Israel: remove barriers to free debate

NIF UK Chair, Nicholas Saphir recently had his essay on the relationship between British Jewry and Israel and the critical question of how do we ensure our younger generations remain connected and engaged published in the Jewish Chroncile.

Nicholas identifies the key changes in this relationship that have happened over time and finds great hope that the younger generation are finding different ways to express their ties and values, not least through connecting to the energy emanating from the rising tide of young activism and civic involvement in Israel.

The essay has elicited a fascinating response. For me, it is important that the voice of NIF and NIF’s leaders is heard in this debate as I believe we are well placed to work with those committed to exploring and redefining their generations’ relationship with Israel.

http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/70279/israel-remove-barriers-free-debate

 

When words become deeds

An update from the director of the Hotline for Migrant Workers following the attacks and threats received yesterday. Inspiring stuff…

Dear friends,

We’ve received three phone calls to the Hotline yesterday.
The first call: “Is this the Hotline for sons of bitches Nazi infiltrators who rape Jewish women?” The Hotline volunteer hung up.
Second call: “Where is your office?” The Hotline volunteer hung up .

Third call: “I want your address so I can burn you, to do to your daughters what they’re doing to ours, you bitch.”

These calls occurred less than three hours after the Minister of Interior, Eli Yishai, announced in the media that all asylum seekers must be jailed, that most of them are criminals and that all those who assists them are bleeding hearts who are damaging the Zionist enterprise.

We place the responsibility for the threats against the Hotline for Migrant Workers and other human rights organizations on Eli Yishai and other ministers who are busy inciting hatred. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Eli Yishai is leading the establishment’s calculated campaign against asylum seekers and human rights organizations that protest their rights. We have grown accustomed to Eli Yishai’s incitement.
We won’t let them weaken our spirit! The Hotline for Migrant Workers will continue doing its job and carrying out its’ moral duty to protect the human rights of asylum seekers and migrant workers.

Our work bears fruit – last Monday, the Supreme Court accepted an administrative petition filed by an Ethiopian asylum seeker, ruling that the state must provide adequate translation services in asylum interviews.
Last Monday, the Supreme Court accepted an administrative appeal (Hebrew) filed by an Ethiopian asylum seeker. The Supreme Court ruled that the state is obligated to provide adequate translation services in refugee status determination (RSD) interviews.

The Supreme Court ruled that there were flaws in the procedure of examining the appellant’s asylum request. The Ministry of Interior relied on a detained asylum seeker as a translator in part of the procedure, which led the Court to question whether “the interview conducted by the RSD Unit allowed the appellant to present his claim clearly” and whether “no significant misunderstandings were made, ones which would affect the assessment of the appellants credibility, which was made based on this interview.”

The Court ruled that the state must provide adequate translation services in RSD interviews and that the state should learn from the extensive experience of  the UNHCR on how to provide such translation services. Regarding the specific case, the ruling stated: “it is not reasonable that the State of Israel does not provide translators to Oromo asylum seekers who are unable to adequately communicate in other languages.”

The Supreme Court relied in its ruling on a report published by the Hotline for Migrant Workers, Until our hearts are completely hardened: Asylum Produces in Israel and stated that even when the state provides translators in the language spoken by the asylum seeker, “when the interviewer and relevant authorities examine the answers provided by the asylum seeker to the question posed by the interviewer as written in the protocol of the interview, they must keep in mind that some details and nuances will be ‘lost in translation’, and this applies to the stage of the judicial review as well.” This statement is reinforced by the finding of the Hotline for Migrant Workers report that show that most asylum requests in Israel are denied based on a ‘lack of credibility’  by focusing on incongruities in the minutest details of the asylum interview.

Therefore, the Supreme Court accepted the appeal on the verdict of the Jerusalem District Court, and ordered the Ministry of Interior to conduct an asylum interview to the appellant in the Oromo language using a translator. The Court also stated that recording the asylum interviews would greatly promote the transparency of the procedure and the ability to conduct and effective judicial review of them.

The Court also mentioned that the fact that the asylum seeker did not file an asylum claim in Sudan and did not state that he is an Ethiopian national upon arrival in Israel does not disprove the claim that he will be persecuted if returned to Ethiopia.

Advocate Yohana Lerman represented the appellant on behalf of the Hotline for Migrant Workers.

Since I started writing this newsletter I keep receiving support email and phone calls from you. I and the HMW team would like to thank you for your support and for taking part in our struggle to build a more just, equitable and democratic Israel.

Shabat Shalom,

Reut Michaeli
Executive Director

Read more:
Threats made against south Tel Aviv aid workers after Yishai remarks.

Phone call threats against Hotline For Migrant Workers

Staff at NIF grantee, Hotline for Migrant Workers have been receiving threats. See this report in today’s Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/threats-made-against-south-tel-aviv-aid-workers-after-yishai-remarks-1.430920

 

A tale of two Zionists: Ze’ev Jabotinsky, David Ben Gurion and the dramatic origins of Israel

Great article in today’s Independent about the AB Yehoshua play we put on as a premiere in London last week. The great man kindly donated the play to us for this purpose.

Really wide ranging interview with him which is well worth the read.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/a-tale-of-two-zionists-zeev-jabotinsky-david-ben-gurion-and-the-dramatic-origins-of-israel-7754335.html

[Though the same can’t be said about the Talkbacks]

Naomi Chazan on the implications of the new coalition in Israel

Professor Naomi Chazan, former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and President of NIF has written a short analysis of the implications of the new coalition in Israel, looking at what it means for society and the social protest movement that swept Israel last summer.

[Plug – Naomi is in the UK later this month on a speaker tour]

This has been a particularly tumultuous week in Israel’s usually unpredictable politics. The last-minute deal between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Shaul Mofaz, newly elected leader of Kadima, to delay the elections and form a national unity government in order to promote “unity and stability” has resulted in the expansion of the coalition to 94 members, making this one of the largest governments in Israel’s history.

The overt agenda of the new coalition will focus on four main issues. The first is the budget, which will in all probability include significant cuts given current economic projections, and will significantly affect the hope for the realization of social justice initiatives stemming from last summer’s protests. Working closely with some of the leaders of that protest, who are transforming that movement into a more organized approach to significant change, we at NIF intend to keep a close eye on the budget process and continue to voice support for closing social and economic gaps.

The legislation of a new bill to replace the Tal Law, which deals with the contentious issue of conscription and/or civic service for the ultra-Orthodox (and potentially for Arabs) follows the High Court ruling which declared the current, inequitable, law unconstitutional. Currently most ultra-Orthodox men are exempted from military service, a situation that spurs much resentment among other Israelis and that also confines that sector to a self-imposed ghetto, without training for the workforce or interaction with other Israelis.

It is with outrage that we expect immediate efforts to defer or bypass the High Court ruling calling for the eviction of houses in the Ulpana neighborhood in the Beit El settlement. The High Court itself, now headed by a chief justice whom the right wing lobbied for appointment, has reacted strongly to the government’s attempts to evade its legal and moral responsibility to demolish houses built on private Palestinian land. The outcome of this case will have serious implications for the rule of law.

Finally, the new coalition promises to tackle governmental reform, which has yet to be defined, but will in all probability include measures to strengthen the government at the expense of the opposition, and raise the threshold of votes needed for parties to be seated in the Knesset.
It is still unclear what all this means for the situation with Iran and Israeli-Palestinian relations, but previous experience demonstrates that on matters of peace national unity governments are governments of national paralysis.

The implications of the new coalition for the continuing struggle between ultra-nationalists and democratic forces are unclear, but already it is possible to point out some possible effects. The stunning reduction in the size and maneuverability of the formal opposition by definition further weakens Israeli democracy. The main opposition parties are now led by women – Shelly Yachimovich of Labor and Zahava Gal-On of Meretz, and by Arab-Israelis. The opposition on the far right is in many senses not an opposition, as it has strong connections to the large pro-settler faction within the government. Sadly, we can expect the continuation of proposed anti-democratic legislation – and the new impetus to hold the large coalition together may make it easier for it to pass.

We at the New Israel Fund recognize a very salient fact. The shrunken political opposition means that now, more than ever, the fight for democracy, social justice and peace will move from the formal arena to that of civil society. This was apparent on the very night of the announcement of the dramatic move on Tuesday, when demonstrators took the streets under the slogan “we are all the opposition.” The shift in the axis of political confrontation from the government to the popular level – including to the hundreds of organizations and thousands of activists NIF supports — is extremely significant.

At the end of the day, there is no assurance that the size of this government will ensure its durability until the scheduled national elections in the fall of 2013. Indeed, in the oral agreements reached between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mofaz, they are already anticipating the withdrawal of at least one or two parties — Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu’s party, or the religious Shas and/or United Torah parties.

Whether you follow our byzantine politics in Israel closely or not, we ask that you continue your support for our work in Israel, and for the values we share.

New Israel Fund is recruiting a fundraising administrator (part-time maternity cover)

Fundraising Administrator (Maternity Cover)
Part-Time, 20 hours a week. £21,000-£23,000 p.a. pro-rata [dependent on experience]

New Israel Fund is the leading charity working towards the vision of Israel’s founders of a state, based on Jewish and democratic values, that ensures complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants.

We are looking for a Fundraising Administrator to provide maternity cover for an anticipated 12 month period. The postholder will provide efficient and timely administrative support for New Israel Fund’s fundraising activities.

You must have experience of working with Raiser’s Edge (or similar) fundraising database and of processing donations.

The position is based in our offices near Baker Street, W1.

Closing date for applications – 5pm on Tuesday 29th May. Interviews will be held on 7th and 11th June.

To apply, please send a CV and a short covering letter setting out your suitability for the position as explained in the job description to Shai Sheli at shais@uknif.org.

For further details please visit our website http://www.newisraelfund.org.uk/get-involved/jobs.php.

JC Editorial addresses NIF project

In its strong editorial this week against Israel Apartheid Week, the Jewish Chronicle highlights the Academic College in Safed (Tsfat) where the majority of students are Arab citizens of Israel.

Since 2008, New Israel Fund* has been working on that campus working with academic and adminstrative staff as well as students, providing professional support and consultation in order to promote sustainable shared civic space.

The work began with Jewish and Arab student groups looking to reduce the growing tensions. Following this work, the Dean at the College approached us with a request to implement a similar intervention within the higher echelons of management and academic staff. This was to ensure that the principles behind the intervention will be felt at all levels in the university.

This work has yielded strong results e.g. the President of the College issued a policy paper through which he expressed his commitment to the principles of cultural diversity and an end to on-campus racism, based on this work. Furthermore the College has used its shared workplace model in its promotional and marketing materials as a way to distinguish itself among other colleges.

I mention this work, not (only) to promote the work of NIF. Rather it highlights the need for hard work and for leadership to achieve the vision of Israel that we desire.

* The work is carried out by the Conflict Management and Transformation Centre at Shatil (NIF’s operating arm in Israel). For the Limmudniks out there, these were the people who ran the workshops at Limmud Conference in December.

PS – In his analysis piece in the JC this week, Nathan Jeffrey highlights the new Knesset Caucus tackling poverty. This was announced at a conference organised in the Knesset by Shatil and the NIF-backed Forum for the Eradication of Poverty

Ingathering and Inclusion – Israel’s ultra-orthodox population and the challenges of pluralism

“Israel must accept the ultra-Orthodox as a sector that must be  integrated into the fabric of Israeli society, in ways that do not threaten the  freedom and beliefs of other Israelis.”

These are the words of Rabbi Brian Lurie in his recent article in the Jerusalem Post. Brian draws on his involvement in the Aliyah (immigation) of Jews from the Former Soviet Union to address one of the key challenges facing Israeli society. Namely, how to build a shared society that includes rather than demonises the growing ultra-Orthodox section of this society.

Brian is not naive to the difficulties and challenges – as evidenced by the attempts to exclude women from public spaces but that he choses one of his first media opportunities as incoming International President of NIF to address this is a brave and timely contribution.

“Ignore the bullies, let them scream” – turning away from Israel

I was alerted to this powerful article by Dahlia Scheindlin in +972 Magazine reflecting on her recent visit to the USA and her fear that Israel has crossed the ‘political and social red lines’ of many liberal American Jews.

It is powerful and provocative stuff:

“When Israel’s beauty was marred, the Hasbara gurus tried to smooth things out. But when you correctly identified cheap emotional manipulation, you tuned out – and now you may be dropping out.”

It gives an American-Israeli view on some of the discussions we have been holding in this community in recent months about whether and how there is a divide between Jewish social action and Israel.

This is an issue that is close to my heart – as someone whose Jewish identity is largely shaped and defined by Israel. And as I see many of my peers basically disengaging from Israel.

Guest blog from the Chair of NIF UK

By Nicholas Saphir, Chair of NIF UK:

Adam and I have just returned from Israel where we attended the biannual international board meeting of NIF. It is always an interesting few days – an opportunity to compare feedback from our respective communities, to review strategic issues, adopt budgets for the coming year and consider grants. However, this particular board meeting was immensely memorable for three specific reasons.

On our arrival Ha’aretz carried a full page advert announcing the names of seventy prominent Israelis who have chosen to join the NIF International Council. A demonstrable and significant statement of the seriousness with which an increasing number of important Israelis are becoming concerned at the rapid strangulation of Israeli society by the current programme of antidemocratic and regressive legislation. Thirty seven professors and heads of department are prepared to stand up and be counted, despite knowing that they will be hounded by a scary McCarthy-esque movement gaining ground in the academic world. The other new IC members include two ex-brigadier generals, an ex-Attorney General, prominent politicians and ex-civil servants, leaders of business, people from the media and intellectuals, including Amos Oz. When the advert was published NIF received phone calls from other important Israelis asking why they had not been invited to join the Board. There is a growing determination to stand and be counted.

The second important trend, apart from the growing number of Diaspora Jews who contributed last year to the work of NIF, was the breakthrough in Israeli philanthropic giving with an increase of 70% in Israeli donors and 40% in funds raised. In the Diaspora, Australia celebrated its first year as part of the NIF family a tribute to the work of Mark Goldberg, my predecessor, who initiated and supported the establishment of NIF Australia. The USA, Canada, Switzerland all reported growing support for the work of NIF. The trends in Israel and the Diaspora are becoming ever more clear in terms of re-engagement with the fight for Israel’s soul.

The third and in some respects the most important feature of the meeting was a growing understanding of the motivations behind the tent cities that sprung up in some forty locations last summer throughout Israel. From the outside it would be easy to consider the 450,000 Israelis who took to the streets as a massive extension of the London and Wall Street demonstrations against the bankers, the recessionary tightening of government budgets and a questioning of the current capitalist model. However, with Israel as one of the few western countries where the banks came through almost unscathed, the economy continues to grow and entrepreneurial activity flourishes, we were presented with several explanations as to how the largest civil demonstrations in Israel’s history underline a much more fundamental concern for middle Israel. There is both recognition of the issues and pain being experienced as civil society is being squeezed by the growing gap between rich and middle class poverty, the rise in religious hegemony and the funding of strategic priorities out with mainstream Israeli society. The movement started with a single young woman putting up her tent in Rothschild Boulevard as a personal statement of concern. But the energy and direction of the protests quickly struck a note across generations and throughout Israel’s different social groups. Soon it had become a peaceful yet massive commentary on the state of Israeli society. The demonstrations were not about peace, the settlements or party politics. If one can crystallise a simple meaning from such a massive civil movement it was the need to address the issues that are the focus of the work of NIF and its grantees – social justice, religious pluralism, equal rights for all Israeli citizens and a robust and secure democracy.

If there was ever an event that I wish you could have all attended it was this week’s awakening of Israel to the need to grapple with the forces that are seeking to close down on civil society, democracy and the rule of law. If anyone is planning to go to Israel in the near future and would like to see some of the NIF work on the ground or experience the issues first hand please do not hesitate to contact me or Adam. We came back reinvigorated in our determination to support the many and growing number of Israelis who seek to rebuild Israel as a society committed to Israel’s Declaration of Independence – a socially just, equal and democratic society for all its citizens.