Michael Bien (and Jane Kahn, z”l)

I have been engaged with Israel throughout my life. Now my primary connection is with NIF and its grantees. Those are the people I want to be working with to make Israel a place I can be supportive of—a democratic state, with human rights for all, working toward an ideal that I can be proud to support.

My wife, Jane, was a civil rights lawyer and so am I. Together we were activists for civil rights in America and in other countries. That’s who we are as Jews and as Americans. What I like about NIF is that they help Israelis get organized and advocate for their own rights within the political, social and legal system. What I see NIF doing is funding groups and helping them with expertise in order gain rights for the underserved. And that’s the same thing we advocate for in the U.S. My work in America and on behalf of Israel is driven by consistent criteria and values.