Republican Inquiry Challenges New Israel Fund Over Political Activity and Funding Transparency

Miki Gitzin, acting CEO of the New Israel Fund (NIF), recently received a stern letter from Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Jason Smith, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. The letter demands documents on grants the NIF has distributed since 2019 to investigate whether funds were directed to organizations involved in election-related activities in Israel, potentially violating U.S. tax-exempt status rules under section 501(c)(3). Although this is an initial inquiry rather than a criminal investigation, the fund denies the allegations and notes the inquiry is led by Republicans, warranting caution.

The article highlights a deeper issue beyond the political dispute: the transformation of the New Israel Fund over three decades from a liberal organization focused on individual rights to a more activist "woke" entity emphasizing identity politics and power hierarchies. The author, Professor Moshe Cohen-Eliya, who has personal experience with the fund in the mid-1990s, describes how the fund originally championed universal civil liberties, defending even those with opposing political views. However, shifts in donor culture and political language have altered the fund's priorities and solidarity boundaries.

This ideological shift has legal implications. U.S. law prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from directly or indirectly participating in political campaigns. The "woke" approach blurs the line between public policy advocacy and electoral intervention, as opponents are framed not just as political rivals but as moral threats, justifying broader activism. The House Judiciary Committee is also investigating other Israeli-related groups like the Movement for Quality Government and Blue and White party-affiliated bodies for similar concerns about U.S. government funds supporting protests against judicial reforms in Israel.

The article warns that when civil society organizations become partisan actors without adhering to transparency and accountability standards, they risk undermining the universal language of rights. The New Israel Fund could restore its original mission by defending the rights of all, including political opponents, and clearly separating civil advocacy from political campaigning. The decline of a liberal institution begins when it stops asking if rights are universal and instead asks if the holder belongs to the "right" side of power relations.