By Daniel Sokatch, NIF International CEO
I’m writing to you with a heavy heart.
The past few days have been wrenching. The violence escalates. The mourning continues. The uncertainty is crushing. And like many of you, I’ve spent this time reaching out to loved ones, checking in with our staff in Israel, and doing everything I can to understand what’s unfolding—and how we can best help.
At times like this, it’s easy to feel powerless.
But here at the New Israel Fund, even as our offices in Israel remain closed under security directives, our staff and partners are anything but idle. We are reaching out across our network to identify emergency needs—especially in those communities that too often go unseen. We are tracking rising tensions in mixed cities. We are protecting freedom of expression and protest. We are continuing to focus on the dire situation in both Gaza and the West Bank. We are supporting civil society groups who are still showing up, even now, for human rights and for those on the margins.
1. Meeting needs of underserved communities in Israel
The loss and destruction of this past weekend have touched communities across Israel, from Bat Yam to Tamra. Arab communities in Israel have again been left vulnerable. Tamra, for example, has 37,000 residents and 0 public shelters. The government has failed to provide safe shelter, emergency services, and mental health support to entire cities and towns—especially in unrecognized villages and the Negev.
That’s where our partners have stepped in. With our support, civil society organizations are establishing local emergency response rooms, distributing food baskets, offering mental health support in Arabic, and advocating for safety infrastructure where none exists.
These responses are coordinated by some of the most trusted organizations in our network, including AJEEC, Women Against Violence, and more. NIF staff are directly involved in facilitating their efforts.
2. Humanitarian aid for Gaza and a sharp focus on the West Bank
For over a year, NIF and our global supporters have raised funds for humanitarian aid in Gaza—despite political risk and logistical challenges. We were among the first organizations to launch such an effort, and we continue to support credible, vetted partners working to meet basic human needs in the face of horrific suffering.
Our job is not to look away—it is to respond with clarity and compassion to the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza, even during this dangerous time.
At the same time, we are focused on the rapidly worsening conditions in the West Bank. Settler violence, army raids, and home demolitions are escalating at an alarming rate, while political attention is elsewhere. We are supporting Israeli and Palestinian organizations documenting and resisting this violence and calling for international accountability.
3. Defending democracy in wartime
This moment is being used by those in power to silence dissent. We are tracking and challenging crackdowns on free speech, assembly, and political activism—especially by Arab citizens of Israel. Our legal partners are working around the clock to protect the freedom to protest, to challenge unjust detentions, and to ensure that democratic institutions hold fast.
And we are still doing the slow, necessary work of building a future rooted in shared humanity—even as sirens and suffering dominate the present.
We’ve been here before—not this exact moment, but moments like it. And each time, we’ve come together as a community to face what’s in front of us with clarity, compassion, and courage. That’s who we are. That’s what we do.
We don’t have all the answers. We can’t promise a quick fix. But we can promise this: We will keep going. We will keep showing up. And we will keep fighting for the values we share, even and especially when the future is uncertain.
