34 Derech HaHagana
Tel Aviv 6772137
Israel
- Democracy and community development
- Heritage
- Human rights
- International/Cultural relations
- Media
- Youth and education
Our mission is to promote democracy, pluralism, and tolerance within the RSC and between our community and other sectors of Israeli society. We are the only organization in the RSC focusing on these goals. We provide a voice for, and access to, our community for other organizations, bridging obstacles of language and culture. We have taken on a mediating function, enabling integration, advancement of rights and encouraging participation. Most organizations focus on one topic and reach out to a variety of people; we focus on one group and cover a variety of topics all relating to tolerance and social justice. This allows us to target specific needs in a culturally sensitive manner. In 2012 we began a pilot campaign to focus on issues of racism and prejudice in the RSC, and our efforts to this effect have begun to show.
We own and operate the new "un-branded" Russian news website Relevantinfo, with over 10,000 unique viewers each month. It provides a platform for open discourse. First rate journalists and bloggers participate, and we work to represent all sides. In the area of Israeli/Palestinian Relations, we conduct Public lectures in Russian, direct encounters between Russian-speaking Israelis and Russian-speaking Palestinians; field trips to the West Bank, and media address.
We provide training for Russian speaking journalists and bloggers emphasizing human rights and democratic values. By offering professional training and encounters with minority groups, we create an environment in which these journalists learn to think critically about personal prejudice, the needs of others, and how to use their skills for social change. We Monitor the Russian-language Media and produce The Annual Report on Racist expressions in the Russian-language Media for the Coalition against Racism in Israel, of which we are a leading member.
We are the only Russian social change organization operating in Israel with the goal of addressing prejudice in the Russian speaking community. The RSC is a large and important community in Israeli society, making up 15% of the population, but thus far has remained isolated and been left out of the peace process. We have noted within the community a strong desire to learn more about Palestinians and Arab citizens of Israel, but there is a lack of access to information due to language barriers and media bias. We provide the necessary connections between the Russian speaking community and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as well as with other communities throughout Israel. We can help social change organizations to reach this important target audience.
A great deal of our work focuses on bringing social change organizations to the Russian speaking community. The ALF Network will be an important asset in achieving this goal. Through establishing stronger connections with more social change organizations throughout Israel, we will be better able to form connections between social change organizations and the Russian speaking community, thus bringing the RSC out of isolation and into the peace process.