protected].
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State Department: “Discrimination Against Non-Jews and Non-Orthodox Continued”
11 November 2009Recently the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor issued its annual report on religious freedom in Israel and the occupied territories. According to the report, the “status of respect for religious freedom by the Government was unchanged during the reporting period.” While citing the Israeli government’s general respect for freedom of worship in practice, the report details many areas in which the right to freedom of religion, respected by all modern democracies, is curtailed or shortchanged by Israel’s relinquishment of civil authority to the Orthodox establishment and Muslim/Christian religious authorities.
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New Israel Fund Announces Daniel Sokatch as New CEO
16 September 2009Washington, DC. The Board of Directors of the New Israel Fund has unanimously approved the selection of Daniel J. Sokatch as the new NIF Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Larry Garber. Mr. Sokatch will manage a $30 million Israel-Diaspora partnership, the leading organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its founding in its birthplace city, San Francisco, this evening.
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‘Influential Woman’ Rachel Liel Named Israel Executive Director for New Israel Fund
13 August 2009NIF announced today that Rachel Liel has been selected to serve as the new Executive Director in Israel. Liel, named one of the 40 women making the most significant contributions to Israeli society by <em>Ha’aretz</em> in 2007, has directed Shatil, NIF’s action arm in Israel, since 1998.
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Incitement, Fraud, and Fabrication
23 July 2009The New Israel Fund is committed to a democratic Israel in which progressive voices are not intimidated, threatened and misrepresented. The coarsening of discourse in Israel is an issue that many thoughtful commentators have raised, as is the unprecedented series of attacks on the Israeli-Arab community exemplified by the proposed Nakba and loyalty-oath legislation. Disgraceful behavior by some who disagree with our values or actions only demonstrates their real objective – to silence dissent and mute unpopular voices, particularly in the human rights community.
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New Israel Fund to Launch Virtual 30th Anniversary Celebration
27 April 2009As a joint celebration of NIF’s 30th anniversary and Israeli Independence Day, NIF is launching the “Celebrate Israel Your Way” campaign.
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Orthodox Jews and Arabs to March in Solidarity in Umm El Fahm
2 April 2009Jerusalem: In response to last week’s incendiary march by right-wing extremists, religious Jews will lead social activists and citizens alike in the Israeli-Arab city of Umm El Fahm to express solidarity with the local residents and Arab citizens of Israel. The event is being organized by the orthodox forum 12th of Heshvan (Yud Bet B’Heshvan), in cooperation with the New Israel Fund (NIF).
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Saving Civil Society: New Israel Fund, Israel’s NGOs and the Economic Crisis
19 December 2008Washington/Jerusalem: As the global economic crisis deepens, Israel’s non-profit sector is facing a crisis. Many NGOs have already drastically cut their budgets and some are worried about keeping their doors open. Representing a significant segment of Israel’s GDP, the nation’s NGO sector amounts to more than $20 billion annually and is comprised of thousands of organizations employing about 250,000 people. These organizations serve a central role in representing communities and populations, promoting their civil and human rights and allowing their voices to be heard. They are an important source in the provision of health, welfare and education services, and play a significant role in shaping policies that benefit all the country’s residents
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Former MK, Naomi Chazan Takes Over As President of New Israel Fund
15 December 2008Jerusalem, Israel: Naomi Chazan, former Israeli Knesset Deputy Speaker and outspoken human rights activist, began her new role as president of the New Israel Fund’s (NIF) board of directors today at the organization’s board meeting in Jerusalem. Chazan served on the NIF Board from 1992-93, resigned upon being elected to the Knesset for the Meretz party, and rejoined the NIF Board in January 2007. She is Professor Emerita of Political Science and African Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she served as Chair of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, and has been a Visiting Professor of Government at Harvard University. Chazan currently serves as Head of the School of Government and Society at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo and spent the academic year 2004-2005 as the Wilhelm Fellow at the Center for International Studies at MIT.
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Israeli Psychologists Who Trained Army For ‘Disengagement’ to Head Panel at APA Conference
8 August 2008As the crisis in Israel wears on, two Israelis who are internationally recognized specialists in non-violent confrontation and “constructive struggle” will lead a symposium at the convention of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans. The panel is scheduled for Saturday, August 12th at 12 PM in Room 35 of the New Orleans Convention Center.
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New Israel Fund to Launch ‘Virtual’ International Town Hall
8 May 2008As Israel turns 60, the New Israel Fund is providing a very special opportunity to join a provocative discussion of the grave threats to religious and political freedom in Israel – and on the choices Israel must make to guarantee its future as a successful democracy.
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