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2009 Achievements
 The Mayor of Umm El Fahm, Sheikh Khaled Hamdan with Executive Director of NIF in Israel, Mr Eliezer Yaari |
Jews Bring Passover Message of Peace and Solidarity to Arab City
In response to the provocative march by ultra-nationalist extremists, more than 300 Jewish visitors - young and old, Orthodox and Secular, veteran Israelis and new immigrants - brought a message of mutual respect and the desire for joint living to the Arab-Israeli city Umm El Fahm. Singing songs of peace, the marchers unfurled a banner saying "Harmony, Peace and Brotherhood." The show of solidarity was organized by NIF and grantee Yudbet Heshvan – Promoting Tolerance in an Orthodox Context. NIF Israel Executive Director Eliezer Yaari told the mayor, "We have come two days before Passover, the Holiday of Freedom, to tell our fellow Israelis that we believe in coexistence and in equality for all the country's citizens – Jews and Arabs."
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Jerusalem Court Compensates Unpaid Foreign Worker
The Jerusalem District Court ordered an Israeli couple to pay a foreign worker for 10 years of unpaid work as well as an additional year's pay as compensation for the distress caused.
NIF grantee Kav LaOved – Worker's Hotline, which took up the foreign worker's case, found that the worker was employed one day a week for ten years performing housework for an Israeli couple. While the couple arranged for her to have a work permit, she received no payment. The Court also ordered the couple to pay $2,500 in legal costs, which will be transferred to Kav LaOved.
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 Hotline for Migrant Workers Executive Director Chevy Korzen received the award on behalf of the organization |
NIF Grantee Wins Inaugural Presidential Award for Combating Trafficking
Veteran NIF grantee Hotline for Migrant Workers in Israel was awarded the inaugural Presidential Prize for Combating Human Trafficking. Founded in 1998, and supported by NIF for nearly a decade, Hotline was the first organization in Israel to visit the victims of human trafficking in prison and provide them with legal, medical and emotional support. As a result of Hotline’s activities, the Supreme Court ruled that victims were entitled to protection, compensation and medical treatment, and the Knesset passed a law outlawing all forms of trafficking including labor, children and organs. The level of trafficking to Israel has since fallen sharply.
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Graduates and friends enjoying a traditional Bedouin meal
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Young Women in Bedouin Society Plan their Future
Another successful Bedouin Women for our Rights course wrapped up in early April. A partnership of SHATIL and Ma’an, the Forum of Arab Women’s Organizations in the Negev, the course focused on social change and human rights. The course is part of SHATIL's Bedouin Women's Leadership Project, which has equipped hundreds of Bedouin women with the tools and skills to work for change in their communities. Past participants have gone on to make impressive strides, including one graduate who was the first Bedouin woman to ever run for city council.
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An Israel Railways guard supervises safety at a crossing. |
Court Suspends Israel Railways Decision to Fire Arab Workers
The Tel Aviv Labor Court issued a temporary order preventing Israel Railways from firing 40 Arab employees. In March, the government-owned company issued a contract for guards to supervise safety at intersections between railways and highways, stipulating that only those who have served in the Israeli military could qualify for the job. At the same time, Israel Railways dismissed 40 Arab employees who work for the company as crossing guards. A wave of protests followed, pointing out that as the Israeli government exempts Arabs from military service, Israel Railways’ policy was discriminatory. NIF grantees leading the protests include: Laborer’s Voice (Sut El-Amel), Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), and Adalah: Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.
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