Advancing Racial Equality and Combatting Hate

IRAC sees racism as one of the greatest threats to Israeli society today and uses innovative groundbreaking public, legal, and advocacy tools to advance racial equality and combat hate in Israel.

IRAC works against racist incitement by monitoring hate speech and hate crimes, by demanding that investigations be launched, and that public legitimacy and government funds be denied to religious extremists who incite to racism.

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IRAC also works to highlight the best practices of a shared and equal society between Jews and Arabs, so that these practices can become models for Israeli society as a whole.

Israel’s Declaration of Independence commits to “complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race, or sex.” Nonetheless, racism and extremist language have entered the Israeli mainstream, fueled by racist incitement that is spread by extremist rabbis and the activities of hate groups.

The government is a major obstacle towards racial equality, even attempting to pass blatantly racist legislation. IRAC will continue to persevere by pushing back against such legislation, continuing our

monitoring activities, and spreading awareness of racism in Israeli society. While the road is not easy, we have begun to see a shift in the public mindset that our work has helped to activate, and we will continue our work to ensure this shift strengthens.

 

Thanks to IRAC:

  • An indictment was filed against Bentzi Gopstein, head of the hate group Lehava.

  • The Supreme Court ruled the Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu must undergo disciplinary hearings for incitement to racism.

  • Jewish supremacist, Kahanist candidates were disqualified from running for Knesset.