New Israel Fund CEO responds to attacks from the right

By Daniel Sokatch

NEW YORK — Our support for liberal democracy, freedom of expression, and human and civil rights have made us a target for the far right in Israel. In this election season — when so many incumbents are running from their records — tarring NIF can serve as a convenient distraction. Several hardline politicians backed out of a conference on democracy run by Haaretz because of NIF’s co-sponsorship, prompting the publisher of Haaretz to print a two-page spread praising our work.

Both the Likud and the Jewish Home campaigns have directly gone after us, (although a lawyer for the Likud later issued an apology). A settler group also produced a slick and disgusting video alleging that we are funded by anti-Semites.

Sadly, these baseless attacks have spread to the United States as well, where right-wing blogs have posted articles that twist NIF’s record and malign specific donors.

I would very much like to ignore these articles rather than give them undeserved publicity. However, we’ve seen the smears escalate in the past week, in which Pamela Geller — the leader of a hate group profiled by the ADL — announced that she would run bus ads in New York City naming a series of NIF donors, falsely stating that NIF supports BDS, and abusing Holocaust imagery.

You should know that NIF is on top of this. We’ve been in touch with all of the donors named. We are pursuing a sophisticated media strategy to keep these lies from reaching the mainstream press. And we are continuously examining our legal options.

You should also know that I’ve directed our staff not to let these smears distract us from our core work here in the United States: to bring together tens of thousands of people who care about Israel and believe in progressive values, to pool their resources, and to invest in critical work on the ground — work to realize Israel’s founders’ vision of Israel as a liberal democracy.

And while the campaign’s clear intent is to shame our supporters into quitting NIF, our adversaries underestimate the passion and character that underlies our community. Donors who have been singled out for attack have taken this opportunity to express their affection for and commitment to NIF. One donor told me, “If they weren’t going after you like this, then it would be a sign that you weren’t doing your job.”

Other supporters have seen elements of this campaign online and have taken to social media to show their support. Here’s one of my favorite posts by Rabbi Michael Adam Latz: “My friends, Stephanie Ives, David Rosenn, & Daniel Sokatch, who lead the New Israel Fund, were attacked for having the courage to speak out for peace and democracy in Israel. I’ve made a donation to NIF in their honor & I invite you to join me. Let’s love bomb the NIF, one of the great organizations pursuing human rights, equality, and dignity in the Middle East.”

There is now even a hashtag #NIFLoveBomb.

I can’t tell you how much it means to me, and to all of us at NIF, to lead a community composed of so many caring, intelligent, dedicated people.

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Sokatch is CEO of the New Israel Fund.
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