Annual Report 2018
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Annual Report 2018 Dear friend, key 2018 It gives me great pleasure to share with you our Annual Report, which highlights just some of our achievements in 2018, and also to introduce myself to you as the new chair of the Yachad Board of Trustees. I am a member of Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, ACHIEVEMENTS a previous chair of the UJIA Business Division and have served on the Yachad board for the past two years. I am honoured to be Working with the next generation the Left in Israel and the fight over narrative on social taking up the role of Chair within an organisation that I believe is media. The Israeli ambassador Mark Regev also spoke Youth movements so important to our community. to the students who engaged in robust Q&A with him. Working with 5 youth movements – Habonim Dror, In just eight years since its inception, Yachad has created a 20 events on university campuses reaching 750 unique space in which members of our community can express FZY, LJY-Netzer, RSY-Netzer and NOAM – to provide students. This included two speaker tours with their pride in, and support for Israel, whilst asking tough and content on the ground for 13 Israel tour groups. We Yachad staff and Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, the ‘Gaza Doctor’, and Shabtay complex questions and voicing their support for a different vision worked with over 520 young people over the summer board members in Bendet, director of Settlement Watch for Peace Now. for its future. That Yachad has achieved this is due entirely and 2018 delivering this work, as well as providing bespoke completely to your support, and I would like to offer my heartfelt training for over 35 Israel tour leaders. Yachad activists wrote, proposed and passed a thanks to you. You can be rightly proud of what you have helped Staff motion at the 2018 Union of Jewish Students Yachad do, but I would urge you to also join with us in embracing Delivering monthly educational sessions, in conference ‘affirming UJS’s commitment to Israel our ambition to achieve more in the years to come. Hannah Weisfeld (Director) partnership with the New Israel Fund, for movement as a democratic and Jewish state by supporting Maya Ilany workers responsible for running Zionist youth Throughout 2018 Yachad undertook a strategic review, recognising democratic civil society organisations in Israel.’ movements. the political climate in which we are now operating is somewhat Esther Craven As a result, UJS have agreed to work with groups such different from the one into which Yachad was established in 2011. Lisa Bain Delivering a seminar to 20 participants on gap year as Yesh Din, B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence when It culminated in the adoption of a new long-term strategy at the programmes in Israel. in the UK and to organise programming with such beginning of 2019. We’ve shared some of the key messages of our groups when taking trips to Israel. new strategy in this annual report, and we hope you agree that it Board Students reflects the political challenges of our time. Schools Gideon Smith (Chair) 22 students from universities across the UK, We know that the news can sometimes present a bleak and Simon Sadie participated in a 5-day educational trip to Israel Delivering school hopeless picture, and that’s why it is important to celebrate the and the West Bank, enhancing their understanding of assemblies for JAMS (Jewish 520 Larry Shulman 16-year olds taking successes we have had in 2018, and also look to the future. Karina Litvack Israel and the conflict and learning about how to be Activities in Mainstream part in Yachad Israel Yachad’s plan is focused on building a positive vision for the future, better activists on campus, in youth movements and Schools), coordinated by the Tour Programming Tommer Spence supporting the next generation of British Jewry in making their in Jewish spaces. UJIA. voice heard and proactively building networks and relationships Ella Grodzinski that can bring about change over the long-term. Amos Schonfield Over 40 students participated in our annual student Delivering educational sessions on Yom Ha’atzmaut conference, attending a full day of sessions and and Rosh Chodesh at JCoSS, reaching upwards of We thank you for your support in 2018 and look forward to your panels covering content including Gaza, the state of 280 pupils. continued involvement in 2019 as we contribute to the future security and prosperity of a land that is so important to all of us. Simon Sadie 750 students attending Yachad Chair, Yachad events on campuses 1 YACHAD ANNUAL REPORT 2018 YACHAD ANNUAL REPORT 2018 2 Working with political decision Press, PR and Social Media and Gaza and over 330 people wrote to the Israeli Educational events makers Ambassador, Mark Regev and Middle East Minister In 2018 we published 12 opinion pieces and were In 2018 we brought to the UK, Michael Sfard, Israel’s Alistair Burt, to express concern over the potential In 2018 we met one-to-one with over 20 MPs and mentioned in the press on more than 30 occasions leading human rights lawyer (in partnership with New demolition of the Palestinian village of Khan al Ahmar. peers from across the political spectrum including including on CNN, BBC, Sky News, the Guardian, the Israel Fund), Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish ‘the Gaza doctor’, Close to 500 people shared campaigns on social Labour, Conservative, SNP and Liberal-Democrat Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News and Shabtay Bendet, head of Settlement Watch for media. members. Peace Now, to speak and meet with our supporters. We increased our Facebook following by 20% and In addition to events with students, these speakers We held five events in Parliament with guest our posts were seen by tens of thousands of people. met with over 700 of our supporters at key speakers from Israel including prominent human Our twitter following increased by 60% with our over events that took place at JW3, BAFTA and the Jewish rights lawyer Michael Sfard and leading Israeli expert tweets being seen by Museum. Michael Sfard also met with leading Jewish on settlement expansion Shabtay Bendet, from the hundreds of thousands of lawyers at an event at Matrix Chambers. people each month. In July 1600 Settlement Watch department of Peace Now. alone, we reached over people taking We held a day long event at JW3 in partnership with Middle East Minister Alistair Burt gave a keynote 60% 461,000 users. increase in twitter part in Yachad the New Israel Fund to mark Israel 70, attracting address at our fundraising gala, endorsing Yachad following campaigns an audience of over 100 people. With 7 guest for being a “moderate voice in a world which is A number of influential speakers that included activists and academics from exceptionally binary”. figures started following the UK and Israel, the event explored the challenges us on Twitter including journalists Dan Hodges, Our tweets and communications were regularly and opportunities likely to be facing Israel over the Robert Petson, Mishal Husain & Paul Waugh. shared on social media by MPs including Stephen Communal engagement at the next 30 years. Twigg, Wes Streeting, Jess Phillips & Alex Sobel, and Board of Deputies Hundreds of people attended our screening of others. Campaigning and Advocacy In 2018 Yachad elected both a deputy and an under The Oslo Diaries at the Jewish Film Festival, our Yachad has been publicly engaged in the debate on 35s Observer to represent Yachad at the Board of event about Diaspora Jews and Israel at Jewish Book Our students spearheaded a campaign against antisemitism in the Labour party, including jointly Deputies. The Chair of the Yachad board was also Week and our 7 sessions at Limmud Festival. demolitions of Palestinian homes in Area C of the authoring an article in the Guardian with Alex elected to represent his synagogue at the Board West Bank. The Don’t Settle For This campaign 10 people took part in a five day study tour to Israel Sobel MP, calling on the Labour Party to adopt the of Deputies. Both the Yachad chair and Yachad brought together 27 students from 16 schools and and the West Bank. full IHRA definition of antisemitism. representative were elected onto the International universities, who co-signed a letter to communal Division of the Board of Deputies, enabling us to leaders, politicians and diplomats on the danger ensure that our views our considered on relevant that demolitions of Palestinian homes in Area Over issues. C of the West Bank pose to peace and security. This was inspired by a visit to Umm al-Kheir, an 20 Two Yachad meetings with MPs unrecognised Palestinian village under threat of demolition, during the Yachad Student Trip in 2017. representatives 1500 and Peers, people attending Yachad events The campaigners met with Sharon Bar-Li, Israeli elected onto the throughout the year 5 events in Deputy Ambassador; Stephen Twigg MP, Chair of International Division parliament the International Development Select Committee; at the Board of and Alastair Burt MP, Minister for the Middle East, Deputies who said that campaigns against demolitions ‘have been instrumental in halting some activity up to now” and urged the students to ‘continue to speak out’. Over 750 individuals wrote to the Board of Deputies to raise concerns about the lack of balance in their public statements on the crisis between Israel 3 YACHAD ANNUAL REPORT 2018 YACHAD ANNUAL REPORT 2018 4 2018 Draft income and expenditure The table below outlines the total consolidated income and expenditure for 2018, subject to adjustment on finalisation of Accounts of Yachad (the charity) and Yachad Ltd (the company).