Social and Economic Justice
Empowering Social Change
NIF works to reduce social and economic gaps as a means of safeguarding democracy and building a cohesive society.
The Israeli public is more united behind the desire for social and economic justice than on any other single issue. With 1 in 3 Israeli children living below the poverty line it’s not hard to figure out why.
Our aim is to speed the inclusion of Israel’s diverse national, gender, ethnic and geographic population groups into an increasingly unequal economy, allowing for social mobility and for stronger civic and political engagement. Specifically, our work focuses on some of the most critical root causes of socio-economic gaps: the lack of housing options, growing poverty and “built-in” inequality at the local and community level.
Working across party lines in the Knesset, our intense efforts helped put the issue of public housing on the national agenda more forcefully than ever before. We believe that housing is an issue that crosses ideological and sector lines, and that it’s possible to build a majority of political support.
The poverty issue also crosses sectorial lines and is high on many politicians’ agenda. Despite budget shortfalls, the political will to address the issue is strong among the centrist and religious parties, and shrewd coalition-building could further progress under any governing coalition.
Untangling Israel’s administrative boundaries and tax jurisdictions is hard and abstruse work – but the activists for distributive justice know that it is a key factor in improving opportunity in marginalized communities.
A Revolution in Lakiya: Improving Residents’ Lives Through Strategic Planning
An ambitious partnership seeks to give Bedouin citizens the tools they need to access the resources that can improve the lives of those living in the Negev.
Victory for Freedom of Expression in the Negev
Political forces tried to evict the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality from a shelter they have used for more than a decade. They failed.
Adoption Victory for Gay Fathers
Birth certificates in Israel now must bear the names of both adoptive parents, regardless of their gender.
Mobilizing for the Lives of Women
Tens of thousands of demonstrators protested in Tel Aviv, demanding the transfer of the budget promised by the government to combat domestic violence against women.