Itach-Ma'aki
3 Ahuzat Bayit Street
Tel Aviv-Yafo
Israel
- Gender
Itach-Ma'aki is comprised of 15 staff members, all women, both Israeli and Palestinian, with legal backgrounds, who work alongside volunteers and interns in order to achieve a multitude of goals pertaining to gender equality. Additionally, we have a board of directors of 10 women who are active in influencing our strategies and decisions; they also bear the responsibility of managing conflict that might arise within the organization as well as to publicly represent the goals of the organization. Apart from the official staff and the board of directors, Itach-Ma'aki relies on a public council of women hailing from different demographics, that functions as a vehicle for the dissemination of information as well as to open dialogues in the wider circles of Israeli/Palestinian societies. These women are critical in the domain of event-planning and the facilitation of open discourse between women coming from different backgrounds.
Because Itach-Ma'aki is a non-profit NGO, it receives its funding exclusively from donations. Alongside donations made by generous individuals, we have a list of primary donors that can be found on our website. (http://www.itach.org.il/our-donors/?lang=en)
Itach Ma'aki is a multi-faceted organization with multiple goals that each reflect our main mission; to achieve and utilize gender equality in a society afflicted by conflict, division, and violence. One of the most important objectives is to amplify the voices of women who are typically silenced, specifically the many minorities residing within Israel and the occupied territories. In order to achieve this, we are very education-focused and plan events to open dialogue between women coming from different demographics.
Our staff is comprised of both Israeli and Palestinian women who are committed to building bridges between our respective communities by advocating for peace, and by extension, advocating for the end of harmful practices by governments on both sides that marginalize and further isolate women, including but not limited to the building of illegal settlements in the occupied territories, violence and profiling against and of minorities, and the denial of full civil rights to minorities viewed as "dangerous" or "undeserving." We recognize how the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is inflamed by the lack of female representation in authoritative and diplomatic entities, and we look towards countries who have resolved conflicts, in (large) part by incorporating women in negotiations, as prototypes for our own efforts to utilize women's conflict resolution skills.
Notably, we see the grave injustices experienced by minority demographics in Israel, such as economic inequality, domestic violence, and educational disparities, and understand that women in these demographics bear the brunt of these injustices. We feel obligated to use any resources available to us to mitigate the harm experienced by these women, including our backgrounds in law and our voices as activists, to curb the harm and bring about a more equal society.
Itach-Ma'aki has a vast repertoire of projects and initiatives that reflect our mission and objectives. The following are some of our most successful and impactful projects:
- Haifa's "City for All" - taking models from other cities worldwide (Taiwan, for example,) and using them to implement gender equality in local Israeli government, in this specific case, we are working in Haifa.
- Center for Bedouin Women's Rights - established in 2006 through our Be'er Sheva branch with the intention to provide Bedouin people with support, specifically with issues relating to the economic strife experienced by Bedouin women. We work with the National Insurance Institute to provide income support, especially to single mothers.
- Domestic Violence Hotline - Itach Ma'aki runs a 24/7 hotline, operated by experts in the field of domestic abuse, to provide ongoing and consistent support and assistance to women experiencing domestic violence, however it may be manifested. Many times, we have helped remove women from threatening situations, thanks to our hotline.
- Legal assistance to women whose rights have been infringed on - Itach Ma'aki prides itself on providing pro-bono legal aid to victims of injustice across Israel. Some of our most prevalent legal victories have had to do with improving the incomes and rights of educational assistants who are unjustly terminated or whose incomes are reduced due to circumstances out of their control that are inextricably related to their gender (maternity leave, for example.)
Part of Itach Ma'aki's main goals has been to build expansive networks with other organizations in Israel similarly devoted to the realization of gender equality and inclusion in the domain of peace negotiations. Along these lines, we have active partnerships with impressive NGOs that have catalyzed important developments in Israel and Palestine regarding our shared goals. Some of these organizations include WIPS – Center for the Advancement of Women In the Public Sphere
at Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Advah Center - Information on Equality and Social Justice in Israel, Anashim – Movement for Advancing Equality in Israel, and many more. We are well-connected and well-known in the peace-building community. Additionally, we work with international bodies such as the UN and EU and have, on numerous occasions, advised them on matters concerning women's integration in peace negotiations, as well as on broader, gender-equality-related topics. Our contributions to our country's network often are in the form of spreading information and educating the general population on subjects that have either been shrouded in stigma, or pushed under the rug. We recruit expert speakers to lead conferences and lectures with the intention of spreading awareness and creating a more informed society. Some of our most successful events and networking initiatives have been:
- our lecture series on Resolution 1325, where more than 30 experts spoke on topics surrounding gender equality. Some speakers included foreign ambassadors and other renounced diplomats, academics, and top activists.
- a joint-steering committee including Israeli and Palestinian women, who meet on a regular basis to address issues that are affecting their communities and in turn, educate each other on a wide variety of topics. This allows bridges to be built and empathy to be integrated into the realm of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, which is typically defined by hostility and lack of understanding.
The ALF Network acts as an instrument for organizations to educate the masses while simultaneously establishing strong relationships with other organizations with whom common ground is shared. Itach-Ma'aki strives, if nothing else, to do exactly that; we wish to provide nuance and care to a conflict that has divided Israeli/Palestinian society, and to delineate the fact that no issue as complex as this one has a simple solution. The first step is to open a civilized discourse within different communities so that we can understand each other better. By joining the ALF,