Dr. Pierre Loeb has become Chair of Neuer Israel Fonds Schweiz (New Israel Fund – Switzerland ). He was installed last week at a festive dinner in Berne attended by Israel 's Ambassador to Switzerland. Dr. Loeb, 56, is President of the Swiss Academy for Psychosomatic and Psychosocial Medicine and a graduate of the University of Basel Medical School. Two special New Israel Fund guests spoke at Dr. Loeb's installation. Rachel Liel , SHATIL Executive Director, discussed the challenges after the Israeli elections and stressed that New Israel Fund and civil society are now more relevant than ever. "In such a critical period for Israel it's so important that our agenda of civil and human rights and social justice be represented broadly in Switzerland and throughout Europe " she emphasized.
Mark Goldberg, Chair of New Israel Fund-UK, also offered remarks: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to bring greetings from our President, Peter Edelman, and the International Board, and to stress to you how important and critical a role New Israel Fund-Switzerland plays in our international network," he said. "We see New Israel Fund-Switzerland as an outstanding exemplar of the value of active volunteerism and hope that your efforts can be emulated in other parts of the continent. We, in the UK particularly, look forward to active cooperation with you for our mutual benefit and the good of the entire organisation."

Fidel Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary - Transforming the Vision of Social Change into Reality


Fidel founder Negist Mengesha

Negist Mengesha, 53, epitomizes social entrepreneurship. After reaching Israel during Operation Moses in 1984, and seeing the hardships encountered by Ethiopian immigrants, she set out to empower herself and the community. After graduating from university, she joined SHATIL in 1991 as coordinator of programmes for Ethiopian immigrants. In 1996, she set up New Israel Fund grantee Fidel – Association for Education and Social Integration of Ethiopian Jews, and has made a significant national impact since becoming CEO of the government's Ethiopian National Project in 2003.

Mengesha stood proud last week as Fidel (Amharic for alphabet) celebrated 10 years since its establishment. The celebrations coincided with the fifteenth anniversary of Operation Solomon, when 14,000 Ethiopian immigrants were airlifted to Israel overnight, and 30 years since aliyah from Ethiopia began.

New immigrants reach Israel during Operation Solomon in 1991 - 15 years ago this week

"I was alarmed at the inability of Ethiopian-born parents to understand the Israeli school system and be involved in their children's education," said Mengesha, explaining her motivation for establishing Fidel. "For their part, schools did not comprehend the needs of the immigrant community. To bridge the gap we conceived the notion of educational mediators: young professionals from the Israeli-Ethiopian community who were trained to liase between schools and parents and help each understand the other."

"Our aim was also that these mediators would become a new generation of Israeli-Ethiopian leaders," added Mengesha, "who would empower the community in its struggle for improved integration and social equality."

To date, 67 mediators have graduated from Fidel's programme. Takale Mekone, 41, was one of the first. "Most of the problems mediators solve are very straightforward," he observed. "When I worked as a mediator in Rehovot, I remember a young girl named Ronit. She was written off by teachers because she did not understand basic material and never did her homework. I met with her. I thought she probably had a learning disability but it turned out she couldn't see well. Her parents did not speak Hebrew so I made an appointment with the ophthalmologist and took her. She needed glasses but her parents could not afford them. The school took up a collection. Today the girl is doing very well at high school."

Graduates of Fidel's mediators programme

Mekone succeeded Mengesha as Executive Director of Fidel in 2003 and he typifies the young leaders that Fidel has set out to cultivate. Born in Ethiopia and orphaned at a young age, he reached Israel via Sudan in 1980 when he was just 16. When he arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport, a bullying official told him that his name would now be Nir. James recounts, "'What kind of name is that?' I asked him. 'It has no meaning in Amharic. Takele means more sons and blessings. Mekone means prince. Our names are our identity and cannot be erased.'"

After the official backed down, he hurried over to a group of waiting immigrants to prepare them to do battle to keep their names. Since then Mekone has not stopped fighting for the rights of the entire Ethiopian immigrant community. He left a lucrative management position with a high-tech company to join Fidel.

New Israel Fund has supported many Ethiopian immigrant community initiatives as well as national associations like Fidel and Tebeka: Centre for Legal Aid & Advocacy for Ethiopian Jews in Israel, which has won landmark court decisions against the discrimination suffered by the Israeli Ethiopian community. Coalition building is an important part of this empowerment strategy and New Israel Fund recently began funding the Forum of Representatives of Ethiopian Jewish Community Organisations. The Forum is a national umbrella organisation of Israeli-Ethiopian NGOs, which include Fidel and Tebeka.

The impact of Fidel was also felt when founder Mengesha was appointed to head the government's Ethiopian National Project, a long-term programme designed to improve the integration of Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society through education and professional training.

"This has been an opportunity to put into practice on a national scale the kind of programmes we have developed at SHATIL and Fidel," stressed Mengesha. 'This year we have a budget of $7 million and are helping thousands of Israeli Ethiopian schoolchildren and training hundreds of young leaders. The tenth anniversary of Fidel makes me realize how far we have come in such a short time. I feel proud. But although I have transformed my vision into a reality, I cannot feel fulfilled. There is still so much to be done."

Facts & Figures

• There are more than 100,000 Ethiopians immigrants in Israel today, 55% of the community are 18 or under.
• 72% of Ethiopian immigrants to Israel live below the poverty line
• Fidel's 57 mediators work in 115 schools in which 8,000 Israeli students are enrolled. These schools have seen a 95% decrease in the dropout rate of students from the Ethiopian immigrant community.
• In 1991, only 7% of Ethiopian immigrants received their high school matriculation certificates. Thanks to Fidel and other organizations this figure has soared to 47% today.
  
  

New Israel Fund Raises Public Awareness of Plight of Darfur Refugees in Israel

A New Israel Fund campaign to protest the genocide in Sudan and free about 80 Darfur refugees seeking political asylum in Israel has attracted enormous public interest in Israel . Banner ads in Haaretz in English and Hebrew were linked to a petition on New Israel Fund's Hebrew language site, which called for the international community to end the genocide in Sudan and demanded that the Israeli government release the refugees from Darfur who have reached Israel and grant them political asylum. Hundreds of people signed the petition and dozens more have contacted New Israel Fund with emotional responses and requests for information.

The campaign on behalf of the 80 Darfur refugees was initiated earlier this year by New Israel Fund grantee Hotline for Migrant Workers, which protects the rights of migrant workers in Israel. After finding homes for five of the refugees, including two minors, on kibbutzim, the Hotline persuaded the Ministry of Justice to release them from detention. The Hotline is now seeking homes for the remaining refugees and lobbying for their release and the granting of political asylum.

In addition, the Hotline won an important ruling from Israel 's Supreme Court this week when the justices ruled that those refugees still in prison cannot be detained without trial and must be brought before a court to have their cases reviewed. "I am confident that all the refugees being detained will be released and allowed to stay in Israel ," said Romm Lewkowicz, spokesperson for the Hotline for Migrant Workers.

Supreme Court Awards Costs to First Arab Resident in Jewish Settlement

Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the Israel Lands Authority to pay court costs of nearly $7,000 pursuant to an appeal by New Israel Fund grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). The order followed a successful petition against the ILA by Adel Ka'adan; an Arab Israeli denied a home in the settlement of Katzir because he is not Jewish. During his ten-year legal battle, ACRI represented Ka'adan, who is currently drawing up plans for his home in Katzir.

Ka'adan's court victory was a landmark verdict in the struggle for equal allocation of land for Jews and Arabs in the ILA's new housing developments. In the wake of this breakthrough case, Attorney General Meni Mazuz instructed the ILA to stop issuing "Jews only" land tenders.

Supreme Court Condemns Racism in Israeli Soccer

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a Betar Jerusalem soccer fan who was sentenced to perform community service after being found guilty of chanting "Death to Arabs" at an Israeli soccer match. In upholding the conviction, Justice Edmund Levy said that the sentence was not severe and that racist chants like "Death to Arabs" must be uprooted from Israeli society. The ruling is a major endorsement for New Israel Fund's Kick Racism Out of Soccer Campaign" which has put the topic high on the country's public agenda.

New Israel Fund, which sees racism in soccer as a reflection of the phenomenon throughout society, was consulted about new legislation enacted last year, which specifically outlaws racist chants at soccer matches.

Taking the Trauma Out of Airport Security

The Israel Airport Authority (IAA) convened the first meeting of its working committee on improving security procedures for Israeli Arab passengers earlier this month. IAA CEO Gabi Ofir heads the committee, which includes Ben Gurion Airport CEO Zeev Sarig and other senior executives. The committee met with leading representatives from Israel 's Arab sector, including businesspeople, mayors and government officials.

The subject of the repeated humiliation of Arab Israeli passengers by security officials was put on the public agenda by New Israel Fund last year, when New Israel Fund-Israel Executive Director Eliezer Ya'ari wrote an open letter to El Al's Chairman and CEO as well as the Transport Minister, Knesset Speaker and the media, complaining about the systematic harassment of New Israel Fund staffers in particular and Arab Israelis in general. "With all due respect and understanding for the need for security on flights," Ya'ari wrote "We do not feel that they justify such treatment."

Ofir has met with dozens of Arab Israelis in recent months and has acknowledged that the security procedures on flights to and from Israel must be more respectful.

Against All Odds – Empowering Bedouin Women

The ninth part of the TV series Against All Odds features Suad Abu-Ajaj, 39, a mother of nine from the Bedouin settlement of Kesafiya in the Negev , who was born into poverty. After a series of personal crises, Suad took a course on empowerment for Bedouin women given by SHATIL, and studies in health at Ben Gurion University's showed her that life can be different. In recent years she has dedicated her life to instructing Bedouin women in health awareness and employment skills based on traditional crafts. "I am changing things slowly but quietly through education," she told interviewer Yael Dan. "My daughters will not have to suffer the indignities that I have suffered."

View the program with English subtitles.

Against All Odds - Using the Law to Protect the Disadvantaged

The tenth instalment of the Against All Odds series features Israela Goren-Graziani, a New Israel Fund Law Fellow and Head of the Legal Department of veteran New Israel Fund grantee Yedid, The Association for Community Empowerment. As a child she witnessed the power the legal system has over everyone's lives during her parent's turbulent divorce, which eventually left her, her blind mother, and her brothers destitute. Growing up in institutions, because her mother could not afford to support her, she vowed to become a lawyer to help other disadvantaged women and children.

View the program with English subtitles.

Supreme disgrace

As you will probably know, the Israeli Supreme Court has recently upheld (by a 6-5 majority) its decision to ban Palestinians from living with their Israeli spouses.

The reason given was of course “Security”. A perfectly valid reason apart from it does not completely stand up.

The facts presented by the security establishment do not explain the law, since out of the tens of thousands who have become Israeli citizens since 1967 in the framework of family unification, only 26 have ever been so far as questioned on suspicion of abetting terrorism.

Furthermore, if we are so worried about security what exactly is the rationale of annexing approximately quarter of a million Arabs from East Jerusalem, who have given rise to far more terrorists and terror accomplices than did all those who entered Israel as a result of marriage.

One can only think that the reasons behind this decision are not purely based on security. As some of the Supreme Court Justices who voted against have openly suggested – the reason was also demographic. If this is so, it is shameful.

What should surely happen is each applicant for marriage, regardless of place of origin, should have to undergo security checks. This is a system already in place, but maybe needs tightening up. This way, there is no discrimination but security is still upheld.

We will be seeking a way in which we can to overturn this decision and restore everyone's faith one of the great bastions of Israeli democracy – The Israel Supreme Court.

Thank you for your continued support.