You have no doubt already read half a dozen reflections on this unprecedented year. A touch of hope to balance the angst, hints of optimism to cancel out seemingly endless caregiving challenges. To me, these reflections seem to follow a common thread:
The pandemic has caused untold suffering and created unprecedented challenges. And we are working to overcome them together.

To be fair, NIF’s story in all of this is not much different. Our grantees, whose work often depends on in-person organising and close contact with marginalised communities, were suddenly faced with a fast-spreading virus that forced them to suspend business-as-usual.

The pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in society and exacerbated already existent fractures in Israel’s safety net, in its democratic institutions, and in its social fabric.

In light of this monumental challenge, how could anyone believe we could be successful in protecting Israel’s most marginalised populations while holding the line on civil liberties, democracy, and our pursuit of equality for all?

The answer is so simple: It was all because of you.

You, the NIF supporter. The donor. The champion of Israel’s civil society. You, the reader, the sharer, the tweeter, the NIF events regular. Each and every one of you played a role to help our grantees in Israel advance our vision of a better, more just Israel, built on the values we all share.

As the examples in the newsletter show, the work of our grantees on the ground in Israel has been heroic. They have risen to the occasion in truly remarkable ways. Under tremendous strain, Israelis from every background have worked to ensure that their work – to build a more just and equal future for everyone in Israel — can continue.

It is also true that their successes this year would not have been possible without you, our incredible community of supporters, who make all of our work possible.

As the scope of the pandemic and its likely impact in Israel became clear last spring, NIF responded by implementing our Crisis Action Plan, pivoting to allocate resources where they were needed most to address the virus’s impacts – to protect the most marginalised communities and ensure that Israel’s democracy and civil society stayed strong.

We were only able to do that because of supporters like you, whose generosity have helped us act with the necessary nimbleness that a crisis demands — this year and over the last decades.

This year, you are what sets NIF’s story apart.

We know that that we will need to continue this work into 2021. That’s why we launched our match funding Chanukah campaign. Meaning that if you donate to NIF today or any time until the end of December your gift will be doubled. And we can continue our important work into 2021.

On behalf of our staff, board, and grantees, thank you. We are deeply grateful for your partnership and support.

I wish you the best for a happy and safe holiday.

Adam Ognall,

Chief Executive, The New Israel Fund