Shatil, The New Israel Fund’s Initiative for Social Change, was established in 1982 to strengthen civil-society entities and promote democracy, tolerance, and social justice in Israel. Each year, Shatil provides almost 1,500 nonprofit organizations with consulting services, training, coalition-building assistance, and general support. Shatil also reaches out to disadvantaged populations – such as new immigrants, Arab Israelis and residents of development towns – to help them realize their rights and play an active role in determining the policies that affect their lives.

Shatil has offices in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheva.

Jerusalem

Shatil Executive Director Ronit Heyd

In 1982 Shatil opened its first office in Jerusalem with just two employees. Today, with 52 staff members, the Jerusalem office is the central hub of Shatil’s activities. Shatil Executive Director Ronit Heyd and Associate Directors Carlos Sztyglic and Naomi Schacter work out of our main office and the New Israel Fund in Israel is located in the same building.

Projects run out of the Jerusalem office include Environmental Justice, Social and Economic Justice, Women’s Employment, National Budget Reform, Assistance to Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, Back from the Edge, and the Everett Social Justice Interns project. The Jerusalem office also houses our Center for Policy Change, the Conflict Transformation and Management Center, and the main Resource Development Library. Staff members are engaged in training, resource-development consulting, and lobby and media consulting. 

Haifa

Fathi Marshood, Director of Shatil's Haifa Office

Shatil Haifa is a microcosm of civil society in Israel, where Jews and Arabs, veteran Israelis and new immigrants from the FSU and Ethiopia work together to strengthen existing Israeli organizations and to proactively initiate social enterprises, some of which have grown into highly successful independent associations. Every year, hundreds of representatives of Israeli organizations come to the Haifa offices for trainings, one-on-one consulting, and courses.

Under the leadership of Fathi Marshood, the director of the Haifa office and a senior organizational consultant, Shatil Haifa is an incubator for social-change initiatives. Shatil’s consultants have made a significant contribution to the rise of a vibrant, effective local civil society in Haifa and the North. Shatil Associate Director Jabir Asaqla works out of the Haifa office. As well, some of Shatil’s most significant projects run out of the Haifa office, including our Outreach to Immigrants from Ethiopia Program, the Arab Citizens Initiative, and the Financial Management Consulting unit.

Beersheva

Sultan Abu Obaid, Director of the Beersheba office

As a capacity-building organization and proactive social-change agent, Shatil has been active in the Negev for over 15 years. Nearly 100 regional organizations receive capacity-building training annually and/or make use of Shatil’s office space. They include HaLev: The Movement for Life and Dignity; the Association for Civil Rights in Israel: Bedouin Sector; organizations that advocate for Ethiopian immigrants; Al-Avshla, a Bedouin environmental-justice organization; and Fruits of Peace, dedicated to joint Arab-Jewish living.

Shatil’s Beersheva multicultural, multilingual staff mirrors the people of the Negev, with Arabs and Jews, veteran Israelis and new immigrants.  The office is directed by Sultan Abu Obaid. The Jewish-Arab staff brings added value to the facilitation of staff meetings, program planning, recruitment of collaborative partners, and human-resource management.

Shatil’s main issue areas are:

• Social and economic justice
• Civil and human rights
• Jewish-Palestinian equality and coexistence
• Status of women
• Environmental justice
• Religious freedom