Every year, when I get New Profile's annual report and read it, I'm truly amazed. --Partly because of the amount of work being done. But mostly, because of the nature of the work, and the process New Profile activists use in carrying it out. The kind of work NP does is truly of a radical nature - it goes to the deep deep roots of the militarization which underlies and props up the power structures and hegemonic Israeli culture.
At least as radical is the persistent effort to do the work by employing egalitarian, non-hierarchical modes, and the extensive efforts to incorporate youth work into what the organization does, and what the organization IS.
By way of disclosure - I'm connected to New Profile in personal and other ways - so what I'm saying isn't an attempt at "objective" evaluation (if such a thing exists), but rather of a very personal nature.
I left Rutti Hiller's introduction below.
The link to the report itself is:
http://www.newprofile.org/showdata.asp?pid=1220
Racheli Gai.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
We proudly present our annual report for the year 2007.
Every year different New Profile teams come together in order to produce our annual report. The first team gathers facts and figures of last year's activities from our members and compiles an outline in Hebrew. It is then given to another team which translates it into an English outline, A third team, using this outline, compiles the comprehensive English report which you now receive. The task, however cumbersome, is truly reflective of how New Profile functions as an organization and how we adhere to our organizational commitment of sharing responsibility and power.
At the time this report was being complied and written, New Profile was –and is still being - confronted with new challenges, some very complex and unexpected, and others that are integral part of a growing movement. Most notable is the present threat of being taken to High Court as our status as a nonprofit organization is being questioned.
New Profile is being accused of conducting acts of incitement by encouraging refusal to conscript. We face these charges because we provide information about draft refusal options to individuals who are considering not enlisting into the military. The charges are brought by the Parents Forum for an Equal Share of the Burden", the initiators of the campaign "A True Israeli does not Dodge the Draft". They demand that New Profile be closed down as a nonprofit organization and our members prosecuted for conducting illegal activities. Also named in the petition are the Fellowship Societies Registrar, and the Attorney General's office.
We are quite aware that this legal action against us may prove costly, both financially and in terms of work and emotions. We are confident that we will be able to turn to you in our hour of need.
Rest assured, these actions have not deterred us from our goals and we have created a counter campaign, "Think before Enlisting". This campaign reflects New Profile's ongoing efforts to create a new public discourse while encouraging critical thinking and emphasizes the movement's focus on the effects of militarism on society.
As we raise new questions and find occasion to introduce them into the mainstream discourse we also experience more attempts to keep us silent. We realize that this is to be expected especially when creating a new dialog that deals with questions of personal security, occupation and equality. We are not discouraged and cannot be deterred. We are actually witness to growing numbers of individuals and organizations contacting us in order to learn more about us and what we do.
This report not only reflects on the processes and activities within the organization but hopefully provide our readers with some insight into the present political and social climate in Israel.
Needless to say that none of this would have been possible without your ongoing encouragement and support. We are truly grateful.
Respectfully,
Ruth Hiller,
New Profile.
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Jewish Peace News editors:
Joel Beinin
Racheli Gai
Rela Mazali
Sarah Anne Minkin
Judith Norman
Lincoln Shlensky
Rebecca Vilkomerson
Alistair Welchman
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Jewish Peace News archive and blog: http://jewishpeacenews.blogspot.com
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