We believe in Israel as a Jewish and democratic state where women, children, and families of all identities and backgrounds can flourish. We’ve been working towards this vision for more than 75 years.

Our legacy

National Council of Jewish Women has a long legacy of working in Israel to support women, children and families from all sectors of the rich mosaic that makes up Israeli society. For more than 75 years, we have been supporting women, children, and families throughout Israeli society regardless of ethnicity, religion, and economic status.

Even before the establishment of the State of Israel, we supported refugees arriving from Europe, building on NCJW’s decades of helping women resettle in the US through Ellis Island.

Over the years, we’ve shifted our focus in Israel from direct service efforts to strategic investment in education, advocacy, and policy. We approach our work in Israel strategically and through a gender lens, funding innovative, collaborative solutions to systemic challenges.

Endowments from NCJW advocates enabled groundbreaking research and programming in the field of early childhood education and launched the first gender studies program in the Middle East — the NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program at Tel Aviv University. Over the years, we have directed millions of dollars to advocacy organizations and invested in feminist changemakers that have moved the needle on key issues in Israeli society — from LGBTQ+ rights and fighting gender-based violence to building a shared society with full and equal rights and representation for Palestinian citizens.

Our work in Israel today

Field building: Connecting for Impact

We work to strengthen the Israeli feminist ecosystem through Connecting for Impact, a groundbreaking program for feminist changemakers looking to leverage their collective power for impact. Established in 2018 by the National Council for Jewish Women and the NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program at Tel Aviv University, Connecting for Impact directly responds to research findings that indicated the importance and vitality of creating platforms for feminist connection and collaboration.

Learn more about CFI

Grantmaking: Israel Granting Program

Established in the late 1990s, the Israel Granting Program (IGP) is a funding pool raised by NCJW’s network of advocates to support Israeli advocacy and service organizations. IGP deepens connections between American and Israeli feminists, is built on NCJW’s long legacy of support for the State and people of Israel, and has granted millions of dollars over the years to grassroots Israeli organizations.

Learn more about IGP

Advocacy: Showing up for a democratic Israel

NCJW is committed to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state which ensures the rights and wellbeing of women, children and families across the diverse spectrum of Israeli society and strives for a just and peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As the oldest Jewish, feminist civil rights organization in America, NCJW has a responsibility to harness our voice, networks and resources to advocate for this vision of Israel. We apply a gender lens to critical issues facing Israel, spotlighting the impact of key developments on women in communications and programs for our network, and we speak out boldly in speeches, press releases and statements when we have cause for alarm.

Take action for Israeli democracy

Learn more by signing up for our monthly virtual meet-ups, Kaffe with Kalela, in which NCJW Israel Program Manager Kalela Lancaster hosts feminist leaders, activists, and analysts to unpack the crisis in Israel.

Our commitment to a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict starts with our commitment to Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Our commitment to a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict starts with our commitment to the full equality, safety and security of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of the State of Israel who live within the Green Line, and to the leadership of women.

Why?

First, we recognize that Palestinian communities inside Israel have suffered systemic discrimination for decades; it is therefore a strategic priority for us to invest in Palestinian women leaders who are empowering and advocating for their communities. Second, we know that advancing a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires empowering Israeli and Palestinian women leaders to achieve positions of political power and influence, so we are deeply engaged in that in that work. And last, laying the groundwork for a lasting peace requires creating opportunities for collaboration and finding common ground between people of diverse backgrounds; we are driving such opportunities through our field-building work, which brings together women activists for gender equality from across national, ethnic, and religious divides.

Support collaborative initiatives on the ground in Israel to advance gender justice, by donating to the Israel Granting Program.

Act in solidarity with our siblings in Israel by adding your name to NCJW’s letter calling for a halt to the judicial overhaul.

Learn more about the Israel Granting Program (IGP)

• Learn about the 2023 Israel Granting Program
• Meet our grantees