Israel

The Association Women Against Violence

National Network
Israel
Address

14 Anis Kardosh St
P.O.B. 313
Nazareth 16000
Israel

Telephone
+972 (0)4 646 2138
Fax
+972 (0)4 655 3781
E-Mail
wavdirector@wavo.org
E-Mail (2)
Fundraising@wavo.org
E-Mail (3)
y.keduri@gmail.com
Mobile Phone
+972 (0)50 586 8628
Mobile Phone (other)
+972 (0)54 579 1219
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
1992
Fields of Activity
  1. Gender
  2. Human rights
  3. Research
  4. Youth and education
General Information
Women Against Violence is a leading member of the Palestinian women’s NGO movement in Israel. The Association was founded to break the silence surrounding violence against women in Palestinian society while ensuring that the State of Israel take responsibility for ensuring that its Palestinian women citizens are protected from violence. After founding the first shelter and crisis center in the country for these women, the Association has evolved into all-around feminist advocacy organization, dedicated to improving the status of Palestinian women in Israel. The Association today comprises 4 main departments with 32 permanent employees and 80 volunteers. Its financing is divided between state funding (specifically the Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs) for its violence protection services for women (51%), private U.S.- and European-based foundations and overseas agencies (from the U.S. State Department to public European foundations). The Association’s budget stands at some 800,000 EUR per year.
Mission and Objectives

The Association works in the spheres of violence prevention, the promotion of employment opportunities for women and the advancement of women in public life. The Association approaches these issues by working in parallel to (a) improve legal, institutional and political safeguards and opportunities for women in these areas, (b) provide needed services that will allow them to access protection from violence or find employment, and (c) change the social attitudes within the Palestinian community that perpetuate inequality and the current status of women. The Association thus divides its time between (1) advocacy, policy research and engagement of decision-makers, (2) service development and provision (e.g. its violence prevention services and job-placement service www.wavojobs.org, as well as pilot programs and services which the Association regularly develops, such as its ‘witness accompaniment program’ through the court system for victims of violence, its Arabic information services within the Family Court system, and others) and  (3) media campaigning and community outreach (including public events, education workshops for women and young women as well as capacity-building, TOT  and journalist-training initiatives). In addition, the Association regularly engages in (4) research on cross-cutting issues that are necessary for its work – from attitude-surveys to assessments/evaluations of existing services.

Main Projects / Activities

Today, in addition to its work in the spheres of community mobilizing, raising awareness and service development programs to increase protections for women from gender-based violence, the Association now runs two flagship initiatives: a comprehensive program to promote Palestinian women’s participation in the workforce (with an emphasis on women with academic degrees) and a series of campaigns to promote and support women in the public sphere through concentrated work opposite local Arab councils and the political leadership of the country. Our current strategic plan for 2016-17 is attached below.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

The Association is a well-connected organization at the nexus of both the Palestinian women’s NGO movement (which represents some 10-15 national women’s rights organizations in Israel, alongside some 30-40 local and grassroots groups), the human and civil rights movement in general (with links to many leading organizations, currently partners including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel), numerous coalitions (including its working group on personal status law in Israel, its forum for equitable government budgeting as well as the NGO platform it convenes for CEDAW reporting), the decision-making community in Israel (parliamentarians, official agencies with whom it is in regular contact) and Arab women’s associations regionally– most notably the SALMA Network, a regional consortium of women’s rights NGOs across the MENA region (including Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen) in the area of violence prevention, for which the Association served as official ‘host organization’ between 2010 and 2014. The Association is thus well-placed to both advise and create connections and networks between strategically placed partners. Its expertise in violence-prevention service development, government-level advocacy, policy-change, grassroots organizing and field-research within the Palestinian minority make it well-placed to assist organizations seeking to engage these areas, train, consult and/or assist organizations build their capacities in these areas.

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

WAV is always looking to develop partnerships with organizations both locally and overseas. In addition to strategically boosting the reach and scope of its projects, these partnerships are also important ways for the organization to expand its activities without overextending its budget. Partnerships such as ALF are also very good links to additional funding agencies, international instruments and other partners with whom we would want to be in contact.

Contact (1) Full Name
Ms. Kaltom Hussein
Job Title
Development Director
Head of the organisation
Ms. Naila Awwad
Contact (2) Full Name
Yotam Keduri
Job Title (2)
Development Associate

The Center for Mediterranean Culture and Urbanism

National Network
Israel
Address

Arlozorov 50 st.
Bat Yam
Israel

Telephone
a
E-Mail
mali@batyamed.org
Organisation Type
Other
Fields of Activity
  1. Arts
  2. Democracy and community development
  3. Environment/Sustainable development
  4. International/Cultural relations
  5. Research
General Information
The Center for Mediterranean Culture and Urbanism in Bat Yam is a academic and cultural institution. Its aim is the development and advancement of wide methodological application, through academic research and cultural activities, and in both theory and practice, in two fields of knowledge: urban and Mediterranean cultures. In both these topics, the Center places its emphasis on the broadest directions of application available. Area of activity: The Center works and acts in the city of Bat Yam, but also goes out to perform its research in other areas, both local and foreign Mediterranean spaces. The city lies on the shore of the Mediterranean, and is one of the most densely populated in Israel. Since the city's inception, it has been settled by a variety of immigrant groups. Consequently, it is characterized by a mixture of smells, tastes, languages and styles, presenting a street experience that is both rich and warm, in both senses of the word. The city's scenery and outward appearance also present a wide variety of aesthetic languages.
Mission and Objectives

1. Gaining and collating information and experience, both local and global, on the
experience, the planning and the use of Mediterranean urban spaces.
2. Shedding light on current topics involved in the advancement of artistic and research agendas in Mediterranean cities (immigration, density of population, diversity of languages).
3. Initiatives to set up artistic and cultural actions that engage with what is culturally and ontologically present in Mediterranean cities.

Main Projects / Activities

1. A Mediterranean urban "Playlist": recording a disk which will document and preserve the music played and sung by the diverse communities of the city.
2. A series of meetings ("The Voice of the Community"): getting to know the musical map of the city through the mosaic of communities that sing in it.
3. A City with Roots: the establishment of an innovative database consisting of the application of Bar Mitzva work projects on their roots by students of Grade 7 in the city to an electronic data system in the Municipality.
4. "The Mayor team" - the project will provide a municipal team of young people from all over the city with material to examine and consider the public space of the Mediterranean city, and their recommendations will be passed on to the Mayor.

Contact (1) Full Name
Mali Barouch

The Center for Young Adults - Afula and the Valleys

National Network
Israel
Address

1 Yitzhak Rabin Av
Afula
Israel

Telephone
04-6524111/2
Fax
04-6524118
E-Mail
avib@yaic.org.il
Organisation Type
Public Institution
Year of Establishment
2008
Fields of Activity
  1. Others
General Information
The Center for Young Adults is an address for young adults between the ages 18-35 in four main fields: Employment and Career development, Higher education, Social involvement and Leisure & culture. The center functions and funded by the JDC, Government offices (Negev-Galil, Defense, Immigrant absorption), Foundations (Gruss, Gandyr) and the Municipality of Afula. Each field has its own coordinator and a general director. The center is subordinate to the culture, young adults and sport administration in the Municipality of Afula. The center for young adults serves as a regional center, to which young adults not only from Afula can receive the necessary services.
Mission and Objectives

The Center for Young Adults offer disadvantaged young adults the skills and information on which to build productive adult lives.
Services include counseling regarding higher education, vocational training and employment readiness as well as encourages community-building and leadership opportunities.
The project has clear goals, each with a specific objective:
1) To help young adults from Afula secure meaningful employment and encourage those with an academic background to develop marketable careers;
2) To market the Center to employers and local young adults as the regional resource for the creation of employment opportunities and manpower solutions;
3) To build parternships and establish joint activities with the private, nonprofit and government sectors to boost regional employment;
4) To integrate a wider cross-section of Afula's young adults into the city's social welfare activities and help them take a role in communal leadership; 5) To enable young adults to impact Afula's community and to develop forums to engage them in issues that are at the forefront of Israeli society

Main Projects / Activities

Among projects and activities the center creates one can find
1) Seminars on employment;
2) A program to help young people without an academic background develop employable skills;
3) Employment / Career Development Fair
4) A young parents leadership forum with seminars on general life-skills, awareness of various municipal leaders, and meetings to plan community projects;
5) Activities to strengthen communal identification;
6) The development of an Arab-Jewish alliance that will engage in various cultural and social welfare endeavors;
7) An ecology program;
8) A club for physically challenged young adults.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

The center for young adults in Afula can contribute to the network in Israel by bringing the abilities and knowledge of the center to the "round table" of organizations that deal with the same target population that we deal with. Sharing knowledge, learning from each other, establish a meaningful relationship is important component for the center for young adults in Afula, for the young adults that sees the center as an address for their problems and issues and for the future advancement of those young adults.

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

The ALF Network offers the possibility for the Center for young adults to become more significant for young adults than today.
The connection and cooperation between organizations that involve in similar issues makes it easier for us to influence on the lives of young adults that have different needs and problems.
The ALF Network will permit us to be more efficient in young adults treatment and of course well connected to other organizations in the field.

Contact (1) Full Name
Avi Barkav
Head of the organisation
Avi Barkav

The Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society (CSEPS), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

National Network
Israel
Address

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Beer-Sheva
Israel

Telephone
+972 8 647 70 64
Fax
+972 8 647 76 10
E-Mail
europe@bgu.ac.il
E-Mail (2)
pardos@bgu.ac.i
Mobile Phone
+972 54 300 75 51
Organisation Type
Public Institution
Year of Establishment
2003
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. International/Cultural relations
  3. Research
  4. Youth and education
General Information
..
Mission and Objectives

The Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society (CSEPS) was established in order to promote a greater awareness within Israel of the growing importance of Europe and of the European Union, and to offer BGU students the opportunity to learn about contemporary political and social developments in Europe.
We have been able to offer scholarships to BGU students, allowing them to conduct research on contemporary European affairs, to participate in workshops and student summer schools, and have helped establish new courses on Europe at the university. CSEPS also brings a flavour of European culture to the university campus through cultural events, films and talks by European personalities.

Main Projects / Activities

CSEPS's activities cover a variety of different areas, such as developing links with European institutions and launching collaborative research projects with European colleagues. CSEPS organises international conferences and workshops bringing European researchers, decision makers, diplomats and political figures to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Main Projects:
• Creating New Constituencies for Peace
• Israeli Grand Strategy towards the EU
• Euro-Mediterranean Young Researchers Network
• European Elections Monitor
• The Ambassadors Forum
• Israeli European Policy Network

Contact (1) Full Name
Dr. Sharon PARDO
Head of the organisation
Dr. Sharon PARDO – Executive Director

The Citizens' Accord Forum between Jews & Arabs in Israel

National Network
Israel
Address

32 Pierre Koenig
Jerusalem
Israel

Telephone
+97226731118
Fax
+97226731119
E-Mail
oren@caf.org.il
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
2000
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. Gender
  3. Media
General Information
The Citizens' Accord Forum (CAF)is one of the executive organs of The Unity Council Institutions (UCI), an NGO founded by Rabbi Michael Melchior who serves as its honorary president. CAF and UCI share the same board of trustees but CAF also has its own professional steering committee. CAF is managed by Jewish and Arab co-directors: Mr. Udi Cohen and Mr. Ibrahim Abu-Shindi. Its Board of Trustees includes representatives of such diverse social groups as ultra-orthodox Jews, Moslems and Christians. It is co-chaired by Rabbi Zion Cohen and Mr. Somer Krantingi. CAF employs a staff of 11 employees, Jews and Arabs, mostly on a part time basis. Some of its projects enjoy wide scale participation by volunteers. 80% of our staff are women and more than 50% are over the age of 55. CAF's 2009 budget is $667,273 and its main source of income is private foundations. CAF works in five circles of activity: Media, Advocacy, Community Development & Conflict Transformation, Networking and Education. Partnerships with other NGOs as well as with academic institutions are a regular feature of our work and part of our organizational philosophy. Major current partners: The Jewish-Arab Center at Haifa University; Dayan center at Tel-Aviv University; Truman Institute at the Hebrew University; Responding To Conflict (UK); TEVET (Israeli ministry of Employment); Jewish-Arab Center in Jaffa.
Mission and Objectives

The vision of the Citizens’ Accord Forum between Jews and Arabs in Israel is a democratic and pluralistic society in Israel where all social groups, regardless of their ethnic, linguistic, religious, gender and political affiliations receive equal treatment by the authorities and receive a proportional share of the State’s resources. The mission of the Citizens’ Accord Forum between Jews and Arabs in Israel is to develop and introduce concrete models of social change in various fields (media, economy, education, government, etc.) through a transformative process based on a dialogue of shared concrete interests rather than on one group imposing its metaphysical beliefs on the other. This process is expected to rid the Israeli public domain of discriminatory practices and to contribute to a more equitable distribution of the State's resources which would be based on the differing needs of each group. The goals of the Citizens’ Accord Forum between Jews and Arabs in Israel are: (1) To develop and implement models of conflict transformation for both policy makers and for grassroots activists; (2) To develop and implement models of empowerment and community development designed to optimize the take-up of rights.

Main Projects / Activities

The Youth Parliaments of Israel’s Jewish-Arab Mixed Cities - A joint platform of dialogue and change for the Jewish and Arab youth of the mixed cities of Israel. This program was launched in partnership with USAID and currently operates in Jaffa, Akko, Lod and Haifa, with plans to expand to additional locations. In each city, 30 young Jews and Arabs participate in a two-year program, consisting of constructive dialogue between the groups in the first year and capacity-building training and community-based initiatives in the second year. A National Youth Parliament is also being formed, which will consist of delegates from local parliaments. The young people study problems affecting the lives of Jews and Arabs in their local communities, and seek to build a mechanism of dialogue and conflict transformation to deal with those problems in a non-violent way. Dialogue programs – CAF launched in 2013 a major dialogue program in partnership with the European Union, based on the Applied Deliberative Dialogue method developed in conjunction with the Kettering Foundation in the United States. This program brings together citizens from diverse groups (Jews and Arabs, men and women, decision makers, students, secular and ultra-Orthodox) to deliberate jointly over issues at the heart of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. The project works on three levels: Dialogue groups with members of the general public; advocacy work with decision makers and legislators; and training and development of professional skills for facilitators. The participants will acquire the ability to hold an informed discussion on contentious issues, and will make progress towards formulating policy recommendations

Contact (1) Full Name
Oren Haber
Head of the organisation
Udi Cohen and Ibrahim Abu-Shindi (Executive Co-Directors)

The Clinical Educational Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (The CLE Center)

National Network
Israel
Address

The Faculty of Law, The Hebrew University
Mount Scopus
Jerusalem 91905
Israel

Telephone
02-5882554
Fax
Fax: 02-5882544
E-Mail
Law_clinics@savion.huji.ac.il
Organisation Type
Public Institution
Year of Establishment
2003
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. Gender
  3. Human rights
  4. Research
  5. Youth and education
General Information
The CLE Center is run by an Academic Director and Executive Director overseeing 12 legal clinical staff and 120 students that are enrolled in the program. Budgetary resources available in a year: The CLE Center’s annual budget is 540,777 USD. Sources of funding: The CLE Center is supported by several foundations and private donors in Israel and abroad. Modalities of action (concrete projects, exchanges, seminars, scholarships etc): The CLE Center offers free legal aid to disadvantaged individuals and groups and promotes policy change in human right's matters. Our students engage in practical legal work and attend weekly classes, forums and workshops that provide them with the legal tools essential for effectively performing their pro bono activities. Main partners involved in the organization's projects/activities: Civil society organizations that promote human rights, peace, justice and equality; Academic institutes and Law Programs that advance similar work, governmental agencies and relevant Ministries.
Mission and Objectives

The Clinical Legal Education Center (CLE) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a legal educational program that offers free legal services to marginalized population in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. The CLE Center is premised on the principle of the law as not simply a means to resolving disputes but a public ‘commodity’ that can be used for social change and made accessible and available to everyone. Our work successfully integrates community–based lawyering, legal aid and policy reform activities with high standard academic programing that yield socially-committed law students that later become legal professionals and influential stakeholders in related fields throughout Israel.

Main Projects / Activities

The CLE Center runs 10 legal clinics that specialize in the following fields:
1. The International Human Rights Clinics: works to promote and apply international human rights law within Israeli law.
2. The Criminal Justice Clinic: provides legal assistance, free of charge, to individuals involved in all stages of their criminal proceedings — from time of arrest through indictment, trial, appeal and retrial.
3. The Representation of Marginalized Populations Clinic: Community lawyering that provides legal aid, legal consulting and representation, free of charge, to people of the marginalized and social-economic periphery societies of Jerusalem.
4. The Community and Social Economic Clinic: offers legal assistance and guidance to small business owners and entrepreneurs in society’s disadvantaged or marginalized groups
5. The Rights of People with Disability Clinic: aims to promote the integration of people with disabilities into society by advocating policy change, particularly through the implementation of legal rights in employment and education.
6. The Innocence Project - The Wrongful Convictions Clinic: Works to provide more accessible and practical retrial opportunities by assisting convicted individuals in need of legal expertise and access to justice and due process.
7. The Children and Youth Rights Clinic: provides legal aid and knowledge regarding the law and the legal system to Israel’s children and youth through the process of empowerment and legal representation.
8. The Women’s Rights at Work Clinic: promotes and protects the rights of society’s working women in the ethnic/national/religious/socio-economic margins,
9. The Financial Market for Social Outcomes Clinic: assists entrepreneurs and investors in devising innovative models for enabling social enterprises to raise capital in a manner in which entrepreneurs can pursue their social goals
10. The Multiculturalism and Diversity Clinic: students come with various perspectives including future lawyers, psychologists, journalists, sociologists and anthropologists, are coming together to explore the loaded and intriguing intersections among the various cultural groups composing the Israeli mosaic.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

The CLE Center currently serves as the largest pro bono office in Jerusalem. We have considerable experience in leveraging the law to protect the rights of diverse and marginalized populations in Jerusalem. As such, we believe we bring forth valuable experience and knowledge in promoting social and policy change by combining legal channels with advocacy work, setting legal precedents and empowering underserved populations to gain access and improved status under the law. Further, we instrumentally leverage the academic work at the Faculty of Law to cultivate the next generation of lawyers in Israel that are committed to social change and increasing access to the legal system for all members of Israeli society.

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

We would like to join the ALF Network in order to expand our network and potential partners aiming to increase the scope and impact of our work, share knowledge and capacity and avoid duplication of services.

Contact (1) Full Name
Adv. Tammy Katsabian
Job Title
Executive Director
Head of the organisation
Dr. Einat Albin

The Coalition against Racism in Israel

National Network
Israel
Address

5 Saint Luke's St.
Haifa 31043
Israel

Telephone
0547730162
E-Mail
stopracism.org@gmail.com
Organisation Type
Other
Year of Establishment
2003
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. Human rights
  3. International/Cultural relations
  4. Media
  5. Others
  6. Youth and education
General Information
The Coalition against Racism (CAR), initiated in 2003, is comprised of 43 non-profit member organizations that represent minority voices in Israel. These organizations work with Palestinian citizens of Israel, with the Russian-speaking, Ethiopian, Mizrahi, and refugee communities, as well as working to promote the rights of women, the disabled, children, Palestinians under occupation and the elderly. You can find our partners here: http://www.fightracism.org/en/main.asp?cat=2 One full-time employee and several volunteers from Israel and abroad work for CAR. The budgetary resources abailable in 2015: 150.000 US$. Provided by the New Israel Fund and the Euorpean Union. Furthermore, we get project-based funding through foundations within Israel or from abroad. One of our leading strategies is the initiation of public campaigns designed to bring issues to the table and to increase awareness of the various faces of racism. One of our tools is the publication of our annual Racism Report, which documents cases of racism during the previous year. We work with the public media in all the languages of the Coalition members, including Amharic, Arabic, Hebrew, and Russian, to monitor the public media for cases of racism and to disseminate materials that foster understanding.
Mission and Objectives

The public sphere in Israel, including private and institutional elements, is filled with materials, expressions, messages, activities, and practice that have a racist character.
It seems that the disease of hate and discrimination has spread among us, and almost no sector or group has remained immune to it. At the same time, public criticism of racist revelations is lessening. It seems that there is acceptance, and sometimes even agreement, with messages that should be rejected with disgust.
Against this background, we as social organizations and private individuals who feel obligated to advance and to safeguard human rights in Israel, have been working on putting forth a vision of a nation without racism. We want to make our voices heard and work for the defeat of the phenomenon of racism in Israel.
We feel that it is our duty to act and to respond to messages, activities, materials, and expressions that have in them any discrimination, persecution, humiliation, mortification, evidence of hatred, hostility, violence, or encouragement of confrontations towards any person, community, or parts of the population, all because of color, race, religion, national-ethnic identity, or because of origin.
The minority communities that we represent are all victims of prejudice and discrimination. Therefore, our main goal is to utilize our Coalition representing a pluralistic civil society to combat institutional racism and discrimination. However, these communities, too, express racist and intolerant attitudes towards each other. We thus work to educate our own communities about the effects of racism while also encouraging individuals to meet across communities.

Main Projects / Activities

In 2015 we will devote a major portion of our work to three main avenues of combating racism:
1. Working with the police to reduce discrimination and police brutality.
2. Lobbying the Knesset Education Committee and the Ministry of Education to invest in human rights and an anti-racism curriculum.
3. Targeting ministries and institutions to reduce institutional discrimination and to encourage them to adhere to already established anti-discrimination laws.
Our work has already taken on two main directions:
1. We worked to liaise with the police and to conduct human rights awareness training programs.
2. We also initiated a campaign to take legal action in response to police misconduct.
This project promotes respect for human rights, such as basic freedoms, freedom of movement, and the rights of detainees, as well as the rule of law. We regard it as a matter of course that the police work to assist minorities and vulnerable communities rather than perpetuating stereotypes and causing additional harm.
This year we will also initiate a large-scale campaign to encourage anti-racism work throughout the education system. We are working with the Knesset Lobby for the War on Racism and Discrimination, lobbying the Ministry of Education to recognize the urgency of the situation and to change the educational curriculum. We expect that the government and governmental institutions themselves will take measures to reduce instances of institutional discrimination and racist incitement.
Thanks to our work, government ministries are beginning to assume responsibility. We are creating a more favorable environment for other institutions and authorities to come forward and to seriously address institutional discrimination in their departments.
We are currently initiating several new programs:
Through Culture against Racism, we conduct cultural events in various localities throughout Israel to bring together Jewish and Arab audiences. After numerous hate crimes were committed in Fureidis, we brought Culture against Racism into the city and held musical events with Arab and Jewish artists. This attracted both Arab and Jewish audiences, and residents of Fureidis got a chance to mingle with one another while learning a bit about each other’s culture and music. More than 600 individuals attended the events. We plan to make this a regular program in the coming year- bringing minority groups together to know and celebrate one another’s culture.
Education for human rights and anti-racism. In this year we are planning to launch a project working with high school teachers in the Western Galilee, particularly in Sheikh Danoun, an Arab village, and at Evron High School. We selected this region because the area in and around Nehariya experiences frictions between the Arab and Jewish residents on a daily basis. In this program we train teachers how to promote tolerance and how to educate against racism in schools. Teachers have a profound effect on their students and can be strong agents of change. By bringing tolerance and antiracism education into these schools, we hope to create safe and diverse environments where students, who otherwise might never interact with a member of the other community, learn about respect, mutual understanding and human rights. In turn, some of these students will have a strong multiplier effect as they go on to army service, higher education, and enter the job market. With a strong background in acceptance and understanding, they will affect their peers’ attitudes and outlooks on Jewish-Arab relations and become agents of wide-scale social change. Our member organization, Psychoactive, will take the lead on this project.
 
Activities with young leaders. With our member organizations Ossim Shalom and the Community Centers Company in the lead, we plan on conducting activities with young leaders and guides, ages 15-18, in the Galilee this coming year. The Galilee region is the home of arious groups from a wide range of ethnicities, nationalities, religions, and races. However, this region is also among the most segregated in Israel. Youths neither have a chance to regularly meet peers from other groups nor get to know one another personally, leading to numerous expressions of racism and prejudice. It is important to target this age group, as they are the ones entering the army, and joining the workforce and institutions of higher education. They will be the ones setting the stage for Israel’s future.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

The members of the national Network could profit from our knowledge and the experiences we made. The Coalition against Racism has been in action for ten years. We are well known for following through on our projects and constantly working to improve tolerance and understanding throughout society. We have established close ties with Knesset members and government leaders, thus improving our ability to reach policy-makers and to effect social change. Over the past years, the Coalition has established local and regional groups of activists. Furthermore, we already established a Galilee Forum in the Karmiel Area and are currently planning to establish a bi-national group in Nazareth, together with a joint activist group between the cities of Zichron Yaakov and Fureidis and several partner initiatives in the Negev. Our structure as a coalition of 40 NGOs, with their members offering skills sets highly suited to our work, allows us to represent numerous minority groups. Besides representatives from minority communities, we also have coalition members with important acquirements that directly contribute to our ability to act. Tebeka, Tmura Center, Mossawa Center, and IRAC, to name a few, are organizations comprised of lawyers from all Israeli communities. They are experts regarding laws that affect minority communities, which makes them an important asset to the Coalition because they play a major role in our legal work. All member groups contribute their professional skills to our work, thus allowing us to address a broad range of issues. 

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

We would like to learn from the different organizations and people that are active in your national Network in Israel. The Coalition Against Racism in Israel is interested in future cooperation and partnership with different actors in order to achieve our vision of equality, non-discrimination and to decrease racism in Israel. As a coalition we are always interested in expanding our reach. In order to do that we need partners and supporters to promote and encourage our many projects and campaigns. We are also on the search for new funding opportunities, we need foundations who are willing to assist our work so that we can achieve our aims.

Contact (1) Full Name
Nidal Othman
Job Title
Director
Head of the organisation
Nidal Othman

The Committee for Educational Guidance for Arab Students

National Network
Israel
Address

5 St. Lukes
Haifa 3531305
Israel

Telephone
972-48507890
Fax
972-48552772
E-Mail
iftach.cegas@gmail.com
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
1991
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. Others
  3. Research
  4. Youth and education
General Information
The Committee for Educational Guidance for Arab Students (CEGAS) advances higher education and empowerment of the Arab community in Israel in order to improve their socio-economic status.  It provides needed services for students in order to enter and remain in the higher education facilities and advocates for institutional change to enable greater access and support for Arab students. CEGAS combines these two means by assisting students to advocate for themselves, promoting their development as leaders in the university and the community at large. We are the only organization to provide educational guidance for Arab students in Haifa and the north part of Israel.
Mission and Objectives

CEGAS was established in 1991 in order to advance and encourage higher education and community involvement amongst the Palestinian Arab community in Israel as a means for breaking the cycle of poverty and ethnic segregation caused by the establishment , and to take part for raising the socioeconomic status of the community.  CEGAS works with and provides educational guidance to Arab students in elementary, middle, high school and university level.  In addition, the organization also collaborates with women’s committees on the issue of empowering Palestinian women in Israel inside old age homes with the goal of strengthening their community and children with disadvantages.  Moreover, CEGAS also targets youth at risk of academic failure offering them possibilities and alternatives. In addition to the Haifa region, we also take part in activities and social activism in the Negev region in the south. 
Objectives
• To improve Israeli Arabs socio-economic level and reduce poverty.
• To foster academic standards, cultural heritage and belonging.
• To promote academic achievement of students groups.
• To grant students and women the skills to gain knowledge and tools.
• Empowering Arabic women to take part in social, cultural, and educational activities.

Main Projects / Activities

Educational and Vocational Training:
Arab students in high schools have a low transition rate to higher education institutes resulting in diminished employment opportunities.  This program aims to empower and support marginalized Arab youth in high schools through counseling and guidance (both educational and vocational), and become socially and academically developed members of the Arab society.  This program also aims to increase the amount of Arab students seeking higher-education by providing them with the necessary information and assistance that the high schools cannot afford to provide.
This project works in cooperation with Arab schools through workshops, lectures, publications, website, educational fairs-festival, University summer camp and more in order to extend the accessibility to higher education.  The workshops include subjects such as the Psychometric exam, learning disabilities, parents' guidance, completing university registration forms, university requirements, and assistance choosing a career path. The educational fairs, festivals and lectures familiarize students with various university related topics, university students and staff.
 
Sawa Project:
The Committee for Educational Guidance (CEGAS)'s Sawa Project encourages volunteerism and works towards creating a civic society with a main goal of empowering the Arab community of Haifa and its environments.  It focuses on building an independent infrastructure amongst the Arab community by working in places such as schools, public gardens, homes, and educational centers.  The volunteers who are active with Sawa are from different ages and groups; each is active in the Haifa region in a different way.  Moreover, a part of the activists volunteer in the neighboring city of Tamra.  Sawa has been present for the past two years and CEGAS has managed to expand its activities with an active steering committee, bigger exposure, a large database of volunteers and interest groups.  This project is unique in the sense that it boosts the value of volunteerism within society with the sole purpose of creating a better one.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

By engaging in activities, creating dialogue and exchange networks.

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

To work on a larger and global scale, with youth from other nearby countries.

Contact (1) Full Name
Iftach Huebner
Job Title
Resource development
Head of the organisation
Hasna Sliman

The Documentation Center for North African Jewry during WWII

National Network
Israel
Address

Ibn Gabirol 14
Jerusalem 91076
Israel

Telephone
9720205398869
Fax
972 2 5612329
E-Mail
tamarf@ybz.org.il
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
2006
Fields of Activity
  1. Gender
  2. Heritage
  3. International/Cultural relations
  4. Media
  5. Others
  6. Religion
  7. Research
  8. Youth and education
General Information
The Documentation Center works under the auspices of the Ben Zvi Institute and  focuses on research and education about the Jews in Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco during WWII. The Center is supported by the Claims Conference and was supported in the past by the ISF. The annual budget is 600,000 ILS, and the Center employs a total of 5 staff members and 2 volunteers. The Center organizes international conferences, workshops and seminars, publishes research and archival materials, uploads materials to database available on the Center's website and is active on social media (in several languages), with the aim of raising awareness of these communities's stories during the time of the Holocaust. The Center also works closely the Ministry of Education to create and develop online pedagogical units and teacher training courses. The Center cooperates frequently with Yad Vashem, IHRA, The USHMM and the Memorial in Paris.
Mission and Objectives

Fighting Holocaust denial through:
 Activity in social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, our blog and YouTube).
 Cooperation with leading organizations, governmental departments in Israel and
Europe.
Adapting scholarly research and materials to be used in the educational system
in Israel:

 Exposing teachers, pupils and students to our material, our new online lessons
 developed with the Ministry of Education, holding teacher training courses.
 Translating  material into French for use in Israel and Jewish communities
abroad.
 Continuing the ongoing search for new archival materials to be used as the
. basis of new research and scholarly publications.
Organizing colloquia, workshops and a special pedagogical training program for teachers in the Israeli andFrench school systems
Active involvement with governmental initiatives (the Biton Committee, the Knesset Educational
Committee) to incorporate the history of Jews in the Islamic world during WWII within the educational system.
 
 

Main Projects / Activities

Organising international Conferences -Washington 2009; Paris 2012; Rome 2016; Berlin 2017
Publications: The Diary of Clement Houri; Volume of articles: North Africa and its Jews: New research; Peamim: volume on North African Jewry during the Holocaust; Revue d'Histoire de la Shoah: Les Juif d'Orient face au nazisme et a la Shoah
Three websites (French, Hebrew and English
Facebook pages in English, Hebrew, Arabic and French
Three online pedagogical units
Collecting archival materials from archives in France, Germany, USA, England and Italy

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

We believe that our abilities to combine academic research with educational programs  and widespread activity on social networks can help in reaching diverse audiences in Israel and abroad.  in addition, thanks to the rich collection of primary sources - documents, photos, newspapers etc. - which are made accessible only through our work, we have become the leading institute which can give academic guidance and support on this topic to any other relevant organisation. We bring together European and North African studies by creating a common field of interest in which Jewish, Muslim and Christians can find a joint space.

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

We are applying to join the network with the recommendation of the EU delegation in light of the topics we are engaged in. We feel that as partners in the network, we will be able to share our materials, knowledge and experience with other individuals and organisations and to find partners with whom we could promote these common topics. 

Contact (1) Full Name
Tamar Fuks
Job Title
Center Coordinator
Head of the organisation
Prof. Haim Saadoun

The Eastern Mediterranean International School and Foundation

National Network
Israel
Address

Hakfar Hayarok , Ramat Hasharon
Ramat Hasharon 47800
Israel

Telephone
0526130127
Fax
036730226
E-Mail
rachelle.schilo@em-is.org
Organisation Type
Public/Private Non-Profit Foundation
Year of Establishment
2014
Fields of Activity
  1. Arts
  2. Democracy and community development
  3. Environment/Sustainable development
  4. Human rights
  5. International/Cultural relations
  6. Others
  7. Youth and education
General Information
The Eastern Mediterranean International School Foundation establoshed The Eastern Mediterranean International School, EMIS. EMIS is the first international boarding school in Israel. We opened our doors in September 2014. Our goal is to foster intercultural understanding and promote personal and social leadership. The student body consists of 20% Israelis 20% students from the Middle East region and 60% fro the rest of the world. The academic  program is the International Baccalaureate is taught by 18 experienced cadre of international and local staff. EMIS runs the: Educators dialogue Circle project  that includes 9 partnering school from The Palestinian Autority: West Bank and Gaza, E. Jerusalem and Israel , Annual Youth collaboration of Peace and Sustainability Conference, Model United Nations, Green team club and Peace and sustainability programs Partner with Tel Aviv University. The first Israeli project that was labelled by The Union for the Mediterranean. Funders: Ministry of foreign affairs and Education,Pears Foundation Crown Family Foundation, Fresh Leaf Chaitable Fund, Bearch Foundation and private donors.      
Mission and Objectives

Our mission is to make education a force for peace and sustainability in the Middle East.

Main Projects / Activities

EMIS runs the: Educators dialogue Circle project  that includes 9 partnering school from The Palestinian Autority: West Bank and Gaza, E. Jerusalem and Israel , Annual Youth collaboration of Peace and Sustainability Conference, Model United Nations, Green team club and Peace and sustainability programs
In addition our students volanteer in several NGOs.
Our Model United Nations program team hosts groups from abroad as well as travells to meetings in other countries.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

EMIS is the first International boarding school in Israel that has students from 40 different countries including the Arab world.
We are runing dialgue programs to better understand people and their beliefs with partnering schools in the area; Palestinain Authority, Jordan, E. Jerusalem and Israel, our aim is to expend to other part in the region and elsewhere. We can share and enrich   our activities with other organizations who are members of the  network
 

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

EMIS is all about bringing together internationa youth in order to foster trust and mutual understanding.
In order to enhance our mission of making education a force for peace and sustainability in the Middle East we need to be part of the initiative that brings people together from across the Mediterranean to improve mutual respect .
Since The  Anna Lindh Foundation runs the largest Network of  civil society organizations who are involved in the promotion of intercultural dialogue across Europe and the Mediterranean we at EMIS believe that our organization can beneifit greatly from being part of this network to learn and exchange ideas.

Contact (1) Full Name
Rachelle Schilo
Job Title
Director of development
Head of the organisation
Oded Rose and Gili Roman