Photographer: Gilad Kavalerchik

Last week, Shatil held the 40×40 Changing Reality exhibition, marking its 40th anniversary. President Isaac Herzog and his wife, First Lady Michal Herzog, were in attendance. They both spoke at the event, and offered words of admiration for the work of NIF and our action arm, Shatil.

In her speech, First Lady Michal Herzog said, “Civil society has a critical role to play in protecting all those who need it, including in the war for rights already enshrined in legislation, or case law, and that it won’t be taken away from those who are entitled to them.”

She continued to explain how Israelis “… are committed to this even more so, not only because it is part of our moral values, and not only because it is the right thing to do but because this is the only way to cope with all the challenges that we face. Only when we break down the walls that divide us will we be able to advance society to a future of success and prosperity.”

President Isaac Herzog noted that his beloved, recently deceased cousin, Shira Herzog, had been extremely active in building up Israeli civil society, and had herself made a significant contribution to the work of Shatil.