Photo Credit: Yossi Zamir
In the aftermath of October 7th, an Israeli-Palestinian peace organization turned to Shatil, NIF’s action arm, after becoming embroiled in an internal crisis. The organization’s Jewish co-CEO wanted to update the organization’s mission statement to include a statement about Israel’s right to exist. Her Palestinian co-CEO in turn wanted to include a clause that all those who participate in the organization’s programs should “practice peace,” that is, not join the Israeli army. The Jewish co-CEO argued that the clause would exclude nearly all Jewish Israelis because most are required to enlist. The directors reached an impasse that threatened to disband the organization.
This is just one example of the challenges NGOs face in the shadow of war and the civil unrest plaguing Israel since the extremist government came to power.
To help NGOs and their employees maintain professional functionality amid so many parallel storms, Shatil developed the Organizational Resilience Program, a package of trainings, workshops, and consultations aimed at helping these organizations function in spite of varied challenges.
In mid-2023, many NGO employees and activists took leading roles in the protests to counter the governing coalition’s anti-democratic agenda — many spending days in the office planning campaigns and protesting all night, some even getting arrested. Then, in the immediate aftermath of October 7th, when NGOs and volunteers acted as the country’s responders, many witnessed the atrocities of war and experienced trauma, depression, and burnout.
Now, two years later, NGO employees report feeling exhausted. Some have difficulty simply getting to the office, let alone creating a strategic work plan. Against this backdrop, the need for resilience services has only grown; Shatil saw a 30% increase in requests for consultation in 2024 alone from organizations addressing a range of issues. For example, in the wake of a spike in violence since the war, an organization dealing with violence against women turned to Shatil after its employees started exhibiting signs of second-hand trauma. Employees of LGBTQ organizations report feeling increasing pressure with their community’s rights under constant attack.
Tamar Amir, an organizational consultant at Shatil, explained that Shatil’s program is unique because “we tailor our support to each organization’s specific needs. This can mean strategic consulting for the organization’s leaders, group therapy or workshops for specific departments, or even individual psychological support for staff showing signs of trauma.” She explained that Shatil’s “goal is to identify what is preventing the organization from functioning as a cohesive unit in achieving its goals and to help it overcome those challenges.”
In the case of the Israeli-Palestinian peace NGO, two Shatil consultants (one Palestinian, one Jewish) met with both CEOs separately, and then together. The consultants gave the CEOs tools to negotiate their intense emotions and ideological differences. Eventually, the two CEOs agreed on a mission statement that acknowledges the right of both peoples to live in the state and says that all program participants must believe in peace, without specifying how that belief is put into practice.
Whatever an organization’s mandate, Tamar says that “Shatil is helping organizations advance the values of equality, democracy, and partnership by giving them the tools to continue functioning at a time when many of their employees feel hopeless.”