Social Justice Demonstrators Dominate Haaretz 100 Top People 5771 List - October 2011

Haaretz has named its 100 most influential people of 5771, and in a departure from its normal procedure, the paper placed a rather large group in first place:

"You – the Israeli public who in the summer of 2011 took its own fate into its hands."

Social protest leader Dafni Leef was sixth in Haaretz's list of influential people, which last year featured NIF Israel Executive Director Rachel Liel – a fitting tribute to her originating the social protests by pitching a tent on Rothschild boulevard in Tel Aviv.

These social protestors have exerted such influence in Israel, according to a Haaretz survey, because they are focusing on issues in Israeli society that are problematic and need to be changed. Of the general Israeli public, 90% of people felt that the social protests would change Israel’s agenda and priorities, and 78.4% of them had strong opinions on what changes would result in affordable housing, namely, a lower cost of living and a different tax regime.

 

Jerusalem's Paris Square filled up with thousands of social protest demonstrators.

The Haaretz nominations came out two days after more than 450,000 Israelis took to the streets, demanding social justice. In Tel Aviv alone, more than 290,000 demonstrators marched through the streets – the largest ever demonstration in Israel's history – to protest the high cost of living, growing social gaps and lack of affordable housing. While an estimated 50,000 people rallied in Jerusalem, and 35,000 people rallied in Haifa, smaller groups protested in many locations across the country, including Kiryat Shmona, Karmiel, Nahariya, Afula, and Ness Ziona.

Throughout the protests this summer, NIF and SHATIL temporarily sidelined many routine activities in order to devote resources to the campaign for social justice. Through NIF's Social Justice Activism Fund, approximately £32,000 was granted to organisations working in the encampments on the social periphery. Examples include the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, and the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow - New Discourse.

At the same time, some 30 NIF grantees, echoing the sentiments of NIF and SHATIL, poured major efforts into supporting the social protests. Organisations like flagship NIF grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), and Bimkom Planners for Planning Rights worked in the Coalition for Affordable Housing, presenting recommendations to the government's Trajtenberg Committee, a committee set up to advise the government on responses to the protest. ACRI also provided legal advice to tent dwellers, while Jewish pluralistic grantees, like Israel Religious Action Centre (IRAC), organised Shabbat activities in the encampments.

Looking ahead, NIF Israel Executive Director Rachel Liel sees a need to adapt new strategies in order to continue the momentum of the social protest movement. “We are beginning a process of analysing the situation, and consulting with our organisations and other experts and activists on developing the best platforms to ensure that the momentum is not lost, and achievements will not just be cosmetic, but meaningful for generations to come.”