March Newsletter
New Israel Fund Raises Over £1m in the UK for the First Time
New Israel Fund raised twice as much from the UK Jewry in 2005 than it did in it's previous year. In fact thanks to the generosity of our UK supporters, we managed to raise just over £1m.
Ever since its establishment, the New Israel Fund has worked to strengthen Israel's democracy and to promote freedom, justice and equality for all Israel 's citizens. The New Israel Fund has become a world-class leader in social justice issues, having recently been acknowledged by the United Nations.
Alan Bolchover, UK Chief Executive says, "we are extremely proud of the results we achieved in 2005. The other day I heard someone say that New Israel Fund is a cause whose time as come. There is certainly a feeling here of great optimism and opportunity to offer a real alternative for supporting Israel . I am enormously proud of our small staff team in London."
Football Association to help launch New Israel Fund's
"Kick Racism Out of Football Campaign"
This weekend, New Israel Fund CEO Alan Bolchover will be leading a delegation from the English Football Association to Israel to help launch New Israel Fund's "Kick Racism Out of Football Initiative".
Racist Chanting and Abuse has become a widely reported problem for the Israeli football authorities. So, New Israel Fund, in partnership with the Israeli Football Association and the Players Association have begun to tackle the problem.
Alongside Bolchover will be former Liverpool, Watford and Celtic Legend, John Barnes. Barnes is the most capped black England player of all time.
Barnes has been involved with ‘Kick It Out' since its founding in 1994. "Kick It Out does great work by arranging anti-racist events week in and week out," he said. "And we players complemented the programme through media appearances and interviews. I think Israel can really benefit from such a programme. The main problem there between Jewish and Arab fans is very similar to the Rangers/Celtic religious prejudice I encountered when I was in Glasgow as manager of Celtic. When it boils down to it racism and religious prejudice are the same so I think Kick It Out can work in Israel ."
"We think that Kick It Out is the right programme for Israel at the right time," explained Alan Bolchover, New Israel Fund UK 's CEO. "If it can do for Israeli football what it has achieved here in England then that will also be an important contribution for coexistence between Israeli Jews and Arabs."
The Dalai Lama Addresses New Israel Fund, SHATIL and Social Change Activists in Israel
The excitement in the theatre was palpable as 250 social change activists from throughout Israel awaited the appearance of Tenzin Giatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, along with an overflow crowd of 100 that watched the meeting on monitors in an adjoining hall. The audience stood as the Dalai Lama entered from the right; those sitting in the centre of the theatre could hear him before they could see him. "Hello, how are you?" he said to audience members as he made his way to the stage, accompanied by his famous laugh.
As he took his seat, he put his palms together and bowed in greeting. Shva Dego, a traditionally dressed Ethiopian singer, welcomed his Holiness to this first-ever event with a captivating, original song, "Conversation Between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba." As he listened to the music, the Dalai Lama took off his shoes, crossed his legs under him and adjusted his orange robes. He studied the audience, making eye contact, nodding and smiling.
SHATIL (New Israel Fund's operational arm) Director Rachel Liel welcomed the Nobel Laureate on his fourth visit to Israel . "We have been working, planning and dreaming of this moment for a long time," she said. "We would like to understand how the journey inwards to one's soul can also turn into a journey outwards to social action so that activism becomes an integral part of spiritual growth. We want to learn how to build a community that enables us to support each other and achieve our dreams for a better world."
The Dalai Lama replied that he felt SHATIL is "very, very relevant in modern times."
"Some people, like my spiritual brothers and sisters in India , are very dedicated to peace – but only though their own faith," he said. "So we must find a way to promote human values without religious beliefs. I feel NGO's are freer to do this than governments whose hands are sometimes tied."
In response to the frequent complaint that everything western is bad, he said, "Democracy, the rule of law, self-determination, human rights, ecology -- all come from the west.”
The event was widely covered in the press, including the Jerusalem Post, Maariv , Globes , Makor Rishon (a religious newspaper), Ynet, Kol Ha'Ir and an interview with SHATIL Associate Director Carlos Sztyglic on Reshet Bet's radio program, Inyan Acher .
As one participant said, "It wasn't what he said so much as the way he was that moved me. I'm familiar with his ideas. But today, I saw a leader embody those ideas: compassion, respect, equality and an interest in our common humanity."
Click here to watch video of the Dalai Lama's meeting with Israeli social change organisations.
Holding Out an Olive Branch: New Israel Fund Campaign to re-plant Palestinian Trees
"When you besiege a city, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof." Deuteronomy 20:19
Last month on Tu B'Shvat (the Jewish New Year for trees), more than 300 Israelis came to plant 500 olive saplings to compensate for the trees damaged in and around the village. The event was initiated and organized by New Israel Fund together with veteran New Israel Fund grantees Israel Religious Action Centre of the Movement for Progressive Judaism (IRAC), Bina: Centre for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture, Rabbis for Human Rights and the Kibbutz Movement.
According to the Israel Police, Jewish extremists damaged 733 Palestinian olive trees belonging to Palestinians during 2005.
Rabbi Ronen Lubitch, a yeshivah teacher from Nir Etzion, an Orthodox communal village (moshav) near Haifa , emphasised that he was not aligned with any of the organisations participating in the Tu B'Shvat planting. "I was incensed by the damage done to these olive groves by my fellow Jews and wanted to make a protest," he recounted. "It defies a prohibition in Deuteronomy against damaging trees even when you are at war. When I read about this event in the newspaper, I understood this was an opportunity to undertake a meaningful act. Jewish continuity is expressed first and foremost in our moral strength."
The veteran poet Haim Gouri expressed the need for basic human decency despite the ongoing conflict. "Kindness and good neighbourliness still mean something," he insisted.
Ahmed Shtayeh, another farmer from Salem who had dozens of trees damaged, was delighted to see his grove replenished by new trees. "Of course it will take a few years until these saplings bear fruit," he observed. "but we really appreciate this generosity. It restores our faith in the fact that there are different types of Jews to the ones who axed our trees. May Allah bless the region with peace."
Despite Economic Growth Poverty in Israel Increases
Despite very impressive economic growth of 5.2% in 2005, the latest report by the Israel's National Insurance Institute showed that the number of Israelis living below the poverty line increased last year by 46,000 to 1.58 million or 20.5 % of the people living in the country. Almost half of these people (738,000) are children, representing 34.1% of Israelis under 18, compared with 33.2% in 2004.
To meet the challenge of rising poverty and inequality, New Israel Fund and SHATIL set up a Social and Economic Justice Initiative during 2005. "We have two major areas of activity, which include top-down and bottom-up projects," explained Ronit Heyd, Director of the Initiative. "First, from the top-down, we present alternative policy options to government officials. Typical of this was the visit last week of Mark Greenberg, Director of Policy at the Centre for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), who proposed alternatives to the present government policy of the Wisconsin Plan in fighting unemployment."
"Second, we have bottom-up empowerment programs," she added, "which encompass community development and economic empowerment projects." In particular, New Israel Fund and SHATIL promote economic empowerment programs through grantees such as Economic Empowerment for Women and Lagiya: Association for the Improvement of the Status of Women in the Bedouin sector. "We can make empowerment programs and protests more effective through coalitions of organisations," explained Heyd. "I believe we can have a real impact in this way."
"Against All Odds" – From Helplessness to Empowering Others
The second instalment of the Against All Odds TV series tells the story of Asaf Phillip, 30, who was born into the ultra-orthodox community, yet turned his back on religion at 25 and found himself alone in the secular world.
At this point ‘Hillel: Association for Jews Leaving Ultra-Orthodoxy', a veteran New Israel Fund grantee, helped him. Subsequently Asaf became a volunteer with Hillel and eventually its Chairman. Thus he came full circle from a recipient of help to a provider of assistance - from helplessness to somebody who empowers others.
View the second part of the Against All Odds TV series in Hebrew with English subtitles.
Against All Odds: From Pain to Empowerment
The third part of the Against All Odds TV series features Mandy Leighton, 32, a member of the management committee of veteran New Israel Fund grantee ‘Bizchut: Centre for Human Rights of Persons With Disabilities'. In the program Ms. Leighton tells of her personal battle with constant unbearable pain and how participating in the struggle for the rights of all disabled people in Israel has personally empowered her in her own battle for survival.
View the third part of the Against All Odds TV series in Hebrew with English subtitles.
Message from Alan Bolchover, New Israel Fund UK Chief Executive
Have you ever been to New York ?
The answer is probably “of course” but I hadn't until my visit for the New Israel Fund International Board meeting last week.
I have to say that I fell in love with it in so many ways. The main impression left upon me was how diverse society in New York is and also how open Jewish life is. There are Jewish events and activities for all ages at all different times of day. It seems as if no idea is too “out there” and it is fine to practice your Jewish life in the way that you as an individual chooses.
The synagogue I went to on Shabbat had a homeless hostel with 50 beds and showers, plus an army of congregant volunteers ready to help every night. I also heard about a synagogue for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews. The Jewish Community Centre is a huge modern building with the best facilities.
We can't recreate the exact same diversity of New York 's Jewish life throughout the world. The very size of the community there obviously impacts enormously and we have to be realistic! But it is that philosophy of opportunity and openness that we should use to develop the Jewish world for the hectic pace of the 21st Century. I know and understand why many of us may have problems with pursuing such an open philosophy on Jewish practice or identification. However I think its time that we all were honest enough to admit that no-one ever became more Jewishly involved because they were forced to.
Thank you for your continued support.
