Given the military confrontation between Israel and Hamas, which came on the heels of unprecedented incitement and tension between Jewish and Arab Israelis, the New Israel Fund stands ready to fund projects through our Emergency Grant Program

Emergency Grants Approved to Date (Updated July 31, 2014)

• To Neve Shalom to pay for transportation costs related to an initiative that will bring Jewish residents from Kfar Sabba to the Arab town of Tira. The background for this initiative is that every Shabbat there is an open market in Tira which is generally visited by about 5,000 Jews every week. Due to the current tension, there is a concern that the Jewish public will avoid the market and by doing so will exacerbate tension between the two communities. The Mayors of Kar Sabba and Tira are collaborating with the initiative and both of them will speak at the event.
• To Mahapach-Tagir to pay for expenses related to a conference of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. Mahapach-Tagir is an NIF grantee that has encompasses eight local communities (4 Jewish and 4 Arab) in the centre and the north. Due to the current tensions they plan on holding a special conference in which representatives of all eight communities will participate. The goal of the conference is to design a joint work plan for all the communities to deal with the current situation.
• To Ha'oketz to enable them to promote their content. Ha'oketz is a website that publishes op-eds and news stories. At this time, there is a critical need in Israel for independent and alternative media sources.
• To the Forum for Immigrant Families to allow this organisation serving the Russian-speaking population in Israel to open a hotline, staffed by professional therapists, to serve Russian speaking families living under threat of rocket attack.
• To the Jerusalem Movement to help pay for refreshments for children who are bused to Jerusalem from the south of Israel for a day of relaxation and fun further away from the rocket attacks.
• To Al Amar to help establish a series of special working groups for young Palestinian-Israeli political activists to help them organise non-violent protests.
• To Awareness for You to conduct more joint activities for Jews and Arabs living in the north of Israel.
• To Tag Meir to help defray the costs of two large events it held in Jerusalem in recent weeks, including to cover the cost of transportation for the 350 Jewish Israelis who visited the family of Mohammed Abu-Khdier, the slain Palestinian teenager from East Jerusalem.
• To the Coalition Against Racism for a bus that will run between Jewish and Arab localities with a message of Shared Society and for a social media campaign carrying the same message.
• To Anu to facilitate its “Good News” campaign that is providing the media with information on new dialogue groups and other initiatives that bring Jews and Arabs together.
• To the Mirkam Group to hold a joint Jewish-Arab break the fast event in Yeruham. This year, 17th Tammuz (the minor Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple) coincided with Ramadan. Jews and Bedouins were able to join together and discuss solutions to the heightened tensions in their neighbouring communities.
• To Eretz Acheret Magazine to help cover the costs of a special edition highlighting the need to confront the current challenge posed by racism and incitement.
• To B'Tselem, one of Israel’s most well-respected human rights organisations, to help cover the costs of additional field researchers and to hire a security guard for the Jerusalem office.
• To Hand in Hand, a network of Jewish-Arab schools, for special weekly activities promoting shared society. Recent efforts include a well-attended “human chain” protest against hatred and racism in the Wadi Ara region, the “Marching Hand in Hand against Racism and Violence” event in Jaffa, and a break the fast meal amplifying voices promoting cooperation and hope in the Galilee.
• To Orot Hashalom and United Moreshet Avraham to provide buses for a joint Jewish–Arab tour of Nazareth followed by a prayer session and meal to break the Ramadan fast.
• To Osim Shalom to hold a conference promoting dialogue and peace. The conference, "Danger! Hate crimes - Where are the Professionals", will focus on the special role that social workers can play in decreasing the current tension between Jews and Arabs.
• To the Bereaved Families Forum to hire a coordinator, cover travel and parking costs and conduct a media campaign around their Peace Circle campaign. Located in Tel Aviv, the project facilitates Jewish-Arab dialogue circles with passersby. The Forum is a joint Palestinian-Israeli organisation of over 600 families, all of whom have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict.
• To Meitarei Asqelon to organise activities for children in the bomb shelters.
• To Gar'in Torani to run a volunteer center in Ashkelon. The center will recruit volunteers to assist municipal departments during the conflict as well as bring in volunteers to work with the children in the bomb shelters.
• To the Rape Crisis Center in the Negev to meet the increased reports of sexual violence during wartime. The grant will allow the center to increase the number of volunteers who meet with victims and escort them to the police and hospitals.
• To Kesher to give a brief respite from the violence to children with special needs and their families.
• To Givat Haviva to fund its “Shared Tourism” program, which empowers a network of Arab and Jewish small business owners. At its weekly meetings, participants take part in a series of training sessions and workshops aimed at developing new Arab-Jewish joint initiatives – such as festivals, tours and holiday celebrations – that will help to attract local tourism.
• To a student group in Be'er Sheva to purchase equipment to be used in bomb shelters such as games for kids, cleaning equipment, and Amharic and Russian language newspapers.
• To Bina to work with underprivileged neighbourhoods in Be'er Sheva, Kiriat Gat and Netivot; to bring residents from the south for a vacation day in the centre of the country; and to hold a pluralistic Kabbalat Shabbat with IDF forces in Gaza.
• To Mossawa to charter 8 busses and to host Bedouin residents from the south for a vacation day in Haifa that will also include talks with psychologists.
• To Kafa to distribute food packages to Bedouin residents who lost income due to the war.
• To the Association of Ethiopian Jews to charter busses and to host Ethiopian Israelis on a vacation in the centre of the country.
• To the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) to prepare special anti-racism educational materials to be offered to both Jewish and Arab teachers at the beginning of the school year. A second grant is being given to ACRI to provide professional physiological treatment to ACRI's East Jerusalem field staff.

We will make every effort to update this list as soon as grants are approved, but due to the fluid nature of the situation it's possible that there may be some delays.

Criteria for emergency grants

To receive an emergency grant at this time, the activity must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Supports activity that seeks to decrease the current tension between Jews and Arabs within Israel.
2. Support to organisations that are assisting Israeli citizens who live under threat of rocket attacks with priority given to those assisting underprivileged Israelis.
3. Support to organisations -- either Human Rights or Shared Society organisations -- that need to increase their staff capacity or have other special needs related to fulfilling their mission during the current situation.
4. Support to Human Rights organisations that protect the right of protest and/or provide accountability regarding the behaviour of the police or the military.