Jewish and Jewish-Palestinian Feminist Organizations in Israel

This newly published report by the Israel office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation is a first of its kind in-depth exploration of the contemporary feminist movement in Israel. The report focuses on Jewish and joint Jewish-Palestinian feminist organizations in Israel and includes two sections. The first section is a thorough mapping of these 46 organizations that documents the activity of each by fixed categories. The other section, translated also into English and Arabic, analyzes the trends and characteristics of the feminist NGO field in Israel, thus contributing substantially to what has been until now insufficient documentation of feminist activism – one of Israel’s leading social change forces.

The report, written by Dorit Abramovitch who is a long time feminist writer, lecturer and campaign coordinator, discusses the successes and as well as the challenges of the feminist movement in Israel to date. Among the topics covered are: a historical review; the tension between providing individual services and public activism; the proliferation of organizations - attesting to a flourishing field of action on the one hand yet often leading to competition for visibility and resources on the other; the formation, impact and sustainability of short and long-term coalitions among organizations; and more.

This volume highlights the gender related concerns that should and are being addressed. Feminist activism encompasses different population groups and is relevant to virtually every realm of life, yet the organizations themselves are not necessarily aware of their peers’ undertakings. The information in the report, which also includes recommendations for the actors in the field, offers a unique and important opportunity for cooperation between organizations and initiatives, thereby leveraging impact. It is hoped that the report will contribute in facilitating policy development to further benefit gender democracy in Israel.