Civil and Human RightsFor almost sixty years, Israel has functioned as a democracy in a state of siege. Consequently, Israel’s civil and human rights issues are omnipresent and difficult to resolve. Social and Economic JusticeDid you know that 1 in 3 Israeli children live below the poverty line? An appalling statistic for a country whose economy continues to soar, yet the poor just get poorer. Religious Pluralism and ToleranceAlthough non-Orthodox Jews comprise 70 percent of Israel's population, a tiny percentage of the budget for Jewish culture and education is allocated to Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and other streams of Jewish learning. Israeli Arabs and Bedouin CitizensIsrael's 1.37 million Arab citizens vote, pay taxes and speak Hebrew, yet suffer pervasive discrimination, unequal allocation of resources and violation of their legal rights. EnvironmentThe Israeli environment is threatened by water shortages, headlong development of remaining green spaces, and severe industrial pollution. Women's RightsSocial institutions, traditions and religious laws have kept girls and women at a disadvantage in schools, in the workplace, in divorce cases, and as victims of violence. |