Thanks to the generosity of you, our NIFC community, we and our partners have helped the most vulnerable on the ground, including those who fled the October 7th terror attack and the families of the victims and the hostages. We have also bolstered civil society during a time of repression and helped our grantees who are working to prevent a rise in intercommunal tensions.

To learn about some of the concrete actions we have taken, come join us in a webinar on Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 1 PM ET / 12 PM CT / 10 AM PT to learn more about what we’ve been doing as part of our Emergency Safety Net. Learn from leaders on the ground about work happening right now, followed by a Q&A session.

Click here to register on NIF US’s website.

SPEAKERS

Amit Ben Ami is the Partnerships Director of the Tzedek Centers movement in Israel. Born in Jerusalem, Amit lives in Tel Aviv as part of Hashomer Hatzair’s urban kibbutz. Throughout the years, he has taken various roles as an educator and organizer, alongside his activism and involvement in civil society. Amit is a poet, translator, and PhD candidate of English literature at the University of Haifa.

Mickey Gitzin is the Director of the New Israel Fund in Israel. Prior to joining NIF, Mickey was the founding director of “Israel Hofsheet” (Be Free Israel), a leading grassroots organization fighting for separation of religion and state in Israel. Previously, Mickey was the spokesperson for MK Ilan Gilon (Meretz) and the Associate Director of “Festival BeShekel,” an organization advancing arts and culture in Israel’s geographic and socioeconomic periphery. After completing his military service as an intelligence officer, he served as a shaliach (emissary) in South Bend, Indiana for the Jewish Agency for Israel. Mickey holds a Master’s in Public Policy from University College-London, for which he received a Chevening Scholarship from the British Foreign Office and the British Council. In 2013, Mickey received NIF UK’s Human Rights Award, and in 2015, NIF’s Gallanter Prize for Emerging Israeli Social Justice Leaders.

Libby Lenkinski is the Vice President for Public Engagement at the New Israel Fund, where she leads all aspects of NIF’s public efforts in the United States – including communications, digital, programs, events, leadership, community partnerships and engagement, New Generations and our fellowships. Prior to joining NIF, Libby lived and worked in the Israeli non-profit field for almost a decade. There she worked as Director of International Relations at the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and as a strategy consultant for human rights organizations like Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights, for documentary films including Budrus and The Law in These Parts, new media initiatives like +972 Magazine, and for progressive campaigns. She is a founding member of Zazim-Community Action and The Whistle. Currently, Libby serves on the board of Comet-ME, Hashomer Hatzair North America and is a NY co-chair for the Reboot Network. Libby is based in Brooklyn and travels to Israel-Palestine frequently.

Fida Nara Tabony is Shatil’s Director in Haifa. In that role, she coordinates Shatil’s work to develop civil society in Northern Israel, with a particular emphasis on building Palestinian civil society in Israel. Previously, Fida was Mahapach-Taghir’s Co-Director. Mahapach-Taghir meaning ‘change’ in both Hebrew and Arabic, is a grassroots feminist Jewish-Arab organization for social change, established to promote a shared society in Israel with equal opportunities for all. Fida was born in Nazareth and grew up in Neve Shalom, an Arab-Jewish village. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Tel-Hai College and a master’s degree in Gender Studies from Bar Ilan University. Fida has always strived to learn and develop personally and professionally – she has participated in different courses, including Conflict Management, Community Organizing for Social Change, and Facilitators Training. She serves as a Member of the National Secretariat of Hadash – The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality; she was on the Hadash Knesset list (number 8) during the 2019 elections. For the past 25 years, Fida has dedicated her life to women’s empowerment and social change. Her activism started as a young woman volunteering at the Hotline for Victims of Sexual Violence, she then proceeded to work as the Coordinator for the Awareness Raising Project at Women Against Violence for 13 years and eventually became the Director of the Social Change Unit at Women Against Violence. She has two daughters.