The Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues (IATF) is a project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee that advocates for Arab citizens of Israel among Jewish American organizations and donors. ¹ IATF describes itself as “an educational content provider,” and member groups are invited to participate and produce educational material. ² IATF does not give grants, but encourages grant giving to Arab Israelis.

In 2021, IATF hosted 61 educational programs, 24 public events, and 23 professional training programs. ³

History

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues was founded in 2006 by a coalition of groups including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Anti-Defamation League, United Jewish Appeal -Federation of New York, the New Israel Fund, the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and the Caroline and Brian Lurie Philanthropic Fund. ⁴ It advocates for Arab citizens of Israel among Jewish American organizations and donors. ⁵

Positions

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues supports the findings and recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Clashes Between Security Forces and Israeli Citizens in October 2000, better known as the Or Commission, which determined that the social, cultural, and economic gap between Israeli Jews and Arabs was one of the most important domestic issues in Israel. The Or Commission was launched in the aftermath of widespread riots by Arab citizens of Israel in 2000 during the Palestinian Second Intifada. In response to the riots and the commission, the Israeli government pledged to make reducing inequality between the two groups a national priority. ^{6 7}

IATF advocates for steering a portion of philanthropic funds given by American Jews to Israeli Jews to Israeli Arabs. An IATF report acknowledged that donors with a “social justice worldview” are more receptive to this messaging than donors “focused on security.” ⁸

IATF supports measures to integrate the economic activity of Jewish and Arab Israelis, and to reduce the income gap between the two groups. The IATF attributes the current gaps to both “historical processes” and “unequal government appropriation of economic resources,” including infrastructure, land, and institutional investment. ⁹

IATF attributes the relatively low socioeconomic status of Arab Israeli women to a “double marginalization” from both Israeli society and “traditionally patriarchal elements of Arab society.” ¹⁰

Members

As of October 2023, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues has 64 members, including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Fohs Foundation, the Gimprich Family Foundation, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, the New Israel Fund, reGeneration, the National Council of Jewish Culture, the Arnow Family Fund, the Jewish Funders Network, and nine chapters of the Jewish Federations of North America. ¹¹

Leadership

Rabbi Brian Lurie is the president and co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues and the president of the Caroline and Brian Lurie Philanthropic Fund. Lurie previously worked as executive director of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties for seventeen years and as the president of the San Francisco Jewish Museum for five years. He was also the executive vice president of the United Jewish Appeal, now known as United Jewish Communities, and worked as president of the New Israel Fund. Lurie’s wife, Mimi Haas, is a billionaire heiress of the Levi Strauss fortune and the president of the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund. Their son, Daniel Lurie, is running for San Franciso mayor in 2024. ^{12 13}

Ariel Zwang is the chief executive officer and co-chair of IATF, has been the chief executive officer of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee since 2021, and has been the chief executive officer of Safe Horizons, a nonprofit that supports victims of abuse in New York City, since 2008. Zwang received a White House fellowship under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration. ^{14 15}

Liron Shoham has been the executive director of IATF since 2019, and has worked at the organization since 2012. She previously worked as director of operations from 2009 to 2012 at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. ^{16 17}

Funding

In 2021, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues earned $671,227 in revenue, almost $500,000 of which came from member dues. ¹⁸

1. “Expanding Philanthropy to the Israeli Arab Community.” ACPB. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.acbp.net/pdf/pdfs-research-and-publications/Expanding%20Philanthropy%20to%20the%20Israeli%20Arab%20Community.pdf
2. “FAQs.” IATF. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/faqs.
3. “Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues Annual Report 2021.” IATF. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/sites/default/files/resource/resource-2076.pdf.
4. “About Us.” IATF. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/node/27#:~:text=The%20Task%20Force%20was%20established,Charles%20Bronfman%20Philanthropies%2C%20and%20the.
5. “Expanding Philanthropy to the Israeli Arab Community.” ACPB. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.acbp.net/pdf/pdfs-research-and-publications/Expanding%20Philanthropy%20to%20the%20Israeli%20Arab%20Community.pdf.
6. “Expanding Philanthropy to the Israeli Arab Community.” ACPB. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.acbp.net/pdf/pdfs-research-and-publications/Expanding%20Philanthropy%20to%20the%20Israeli%20Arab%20Community.pdf
7. Balaban, Jessica. “All in Favor.” Haaretz. November 9, 2007. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.haaretz.com/2007-11-09/ty-article/all-in-favor/0000017f-f07f-d8a1-a5ff-f0ff4a060000?v=1697815066953.
8. “Expanding Philanthropy to the Israeli Arab Community.” ACPB. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.acbp.net/pdf/pdfs-research-and-publications/Expanding%20Philanthropy%20to%20the%20Israeli%20Arab%20Community.pdf.
9. “Economic Development.” IATF. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/issues/view/3.
10. “Women.” IATF. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/issues/view/1.
11. “All Members.” IATF. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/entities/members/list.
12. “Executive Committee.” IATF. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/executive-committee.
13. “Jewish philanthropist and Levi Strauss heir running for San Fransisco mayor.” The Times of Israel. September 27, 2023. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-philanthropist-and-levi-strauss-heir-running-for-san-francisco-mayor/.
14. “Executive Committee.” IATF. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/executive-committee.
15. “Ariel Zwang.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-zwang/.
16. “Liron Shoham.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/liron-shoham-3b057625/.
17. “Professional Team.” IATF. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/professional-team.
18. ^[1] “Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues Annual Report 2021.” IATF. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.iataskforce.org/sites/default/files/resource/resource-2076.pdf.