22 Eek Refaim
Jerusalem
Israël
- Democracy and community development
MOLAD:
• initiates intellectually ambitious projects which seek to expand current discourse by articulating different approaches to understanding and reconstructing Israeli society and Israeli identity, as well as Israel’s place in the region and the world, thereby creating a comprehensive conception of Israel as a vibrant and substantive democracy integrated into the region;
• produces first rate research on current affairs and longstanding questions through quantitative and qualitative research projects, thus establishing itself as an authority on political, social and economic questions for Israeli progressives;
• produces policy commentary, analysis, and recommendations ranging from policy papers to op-eds and blogs;
• provides training in political skills and strategy for activists, consultants and politicians in order to improve progressives’ political savvy; and
• provides an ideological and physical space for the progressive community, for discussions, advice, seminars, lectures, support and strategizing.
MOLAD’s projects are based around three key themes:
Security and Strategy: It is widely recognized that Israel lacks strategic thinking outside of official agencies, and in particular the military. As such, the Israeli security discourse is dominated almost entirely by the security establishment. This has created a narrowed vision in relation to security and strategy. In light of this, MOLAD seeks to create an independent security conception of Israel and put forward new strategic directions on questions of security and foreign relations.
Citizenship and Community: One of the indispensable challenges for Israeli democracy is the creation of an inclusive framework to allow both Jewish and Arab citizens to wholeheartedly call Israel their home. This requires not only considerations on institutional, constitutional and legal affairs, but also reconsideration of civic education, ideological biases and historical sensibility. These issues are especially relevant today in light of the slew of Knesset legislation that undermines the citizenship and rights of the Palestinian minority.
Economics and Society: Although the vast majority of Israelis support progressive and social democratic approaches to socio-economic issues, the political establishment and all the major parties espouse a neo-liberal framework. This is evident in the erosion of the welfare state and the growing economic gap in Israel. The current challenge is to construct a model which will allow Israel to advance its position in the global economy while reconstructing the welfare state and combating intolerable inequalities.
MOLAD seeks to create a hub for progressive thought - a place where actors in the community can come together to share ideas and strategize about the future of the Israeli Left.
Molad would like to join the ALF network in order to benefit from funding leads and to learn about best practices adopted by civil society.