The Attacks on the New Israel Fund

The New Israel Fund, which does extraordinary work in Israel, has recently come under attack for supporting -- this is my interpretation -- anti-Likud NGOs. I haven't said anything about this, because a) I'm tired of blogging and b) there's not much new I could add to this discussion. The New Israel Fund, of which I'm a supporter, advocates for civil liberties, minority rights, women's rights, gay rights and religious pluralism, and yes, it's a supporter of the idea that Israel should be a haven for Jews. I've had numerous arguments with its former director, my friend Larry Garber, about a few of the groups NIF has supported, those whose leaders argue for a repeal of the Law of Return, or for soft one-statism. I don't like those groups very much, but it is my impression that they represent only a small portion of the funding work of NIF.  Mainly, the New Israel Fund supports groups that work to ensure that Israel remains a democracy, and it surely represents American Jewish values of tolerance, pluralism and diversity, as well as support for Israel as a Jewish state.