Economic Development

The Government of Israel continues to give significant attention to the issue of Arab economic development and integration into the Israeli GDP. Serious investment has been made in stimulus plans for economic development affecting public transportation, employment opportunities, crime reduction, education, the private sector and job training for Israeli Arabs, Druze, and Circassia communities throughout Israel. These initiatives will have a significant impact in improving the quality of life and enhancing economic development opportunities in the Arab sector. The SVF is working to complement these efforts and where appropriate, provide matching funds to leverage government dollars.

Within Economic Development, the SVF targets initiatives that integrate Arab university graduates and trained professionals into public, academic and private sectors, provide job training and placement, and increase representation of Arab women in business and economic development activities.

Current Grantees

The Abraham Fund Initiatives (TAIF)
Women at Work: "Sharikat Haya - Partnership for Life"

TAFI works to advance coexistence, equality and cooperation among Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens by creating and operating large-scale initiatives, cultivating strategic grassroots projects and conducting public education and advocacy to promote its vision of shared citizenship and opportunity for all of Israel’s citizens. Women at Work: “Sharikat Haya- Partnership for Life” promotes the integration of Arab women in the labor market through recruitment, empowerment, training and placement into first time jobs, a media campaign and employer-directed activities, in order to improve the economic and social status of Arab women in Israel (unemployment among Arab women is one of the lead causes of poverty among Israeli Arab households). Recently adopted by the government as a national model, Sharikat Haya will be scaled up and replicated in over 40 Arab towns over the next few years.

American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)
One-Stop Employment Center for Arab-Israelis and Access to Higher Education for Arab Israeli’s Program

The JDC rescues Jews at risk, provides relief for Jews in need, supports renewal of Jewish community life, and works to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of society in Israel. JDC-TEVET is partnering with the Government of Israel’s Authority for Economic Development in the Arab Sector to open One-Stop Employment Centers in 22 Arab towns to address the employment needs of unemployed and under-employed Israeli Arabs. Through a comprehensive array of training and placement services, and working with communities and employers to provide employment solutions, the pilot Center in Tira equips Arab-Israelis with the tools and resources needed to become economically self-sufficient and establish more resilient community infrastructure.

NEW:  American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee–JDC-TEVET
Access to Higher Education Program 

This JDC program will be a pilot program in Tira based on the current Hesegim (Access to Higher Education) model, which has been adapted to meet the needs of Arab-Israelis and will serve as a lab for further expansion.  With the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor now the lead government agency for this initiative, program staff and classes will be based primarily in the One-Stop Employment Centers and efforts will focus on outreach to high school students and graduates to help them gain access to higher education opportunities. This will allow for stronger coordination between higher education professionals and those offering employment guidance, and will provide greater access for the target population to both sets of professionals.

NEW: Injaz Center for Arab Local Governance
Regional Networking – Strengthening the Economic Base of Arab Towns

Injaz Center views the local authorities as the driving force for social economic development, and works to build the capacity of municipal leaders based on the principles of democracy and transparency in decision making and policy development. The goal of the Regional Networking Program is to build a sustainable economic base for Arab towns by increasing regional cooperation through: building frameworks for regional economic cooperation among local authorities, national government and key stakeholder groups in communities; identifying regional economic opportunities, synergies and obstacles to reaching them, and; defining projects and local processes to be integrated in the regional network.

NEW: ITWorks
Securing Israel’s Future through Employment

The mission of ITWorks is to create employment opportunities for underserved groups, minorities and marginalized peoples through technological training and professional skills development.  Securing Israel’s Future through Employment is a project in cooperation with Israel's National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi), which provides low-income, unemployed and unskilled workers living on Israel’s social and geographic periphery with technological training courses, professional skills, vocational support and direct links to quality employment in accessible areas with dignified conditions.

The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development
Keren Ya’ar Loan Fund

The guiding principle of The Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development (CJAED) is that Jewish-Arab economic cooperation in Israel is essential for peace, prosperity and economic stability in Israel and the region at large. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s (JAFI) mission is to inspire Jews throughout the world to connect with their people, heritage and Land, and empower them to build a thriving Jewish future and a strong Israel.  The Keren Ya’ar Loan Fund was established to provide business loans to Arab-Israeli entrepreneurs to develop their businesses located in around the joint Jewish-Arab employment zones, create economic development and employment, fortify Jewish-Arab relations and build strong and table communities in key regions of Israel.

Kav Mashve - Employers' Coalition for Equality for Arab University Graduates
Career Training Center

Kav Mashve works to create an open, equal-opportunity business environment for the employment of Arab college graduates and to significantly increase the number of Arab college graduates employed in private and public businesses and companies in positions that fit their qualifications and offer commensurate compensation. The goal of the Career Training Center is to bridge existing cultural differences through a comprehensive system of recruitment, training and placement programs and services designed to meet the specific needs of Arab college graduates and to increase the number of successful job placements of Arab college students and graduates. The center also serves as a professional resource for employers.

Kav Mashve – Employers’ Coalition for Equality for Arab University Graduates
NEW: Professional Advancement of Arab Employees in the Workplace and Managing Diverse Workplaces

Kav Mashve will develop and implement two advanced training workshops in 2012-2013 for CEOs and managers and for Arab employees in order to promote the advancement of Arab employees and to deepen understanding and commitment to diversity within the workplace. 

Koret Israel Economic Development Funds (KIEDF)
SAWA Microfinance Loan Fund

Koret Israel Economic Development Funds (KIEDF) was established in 1994 to stimulate economic development and employment opportunities in the private sector.  KIEDF has facilitated over $280 million in financing to over 10,000 small and micro businesses in Israel while supporting more than 45,000 jobs. KIEDF launched the SAWA Loan Fund based on the principles of successful micro-finance and solidarity group-lending programs around the world, in order to assist Bedouin women in Israel's Negev region establish home-based microenterprises with non-leveraged financing. With the help of government and philanthropic support, the SAWA Loan Fund recently expanded to support Arab and Bedouin women in the North, South and Center of the country, as well as Jewish women.  In addition to access to credit, loan recipients receive business and technical services.

NEW: Sikkuy: The Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality
Seat at the Table

Sikkuy (“chance” or “opportunity” in Hebrew) develops and implements projects to advance equality between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel in government budgets, resource allocation, hiring policy, land usage, and access to government services.  Seat at the Table is a two-year project working to advance equality and shared society between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel by mapping and analyzing barriers to equal distribution of resources within government ministries supported by the development and implementation of strategies and policy recommendations.

Tsofen
High Technology Centers

Tsofen’s three-tiered mission is to integrate the Arab community into the high-tech industry and into other advanced industries, to substantially increase the number of Arab software engineers in the Israeli hi tech industry, and to guide and assist different authorities operating within the Arab community in leveraging regional development towards advanced technology industries. Tsofen’s High Technology Centers integrate community and private sector outreach, recruitment and training services to help place Arab candidates in high-tech positions.  Based in Nazareth, and recently expanded to the Triangle region, Tsofen provides advanced high-tech training courses and job search workshops, and helps place Arab engineers into the Israeli high tech industry.

Project Wadi Attir
Sustainable Development of Bedouin Community

Project Wadi Attir is an initiative to establish a sustainable, desert, farming operation integrating social, environmental, technological and economic considerations in the Negev Desert.  Building on the Cooperative Management Training and the Indigenous Vegetable Growing Program for Women, the Development of an Organic Medicinal Product Brand is a new initiative to develop market quality samples for a range of organic, body care products and a high quality brand using organic desert ingredients.  The goals of this program are to preserve, document and showcase traditional Bedouin knowledge in natural healing remedies and body care utilizing desert herbs, to establish a well-regarded high quality brand that will support economic independence through the sale of products at the visitors center, in specialty shops in Israel and abroad, and to provide employment opportunities for women in the community.

Past Grantees

Economic Empowerment for Women
Business of One's Own

Economic Empowerment for Women (EEW) works to raise the socio-economic status of women in Israel by assisting women in achieving economic independence through the creation of small businesses. A Business of One's Own offers introductory business training and empowerment for Arab women plus ongoing and advanced business support and micro loans.