By Ben Murane, Executive Director
People often ask me how I maintain motivation, given the never-ending pain in Israel and Gaza these days. All of us who work or lead NIFC must look squarely at the ongoing toll of this conflict every day.
The answer is simple. I do see the worst, but I also get to see what many others do not: a daily trickle of activity reports from our funded partners on the ground detailing their uplifting, heartening, and even surprising work.
Here are just a few highlights from the past month:
- Tzedek Centers, our Canadian-funded humanitarian partner, completed our project that mobilized 400 volunteers to operate a 24/7 hotline that assisted 1,500 evacuated Israeli families in dire need of housing, food, and medical services.
- Seventeen Israeli human rights organizations including our Canadian-funded partners Bimkom, Breaking the Silence, and Yesh Din called for the immediate release of the hostages and an immediate ceasefire.
- The Shared Society Forum, a NIF-run coalition of Jewish-Arab shared society groups, convened 50 groups and leaders to evaluate their inspiring work to prevent a repeat of the violence that we saw inside Israel between Jewish and Palestinian citizens in May 2021.
- Omdim Beyachad-Standing Together, a grassroots Jewish-Arab shared society group, held a convention attended by over 1,000 citizens about building new paths to justice, equality, and peace. (If you’re in Toronto on March 26, join us to hear from them in person.)
- The Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, the civil society effort to chronicle Hamas’ weaponized sexual violence, presented their evidence to the White House, UN bodies, and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium.
I am also buoyed by the outpouring of Canadian support for our work – the generosity of our existing supporters and hundreds of new donors doubled to nearly $2 million last year.
Also, a dozen supporters decided to name NIFC in their wills, pledging a total of $1 million to sustain us in the future. (Be in touch if you’re also considering such a generous act.)
Just as there is so much tragedy, there are also powerful currents in Israel and here at home seeking to overcome the darkness of this moment and chart a better future for all.
What We’re Funding Now
The year ahead is going to continue to be enormously difficult.
The hostages are still captive, Israelis are traumatized, and they are distrustful of their own government. Thousands of Gazans have been killed, while millions remain displaced and on the verge of starvation. While we hold our breath every day for news of a deal, every day is a disappointment.
So long as Prime Minister Netanyahu and his extremist partners are still in power, Israel will be led down a path of perpetual violence, threats to democracy, and instability. Our priorities in Israel are protecting civil liberties, the most vulnerable of society, Jewish-Arab partnership, and above all, hope for the future.
This year, we’re funding $1 million in projects towards Israeli civil society groups fighting for future of equality, democracy, and an end to violence.
We just published our first round of funding issued to 10 projects that give me more hope. In addition to FakeReporter, Breaking the Silence, IRAC, and Sikkuy-Aufoq, here are five partners whose work will be pivotal this year:
- The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) remains the leading civil liberties agency defending democratic freedoms in Israel right now. This year, their court victories overturned the “reasonableness law” and efforts by Minister of Security Itamar Ben Gvir’s to expand his authority over Israeli police forces.
- Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights and Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel are achieving protections for Bedouin in unrecognized Negev villages, such as new bomb shelters and blocking the government from displacing whole villages.
- Yesh Din is one of the key Israeli human rights NGOs trying to end violence by settler extremists in the West Bank. Their recently-published annual data sheet reveals authorities failed to investigate 81% of incidents and that 97% of investigations are closed without indictment.
- Tzameret is a Shatil leadership program for up-and-coming women civil society leaders, both Jewish and Palestinian citizens, at a time in which women hold even fewer roles in Israel’s sexist government and in which dismissed warnings by female officers contributed to the intelligence failures of October 7th.
- Mitvim is one of several think tanks that are receiving increased investment by NIF to provide new ideas that get us out of the endless cycle of terrorism and occupation. Their security and foreign policy experts are charting a pragmatic path through the Gaza quagmire to a better future.
Soon, we will announce even more projects that are inspiring and powerful.
We will also bring these voices to Canada, especially those offering answers to the thorny questions of how to escape this endless cycle of terrorism and occupation.
This is why I remain motivated – because I see determination in the Jews and Arabs living in Israel fighting for Israel’s better angels and for democracy and equality. If they can see the potential for positive change from there on the ground, then I can believe it too. If they can stand together as Jews and Palestinians in the worst of times, then I can have faith more will grow to do so too.
If they can believe it, we can believe it too.
Even more so – we’ll help them accomplish it.