Advocating for Fair Rehabilitation of Gaza Border Communities

Rachel Edry is from Ofakim, a development town just 16 miles from the Gaza border. Development towns were created in the 1950s to help house the massive influx of Jewish refugees and immigrants who arrived primarily from Arab countries. On October 7, Ofakim was overrun by Hamas gunmen, yet neither it nor other communities like Netivot and Ashkelon were included in the government-sponsored “Tkuma”—or “rehabilitation”—plan for rebuilding and recovery. The government excluded Ofakim when it defined the “rehabilitation zone” as any community within four miles of the Gaza border as qualifying for assistance.

Invigorating Arab Civil Society in Israel

“The full launch of Nasij,” said Fida Nara Tabony, director of Nasij and Shatil’s Haifa office, “comes at a time when Arab society is experiencing numerous social and political difficulties related to increasingly racist government policies, ascendant fascism, and a sharp rise in crime and violence.” Nasij is part of the answer, she says. “To overcome these difficulties, we must build a strong, resilient civil society which is exactly what Nasij’s holistic approach aims to achieve.”

Strengthening NGOs’ Resilience in Times of Crisis

To help NGOs and their employees maintain professional functionality amid so many parallel storms, Shatil developed the Organizational Resilience Program, a package of trainings, workshops, and consultations aimed at helping these organizations function in spite of varied challenges.

Responding to Right-Wing Attacks through Power-Building

The Hub was established in the wake of Israel’s last election, when extremist, anti-democratic right-wing parties rose to power. It is intended to be a “one-stop shop” to respond to attacks against progressive organizations and activists. Shatil is one of several members of the Hub coalition who work to protect activists’ civil rights through different channels, like legal counselling, media advocacy, and consultation on security measures. Now, nearly two years after the election and in the shadow of an ongoing war, threats to progressive civil society have skyrocketed, resulting in increased demand for the Hub’s services.

Saying Farewell: A Letter from Esther Sivan, Shatil Director

At the beginning of January, I stepped into the role of CEO at the Israel Academy of Science and Humanities. While I am excited about this new chapter, I will miss the meaningful work that NIF invests in relentlessly. I will remain a dedicated fan of NIF and Shatil and a humble servant of Israeli civil society, democracy, social justice, and equality.

As we enter the new year, I would like to wish us all a future of peace, justice, and human dignity. May we return to the basic values of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, and may we hear much-needed good news as soon as possible.

Advocating Effectively for Social Change

16 staffers from NIF grantees such as The Abraham Initiatives, IDEA: The Center for Liberal Democracy, and Israel Hofsheet (Be Free Israel) took part in a training, where one of their tasks was to become the politicians of Israel’s right and center–from Benny Gantz to Avigdor Lieberman. This training, entitled “Building Relationships to Advance Policy Promotion”, was created by Shatil’s Center for Policy Change (CPC) and led by Anat Ofek. Each participant assumed the role of a specific minister in a hypothetical version of Israel’s next governing coalition.

Among other skills, these staffers learned how to identify and build relationships with the “change-makers” best positioned to champion their objectives in the political arena, even with politicians they might not readily view as allies. 

Envisioning The Negev Anew Through Equality and Partnership

As NIF prepares to launch the new Equality and Partnership in the Negev project, staff members visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the site of one of the bloodiest massacres on October 7. The visit gave them the opportunity to hear the perspectives of western Negev residents on the region’s rehabilitation as they build and implement the project.

One year after the October 7 massacre, with 101 hostages still in Gaza—five of whom are from Kfar Aza—and the war continuing at full force, the kibbutz remains a closed military zone with almost all residents evacuated for the foreseeable future. Many of the thousands of southern evacuees who could return to their war-torn communities are simply too afraid and traumatized to go back.

Bringing Arabs and Jews Together for a Day of Mourning and Hope

On October 9 2024, hundreds of Arabs and Jews from throughout Israel—including Jewish gap-year participants and young Bedouin—poured out of buses in front of Hebrew Union College. They were attending the “A Day of Pain; A Day of Hope,” event in which Shatil was a lead organizer. The aim of the day was to create an intimate environment for Jewish and Arab-Israelis to reckon with their fears, losses, traumas, and hopes for the future as the war enters its second year.

The conference was part of NIF’s new “Equality and Partnership in the Negev” program to promote inclusive and comprehensive rehabilitation for all Negev residents and bolster Jewish-Arab partnership and progressive voices there. While 101 Israelis are still being held hostage in Gaza, and war rages on, Shatil is acutely aware of the need for collective healing. This means honoring the diverse struggles and contributions of all Negev residents, particularly the Bedouin who historically have been marginalized or excluded. The conference was a first step in this process.

Advancing Gender Equity in Israel via Coalition Building

The consecutive crises of the past year and a half have made one thing clear: when women are absent from leadership positions, it leads to long-lasting, dramatic consequences. The ongoing war erupted against the backdrop of Israel’s democratic crisis, exacerbating the pressures women had already been experiencing due to the governing coalition’s radical, anti-democratic agenda. Despite systemic under-representation in key decision-making positions, women in Israel now bear the brunt of the societal strain of war.
Earlier this year, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) asked Shatil–NIF’s action arm–and another leadership development and social change organization, BeDo, for support in launching its new program, The Collaborative Planning Process for Gender Equity (CPP). Following an open call for applications, 29 feminist changemakers from Israel’s public and private sector were selected to join the CCP’s inaugural cohort— a dynamic, collaborative working group. Together, the group aims to develop an intersectional, collaborative approach to advancing feminist issues in Israel.

Shatil Spotlight: Guiding Civil Society Leaders

Five years ago, Maram Sliman was working as a hotel clerk. Today, she is a resource development consultant for various groups of marginalized people in Israel, including Bedouin women in the Negev. Maram, a recent graduate of Shatil training, credits the program and individualized Shatil consultation with providing her skills essential for her new career direction.

“The Shatil staff’s all-encompassing support exceeded my expectations. Their guidance very specifically met what I needed to develop in this area,” says Maram, who hails from Akko.

Environmental Justice Taking Root: New Program Cultivates Arab Environmentalism

Poverty, crime, discrimination, and a dysfunctional educational system usually take center-stage as the prime concerns among Arab communities, with little heed paid to environmental issues. At the same time, in many Arab communities, residents have become environmental activists seeking cleaner air, water, and streets, but lack the resources and platform to effect change.

Jdhur جذور (Roots) is NIF and Shatil’s answer to this challenge. The program combines environmental training with local experts and field tours with Shatil consultation and capacity-building, peer learning, and networking opportunities. Participants also receive seed grants. The year-long program is designed to be culturally adaptive—Arab environmental activists face different challenges than their Jewish counterparts—and is conducted in Arabic.

Training Advocates to Close the Arab-Jewish Health Gap in Israel’s North

Israel consistently ranks high in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) surveys on levels of health and healthcare, but…

Buoying Hope Amid Wartime Despair

Six thousand people gathered in Tel Aviv on July 1 for the largest pro-peace event in recent memory. The event, called ‘It’s Time,’ was organized and led by over 50 organizations, many of them NIF grantees. ‘It’s Time’ was a show of force, highlighting the resilience and strength of the Israeli peace movement. The gathering’s main calls were to stop the war, bring the hostages home, end the conflict, and build peace. It was co-produced by Shatil and supported by NIF through an emergency grant.

“The coming together of so many different groups made the event the dictionary definition of synergy, showing how the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts,” said Tami Yakira, a Shatil organizer and one of the event’s producers.

Combatting an Atmosphere of Fear: Shatil Activism in Action

“In the West Bank, settlers are creating an atmosphere of fear that’s far more effective than violence.” – Sahar Vardi, Coordinator of Shatil’s OPT Activists Support Program

In 2023, Shatil launched the OPT Activists Support Program to support Israeli activists who serve as the last line of defense against the government’s moves to bolster settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT).

Launching Takdum: Gender-Monitoring Israel’s Policies Toward Arab Minority

This week Shatil will launch its part of a new, innovative project aimed at promoting gender equity in Israel’s Arab community….

Organizing for Safety and Against Gun Violence in Israel

To assess and respond to the dangers of increased gun ownership, Shatil established the Gun Control Forum, a group of twenty NGOs, including the Israel Democracy Institute, NIF grantees Israel’s Women’s Network, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and Sikkuy-Aufoq: For A Shared and Equal Society, alongside Gun Free Kitchen Tables. Liat Bolzman, the Shatil organizer leading the Forum, explained: “Shatil is uniquely placed to convene this mobilization and amplify it. Once we identified just how many elements of society this issue touched, we brought together all the organizations most skilled in tackling the problem from different angles. We are proud to implement these joint initiatives in the areas most affected by gun violence—and where violence is most likely.”

Shatil Spotlight Maya Layton: From Shared City to Shared Society

“I grew up in the Jewish-Arab city of Ramle. Witnessing the socio-economic disparities between the two groups, the poverty, and the drugs, gave me this drive to make our society more just.” (Maya Layton, Shatil’s new director of consulting and organizational development)

Finding Another Way: Shatil’s New Political Horizon Forum

Led by Shatil organizer for social change Tami Yakira, the Political Horizon Forum seeks to work from the grassroots up to rebuilding the Israeli peace camp using Shatil’s renowned convening model.

Jumpstarting Arab-Israeli Civil Society

“If the role of civil society is to combat social inequities and injustices, a strong and active Palestinian-Israeli civil society is imperative to narrowing the gamut of gaps between Jews and Arabs.”—Mohanad Berekdar, Shatil Organizational Consultant

Shatil Spotlight: Dr. Sarit Bensimhon-Peleg

Dr. Sarit Bensimhon-Peleg recently joined Shatil in the newly-created position of Director of Strategy and Capacity Building. It is the inevitability of change, the fact that change is ultimately the only thing that will always stay constant, that inspires Sarit, and brings her to Shatil.

Shatil Spotlight: Writing an Unknown Story

As NIF’s Director of Writing, I often tell the story of our organization. NIF’s communications team and I spent the last few weeks telling the story of our 2023. It was a volatile, trying, and inspirational year that came on the heels of other draining years. When it comes to 2024, if there’s one certainty, it is that nothing is certain.

Shatil Spotlight: Mentoring Environmental Activists

Even in the midst of Israel’s war, Shatil’s Director of Arab-Israeli Environmental Activism, Zubaida Ezery, is busy helping Palestinian citizens of Israel confront environmental challenges in their communities.

Meet Hovav Yannai, the new director of Shatil’s Center for Policy Change

Shatil’s Center for Policy Change (CPC), which teaches organizations how to effect policy change and influence public opinion, has a new director: Hovav Yannai. (Click here to read more)

Helping Bedouin in the Negev after October 7

Unlike the majority of Israelis, most Bedouin do not have access to shelters or safe rooms to protect them from rocket fire which comes from Gaza. In the wake of October 7, Shatil has been working tirelessly to provide assistance to the Bedouin (Click here for more information).

Helping Bedouin in the Negev

Unlike the majority of Israelis, most Bedouin do not have access to shelters or safe rooms to protect them from rocket fire which comes from Gaza

Shatil Spotlight: From the Desk of Esther Sivan

The new year is always a good time to reflect on the past and look ahead to see where we’re headed. For Shatil and NIF, for civil society, for the hundreds of thousands of newly engaged citizens, and for the future of Israel, it’s been quite a year. There are many reasons to be concerned for the future, but we can also be proud of what we have achieved, and even a bit optimistic (Click to read more)

Shatil Spotlight: Keeping Activists Focused on the Bigger Picture

To assist civil society in understanding and responding to the rapid onslaught of anti-democratic legislation, Shatil set up the “Salami Method” WhatsApp group in May, attracting nearly 900 members. This channel expands understanding of the broader implications of different legislation, and exposes the government’s intentions, helping participants to see the bigger picture. (Click to read more…)

Organizing for Climate Equality and Democracy with Shatil

Last month, Shatil and partners ran a seminar for social change and environmental NGOs and activists entitled Climate, Society, and Democracy. The goal was to develop initatives to protect the country’s most vulnerable populations from the effects of climate change. (Click to read more…)

Shatil Spotlight: Gathering and Visioning the Future of Israeli Civil Society

For two days in June, Shatil offered a forum where members could collectively envision the question: where does the Israeli social change community want to be in 2030? The program was called “Maof” or “take flight.” Shatil brought together 70 civil society members for a summit to develop a strategic plan on how to build a broad civic coalition for equality by 2023. (Click to read more…)

Shatil Spotlight: Gathering and Visioning the Future of Israeli Civil Society

For two days in June, amidst the chaos that erupted following the November election, Shatil offered a forum where members could collectively envision the question: where does the Israeli social change community want to be in 2030? Click to read more.

Building Resilience In Civil Society Through Shatil

For the twenty-fourth week in a row, Israelis have been spending their Saturday nights protesting. For eight months, social change organizations have been working on overdrive to protect the rights of persecuted groups and combat the strategic dismantling of democratic institutions by the current government. Here at Shatil we’ve been asking ourselves: how are they doing—and how are they doing it? (Click to read more…)

Shatil Spotlight: Sahar Vardi

Sahar Vardi has been reinventing the toolbox of anti-occupation activism for the past 20 years. Now, after returning from two years in the UK as a Rotary Peace Fellow, she is joining the Shatil team to rethink what it means to support the grassroots actors defending Palestinians from encroaching settlers and the army in the occupied territories. (Click to read more…)

Shatil Spotlight: Madrasa

Roughly 95% of Jewish citizens of Israel do not know how to communicate in Arabic, even though Arabic is the native language of 22% of the population in Israel. The lack of a shared language is a clear barrier for building a shared society. In response, Madrasa is a mission to make learning Arabic easy, and the new moral standard for all Israelis. As Madrasa’s co-founder and R&D director Gilad Sevitt sees it, increasing the presence of the Arabic language is crucial for connecting people across social barriers. (Click to read more…)

Empowering Women in Civil Society

“We know that extensive professional and personal networks are necessary to advance and succeed in management and leadership positions in civil society,” said Brit Yakobi, Shatil’s Director of Religious Freedom and Gender and co-director of Tzameret. “We are also aware of the gender aspects of networking…women face greater obstacles in creating networks, hence the importance of building ‘women’s clubs’ as a space for strengthening professional networks for diverse Jewish and Palestinian women.” (Click to read more…)

Learning from European Pro-Democracy Movements

However, just as Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu can learn from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Israeli protest movements can study how activists in Hungary, and other similar states, have fought democratic decay in recent years. This wisdom was precisely what NIF, Shatil, and NIF grantee Zazim were hoping to glean from the conference they organized, called, “Lessons from Civil Resistance in East & Central Europe.” (Click to read more…)

Combating Racism in Hospitals

In such a short time, networks of support are already being built up and a sense of solidarity is emerging among staff. Hospital managers know that racism is an important issue for their staff, and are welcoming the opportunity to address it systematically. (Click to read more…)

Shared Society NGOs Responding to Potential Crises

Following November 2022 elections, the directors’ requests of Shatil had been clear: to arrange time and space to discuss the ramifications of new draconian government policies, and prepare to respond as a community. (Click to read more…)

First Ever Conference of Israel’s Religious Left

The power of organizing was demonstrated in full force on January 24th when the first-ever Israeli religious left conference brought together over 600 people to push back against the government’s anti-democratic policies and actions. Among those gathered were ultra-Orthodox, national-religious, and traditional Israelis – all unified by their desire to stand up for democracy and make their voice as a community heard. (Click to read more…)

Shatil Spotlight: The Personal is Political

Working at Shatil and the New Israel Fund is another source of hope. It gives me the opportunity to express my personal, professional and political aspirations in the same space. I am strengthened by my hard-working, like-minded colleagues who are doing everything they can to ensure efforts to restrain and oppose this government’s path are coordinated and effective. This has been particularly evident during the last two months as Shatil’s Leadership team analyzed the situation following the election results to plan activity for 2023. (Click to read more…)

Taking to the Streets

As nearly 130,000 people made their way to protest in Tel Aviv last Saturday, with another 6,000 in Haifa and 4,000 in Jerusalem, the question we should all be asking (in the Jewish tradition) is: what makes this moment, this protest, different from the rest? The answer lies in the diversity of attendees, which demonstrates the urgency of the moment. Netanyahu’s government has begun to execute its extreme right-wing agenda, threatening the rights of women, Palestinians, and the LGBTQ+ community, to name a few. (Click to read more…)

Strengthening Young Arab Leadership in Israel

“First, I believe in Shatil and the work they do for Arab society and Israeli society,” he said. But even more importantly, the program had received a rave review from a friend in the first cohort. “Basically he said you get to study and develop yourself…so if you have the opportunity you must join.” Tammer says he already sees growth in his approach to leadership. (Click to read more…)

Recalibrating After the Election

For Shani, the Shatil CPC meetings are also a space for solidarity and connection. Because her role entails working with the Refugee Forum’s six organizations, the Shatil trainings allow her to network with people in similar positions across the social change sector. Together, they share experiences and brainstorm how to approach the challenges they face. (Click to read more…)