Saying Farewell: A Letter from Esther Sivan, Shatil Director

Dear friends,

My six years at Shatil have coincided with very unsettling events in Israel and the world. The October 7 attacks, the hostage crisis, the ongoing war in Gaza, and the judicial coup, following the COVID-19 pandemic and five rounds of national elections in less than four years have created chronic instability and sent shock waves through all areas of Shatil’s work. Yet these ongoing crises have proved time and again the critical role of an independent and strong civil society that takes responsibility where the government fails to do so. A sense of duty and concern together with the urgency of the moment are present in every move we take, personally, organizationally and as a community. For many of us, Hillel the Elder’s saying: “if not now—when?” has become a practical guide that motivates us to action every day.

Shatil’s year-end figures for 2024 proved how critical our work has been. Our organizational consultants undertook 230 consultations—a 30% increase from 2023. This growth points to the uptick in urgent needs among our clients. Much of this activity focused on organizational resilience and how management and staff are dealing with the current reality. “Thanks to the guidance I received from you, I didn’t get up and leave my job,” a promising young CEO of a social change organization told us. A special focus of our consultations was addressing relations between Jews and Arabs in the workplace. The war brought underlying tensions to the surface, hard feelings, and disagreements that intensified as the situation deteriorated.

Together with the Civil Society Protection Hub, Shatil provided psychological and emotional support along with organizational counseling to teams that experienced primary and secondary trauma due to their involvement in and exposure to the events of October 7 and its aftermaths, other violations of human rights, discrimination against Arab society, settler violence, and more. This is the first time we have integrated clinical psychologists into our consulting work with organizations. The intensity of the trauma and upheaval experienced by teams within certain organizations necessitated both organizational and emotional support.

During the past two years, we have invested in working strategically on the programmatic level, integrating the different practices and modules we use at Shatil—capacity building, policy change, and organizing—with NIF grantmaking, to create greater impact on the ground. One example is our work in Nasij, a new program to bolster Arab-Israeli civil society through three parallel tracks of activity that strengthen fledgling initiatives, mid-size organizations, and young leaders. Shatil organizational support and consultancy will be combined with NIF grants which jointly contribute to the development and sustainability of NGOs in this field. In addition, 25% of Shatil’s staff are Arab-Israelis. After decades of institutional discrimination against this community, these professionals are strengthening NGOs and young leadership and bringing the invaluable contribution of Arab citizens to civil society and Israeli society as a whole.

I am extremely proud of Shatil and where it stands today. It has been an anchor for civil society during these difficult times. As a team and an organization, we have remained steady and robust throughout the relentless storms and helped NGOs and civil society leaders reach their goals, develop resilience, and work together as partners.

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.

Yours,
Esther Sivan