Dear Friend,
As I wrote earlier this week, the extremist government in Israel begun eroding the rule of law. Then they pressed ahead to expand a legal loop-hole allowing segregation of Arabs and Jews. Parts of the coalition hope to entrench privileges for their voters at the expense of millions of fellow Israelis.
We have been moved by responses asking how to continue helping in the fight for a democratic future and many very generous donations.
Please consider joining those enabling us to empower minorities, defend human rights for Israelis & Palestinians, and advance Arab-Jewish partnership.
This work is fighting back now and building a better and fairer Israel for the future.
NIF have given $1 million in emergency grants in recent months, and we know we will need to do more.We are backing leaders and organisations from every part of Israel to strengthen the resistance to their home becoming an autocracy, a theocracy, or as protestors fear, a dictatorship. We have funded a grassroots group of pro-democracy Russian speakers; the 21st annual Jerusalem Pride Parade; the Mizrachi Civil Collective; and an anti-crime campaign by the National Committee for the Heads of Arab Local Authorities.
Even in the most hostile circumstances, your support can progress justice and equality.
NIF grantee, the Israel Religious Action Centre,won a historic victory and £1.3M for Arab taxi drivers. Another of our partners, Sikkuy-Aufoq, secured policy changes to expand work increasing Haredi representation in the public sector to also include Palestinian and other minority groups.
Alongside delaying, diluting, or mitigating attacks on democracy and undermining of the Judiciary, we need to further support anew generation of civil society leaders, including thousands mobilised during the protests.
Our training and action project Shatil have trained over 900 leaders in 2023. Digital activism platform Zazim mobilised tens of thousands to prevent an Ethiopian mother and her Israeli-born child from being deported.
We need to do more now andmore in the months and years ahead to ensure a fairer Israel for all communities.
Israelis need our support and our voice.
Leading Rabbis from Liberal, Reform and Masorti Judaism said in this week’s Jewish News, this government “threatens to undermine the foundational values of the State”. Sir Mick Davis urged us all to act: “now is the time for our community to realise that we have a stake in Israel’s future and in the constitution of its soul.”
Please follow Defend Israeli Democracy UK on twitter and if you are in or near London, please join the protest this Sunday at 3pm in Parliament Square.
We hope those able to generously support our vital work; many join Sunday’s demonstration and keep showing solidarity for Israeli members of our UK community; and all of you continue sharing and strengthening our work for a just, safe, and equal Israel.
Thank you for your determined and ongoing support and encouragement.
Warm wishes,
David Davidi-BrownChief Executive, The New Israel Fund UK
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