November 20, 2011 - The political foundations from the Federal Republic of Germany in Israel express concern about a series of legislative initiatives that would fundamentally change civil society involvement overall. more»

Male Warfare, Female Welfare

- August 31, 2011 - When Daphni Leef says that we are talking about homes and Bibi Netanyahu is talking about real estate, when teachers who oppose the latest reform say that education is not a business, when physicians are calling out to save the future of public health care, they are all calling to remove public services from the jurisdictional realm of business logic. Guy Shani more»

Which people? What Justice? - The Israeli Social Protest as an Opportunity for a Shared Jewish-Arab Society

- August 24, 2011 - more»

A summer of Protests for Social Justice in Israel Seeks a Green New Deal

- August 17, 2011 - more»

Israeli Social Protests: the key to changing everything?

- August 14, 2011 -

For the first few weeks of the housing-cum-social protests in Israel, nothing else seems to matter. For at least a week or two after the “J14” protests began (on July 14, in Tel Aviv), the press happily let it muscle out everything else – Palestinians, Iran, September, democracy barely reached back pages of the papers. Everything seemed drowned out by a chorus of wonder and amazement at the growing numbers of protesters flooding the streets weekly, including tens of thousands who have demonstrated or set up camps in at least 13 other cities or towns around the country. Only the crashing global markets seem to have penetrated the euphoria.

Dahlia Scheindlin more»

The Israeli Summer

- August 3, 2011 - After Daphne Leef, a twenty-five-year-old video editor, got word from her landlord that her lease wouldn't be renewed, she discovered she'd been priced out of Tel Aviv. Housing prices in the city have increased by 65% in the past five years, with rents rising in tow. A thousand-foot apartment in the city rents these days for two to three thousand dollars a month, which is more than most Israelis make altogether. Financial planners advise to keep rent costs to 30% of income, but to stay in Tel Aviv, young professionals need to sign over their salary checks in full, taking second jobs, loading up on roommates or counting on monthly supplements from parents. For Leef, who since finishing film school has made clips for some of Israel's biggest pop stars, none of these options made sense. When she considered her situation, something snapped. So she posted on Facebook that when her lease was up, she would pitch a tent in the city center, inviting to join her all those fed up at finding their salaries fall short of their rent.

 

Noah Efron more»

The Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Israel office sponsored the Israel premiere of „The Green Wave“, Germany 2010, directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi  – a renowned documentary about the uprising in Iran following the presidential elections of 2009. The premier took place  at this year's Jerusalem Film Festival on July 11, 2011 where it received an honorable mention by the festival jury.

Read more about the film and the screenings which took place in Israel»

People's Power - The Arab World in Revolt

- May 10, 2011 - The 2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests seemed unexpected, but were they really that unexpected? This publication addresses many questions, among them: First, what has happened? And second, what has invested these regimes with such long-lasting resilience? Layla Al-Zubaidi, Doreen Khoury, Anbara Abu-Ayyash, Joachim Paul more»

June 12, 2011 - more»

June 1, 2010 - How is the Israeli public reacting to the flotilla incident? What is the reaction of the Israeli peace groups? What kind of protest took place or is planned? What kind of repercussions of the events towards the proximity talks do you see? Dan Jacobson, Tel-Aviv University professor, Peace Now activist and Meretz Party official answers these questions and more.
Read the interview»

Difficult Times for the Israeli Civil Society

- May 26, 2010 - In the past months, the number of attacks by the nationalist camp against Israeli human rights organizations and other non-governmental organizations has risen significantly. A report by the director of the Israel office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation Joern Boehme more»

Heinrich Boell Stiftung, the Open University and Tel Aviv University held a conference on November 4th-5th 2008 to mark 60 years of the establishment of the State of Israel. More about the conference»

Watch the videoclip taken on this occasion:

May 22, 2009 - Last week's meeting between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu showed a fundamental disagreement between the U.S. and Israel. Obama made it clear that he is committed to a two-state solution, yet Netanyahu vacillated. Israel and its most important ally may face a deep ideological and strategic rift. By Akiva Eldar more»

Dirasat: The Arab Center for Law and Policy, Empowering Arab Local Councils to Improve Performance
- By researching the characteristics and policies of successful, independent Arab municipalities in Israel, Dirasat will create a model for best practices that will be used to strengthen other, weaker municipalities to become more effective and efficient. The findings of the initial research, published in 2009, will assist Dirasat and its partners to develop concrete policy recommendations for creating recovery plans and developing training program that are more responsive to Arab local councils’ economic and capacity-building needs. In 2011, Dirasat will be publishing their research to a Hebrew-speaking audience and conducting advocacy re its recommendations.

The Israeli Society for Sustainable Economics, Erech-Measuring and Fostering Progress in Israel– The project is developing an alternative index to growth other than the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) that takes into consideration additional social and environmental measurements and more accurately describes progress and welfare in society. The goal is to develop a new model of measuring economic growth and to advocate for its adoption among policy makers.

Jama’ah, Social Transformation Practicum and Community Activism for New Teachers – Jama’ah is an Arab center based in the Triangle region for the development of community leadership and social change. Their Social Transformation Practicum program develops educational leadership among students in teacher training colleges through leadership empowerment, critical thinking skills, and nurturing a commitment to one’s community. They then work to facilitate community projects with high-school students throughout the region.

Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), Drishat Shalom is a project currently under the auspices of IPCRI that aims to strengthen the Israeli peace camp and to support the idea of the two-state-structure in order to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Drishat Shalom organizes encounters between representatives of the Palestinian Authority and members of the Israeli media and other public opinion makers.

A Green New Deal for Israel, is another initiative currently under the auspices of IPCRI that aims to develop a platform for a green economic policy transformation in all sectors of Israeli society. The policy document analyses energy, transportation, employment and economic tools and suggests ways Israel can build a more sustainable, integrated economy. The platform will serve as a key component of economic policy for The Green Movement in Israel.

Life & Environment, Strengthening Democracy in Israel’s Municipal Government – The project works to advance public participation in local government by strengthening environmental committees through capacity building, and promoting dialogue among citizens and elected officials to promote sound environmental policy.