The New Israel Fund has long invested in building coalitions and partnerships. Right now, we are building a central hub for pro-democracy organizations and activists. Our work is growing to include an array of services – legal aid, mental health support, crisis communications, and enhanced cyber security – to enable NGOs and activists to operate safely amid efforts to delegitimize them and silence their activities.

Examples include:

• Canadian funded: The Forum Against the Exclusion of Women is an NIF-facilitated coalition of Israel’s 17 most important women’s rights and religious freedom groups that is mobilizing against efforts to roll back a wide swath of women’s and LGBTQ rights and to advance religious control over public spaces.
• NIF is responding to threats to freedom of expression and speech, freedom of association, and other civil rights with partners such as the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and the Human Rights Defenders Fund (HRDF).

In addition to efforts to address the short-term threats, we are also backing initiatives that strengthen the vision and leadership needed to advance a just, inclusive Israel over the long-term.

Leadership Development: The cultivation of new progressive leaders and innovative social change strategies is necessary for the pro-democracy camp. Projects developing leadership serve to strengthen emerging leaders with a deeper commitment to Jewish-Arab and cross-sector partnerships. Other projects develop leadership specifically for Palestinian citizens and ultra-Orthodox women.
• Canadian funded: Though a collaboration with the Heschel Center and the Arava Institute, the Sustainability Partnerships Program educates 20+ individuals from eight organizations over nine months as they study social change successes around the world and craft joint campaigns on gender equality, labor rights, religious freedom, and especially Jewish-Arab partnership.
• Canadian funded: Rawabit (“Connections” in Arabic) is a year-long leadership program designed by NIF’s Shatil department to develop young Palestinians who have the potential to lead social change from within. In addition to trainings, each participant leads a new initiative in their community.

Grassroots Movements and Campaigns: Citizen-led movements form the bedrock of Israel’s democracy and are essential to mobilizing society and holding the powerful accountable.
• Partners including Omdim Beyachad-Naqef Ma’an (Standing Together), Zazim – Community Action, the Citizens’ Headquarters, and Mehazkim have emerged as the core of Israel’s pro-democracy movement.

Development of Ideas and Policies: The proliferation and clout of right-wing, conservative think tanks is evident: the Kohelet Policy Forum essentially drafted this government’s radical agenda. We are partnering with Israeli liberal think tanks to provide an alternative vision for Israel’s future and formulate a course of action for realizing it.
• Partners in this area include Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, Zulat – Equality and Human Rights, the Berl Katznelson Foundation, and others.