New Israel Fund

Filing Period

Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2012

Signed

Oct 2, 2013

Return Version

2012v2.1

Gross Receipts

$34,657,698

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Social and economic justice: nif's long-term goal is to reduce social and economic gaps by working to empower israel's most disadvantaged citizens. Nif works with grantee organizations to foster a broad culture of citizen action and promote workable policies and programs addressing poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and urban decay in low-income communities, especially in the geographic and social periphery. In 2012, nif continued to maintain focus on socioeconomic issues that gained purchase during the 2011 social protest movement.- following a concerted effort from a shatil-led coalition of organizations, the knesset approved a historic plan to provide free education for all israeli children starting at age three. The plan will significantly ease the financial burden on young families, enabling many more women to join the workforce. It will also provide young children from across israeli society with a structured educational environment to better prepare them for school.- a high court ruling canceled a clause in the national insurance institute's conditions for receiving unemployment benefits. The clause disqualified claimants who use a car. The ruling followed a legal petition submitted by nif grantees adalah and itach - women lawyers for social justice. - the nif/shatil-led forum for responsible planning promoted civic participation in planning as a democratic principle that increases public input, mitigates the potential for environmental damage, and dulls the clout wealthy land developers can bring to bear.- in a precedent-setting decision, the tel aviv district court has ruled that the tel aviv - jaffa municipality cannot evict homeless people from public spaces and is not entitled to confiscate their personal property. Acri attorney and nif law fellow alum gil gan-mor represented several homeless plaintiffs in this matter.- the unofficial garbage dump in the city of tamra in the lower galilee will be transformed into a public park with a breathtaking panoramic view that includes the mediterranean coast, due to the efforts of a determined group of local women guided by shatil and led by our partner el amal.

Activity 3

Religious pluralism and tolerance: nif aims to promote freedom of - and from - religion in israel, and to encourage a more tolerant society that embraces the rich diversity of jewish identity and practice. Our grantees work to change the legal structure that limits religious freedom; advocate for equal allocation of resources to non-orthodox jewish services and education; strengthen liberal elements within orthodoxy; and combat religious extremism including the exclusion of women from the public sphere. - in 2012, the nif family of organizations continued to take the lead in fighting gender segregation and the exclusion of women. Nif organizations' victories on the issue resulted in the state pledging to protect women's images on advertisements; in the israel medical association pulling support from a conference on women's health and fertility that barred women speakers; and moving to stamp out gender segregation in public schools. - veteran nif grantee israel religious action center (irac) represented, in legal action, a 15-year-old girl forced to the back of the bus. The bus company was ordered to pay compensation to the victim. Irac also represented a woman prevented from eulogizing her father at his funeral. The court ordered the burial society that had enforced this rule to pay compensation for discrimination against women. These rulings represent important victories in the nif family's campaign against the exclusion of women in public places being imposed by the orthodox religious authorities. - the israeli government will finance the salaries of some reform and conservative rabbis for the first time following a legal petition brought by irac on behalf of reform rabbi miri gold. - nif grantees be free israel and hiddush succeeded in halting plans to turn harish, a town in wadi ara (a predominantly arab and secular jewish area located immediately northwest of the west bank) into a haredi-only city of 150,000 residents. Following their campaign, the israel land administration rejected the bids of 12 ultra-orthodox groups that wanted to exclusively sell flats in harish, because they were bound together illegally as a cartel.

Filer

EIN

94-2607722