Projects in the North of Israel
in response to the State's negligence and improper handling of basic civil rights during and following the Second War with Lebanon, Shatil went into high-gear. As early as summer 2006, Shatil initiated several new projects aimed at facilitating social change in Israel's northern region.
"I went to see with my own eyes the discrimination between Arab and Jew, new immigrant and veteran citizen. The State tried to save money by taking advantage of its weaker citizens."
- Shaul Feldman whose house was directly hit by a missile during the Second War with Lebanon
The North Star Forum
Shatil initiated the North Star Forum, a coalition of some 50 social change organizations, to advocate on behalf of residents in the North and monitor the government's actions.
The Forum held four public hearings in Haifa, Nazareth, Kiryat Shmona and Tzfat. At the Hearings residents testified to their experiences during the war and the failure of the government to take care of their needs.
Riki Tegabe, Director of Hiyot, a Haifa Ethiopian women's organization told of immigrants from Ethiopia that lived in badly kept buildings without shelters, in poor neighborhoods where the nearest shelter was 5 minutes away.
The North Star Forum took center stage with the publishing of the Concord Report - Citizens on the Front Lines which received wide spread media attention and was presented to the Winograd Commission. The report was used by Israel's Comptroller when compiling his own report on the functioning of the government during the war. The North Star Forum's website features monthly updates, twelve so far, and its influential Concord Report.
Northern Exposure
SHATIL's Northern Exposure Project is an economic empowerment initiative including some 200 micro-businesses in the North. The project promotes the capacity of five of Israel's leading economic empowerment organizations while increasing the potential of small businesses through tourism.
The Northern Exposure website, http://nes.org.il, is a unique experience which enables web users to participate in both virtual and actual tours while becoming acquainted with small business owners in the North.
SHATIL's Northern Exposure team enhances the capacity of its partner economic empowerment organizations in the field by assisting them to develop work plans and evaluation mechanisms. In-turn, the organizations provide one on one consultation to their affiliated businesses on how to build a business plan and other topics. Businesses also receive one-on-one Shatil consultation which helps increase their sales through tourism.
Following Shatil's seminar entitled "Living in a Mixed City after the War: Challenges and Looking Forward" including some 80 Jewish and Arab activists in Haifa, a group of 25 participants were recruited to participate in a dialogue group to improve relations in the city.
The greatest accomplishment for the community is the overwhelming response and desire to join a multi-sector initiative by academics, businesspeople, social activists, and public service providers-Arab and Jewish alike. Shatil is presently collecting data on all community needs and developing community focus groups. The analysis will lead to the creation of a vision of ‘Haifa as a City of Joint Living' and the drafting of a model based on this vision.
