Israeli Grantee Roundup

The Federation’s Israel office transitioned into the New Year with great optimism, together with our extended family of grantees. For the first time ever, all of the Federation’s Israeli grantees were invited to meet, mingle and mull over the emerging New Shared Society paradigm that is at the center of President Rivlin’s social agenda, and a focal point of the Federation’s 2016-17 grantmaking in Israel. With 42 grantees and partners in a single room generously donated by Ono Academic College (a Federation grantee), the stage was set for conversation about the New Shared Society, learning how the organizations connect to the changing realities of Israeli society, and exploring new partnerships and initiatives among the grantees that may accelerate their work.

After receiving a warm video welcome from Danny Grossman, the Federation’s CEO, Dr. Eilon Schwartz from Shaharit – a current grantee – ignited the dialogue with touchpoints on the emerging Shared Society approach. The demographics in Israel clearly signal a shift from majority/minority factions to a society wherein four distinct groups are nearing each other in percentage of the total population (secular Jews, religious Zionists, Arabs, and Haredim). In the vision of the New Shared Society, this statistical reality can be harnessed to promote a democratic and just society comprised of unique segments – individual, but part of a cooperative Israeli society. The Federation is committed to advancing this new paradigm, and the lively interactive discussion that followed the keynote speech was evidence that our grantees are, too.

Tasked with distributing six pre-printed contact cards to new faces in the room, the goal was to have the grantees discover fresh networking possibilities within the Federation family. As diverse as these grantees are, so are they unified in their mission to live in a country that is thoroughly democratic, pluralistic, and just.

The conference dovetailed nicely with the “Federation Forward” roadmap unveiled earlier this month, which calls for partnership and strategic collaboration to achieve the greatest possible impact. By sharing this platform with grantees, new partnerships and initiatives will ideally flourish to support a stronger shared society and strengthen the just and pluralistic democracy that Israel strives to be.

“[This was] an outstanding, valuable conference that not only introduced us to other Federation partners, but also exposed us in a significant way to the scope and diversity of issues and players involved with social change elements in Israel.” – Rachel Keshet, CEO, Hi-Tech Ofakim

To learn more about the Federation's grantees in Israel, contact Siggy Rubinson or call 415.512.6429.