The fund operated by the Histadrut together with its German equivalent, the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB), held a ceremony on Thursday at the Histadrut House in Tel Aviv marking its new grants for humanitarian activities and research into labor issues. The Peretz Naftali Fund’s grants were presented by Gershon Gelman, chair of the fund and head of the Histadrut’s international relations division, and Gil Elimelech, member of the fund’s executive board and deputy director of finance for the Histadrut.
The ceremony marked the beginning of the fund’s support for 30 organizations, in addition to the 40 organizations already supported by the fund over the past two years. The newly funded organizations include groups working to support those injured in war, evacuees, and residents of Israel’s border regions. The IDF Widows and Orphans Organization and NATAL – Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center are two of the new grantees, along with Soteria Israel, an organization that provides holistic care for mentally ill people, and Citizens Build a Community, an Arab group working to promote education in Israel’s mixed cities. Groups focused on preventing violence against women and promoting workplace integration of disabled people also received grants.
“The fund is a very significant expression of the cooperation between the Histadrut and the trade unions in Germany,” fund chair Gelman said. He noted that the Peretz Naftali Fund distributes about 1 million shekels ($268,000) each year.
“During the COVID period, the fund helped hospitals purchase ventilators. Today, during the war, we have been involved in assisting organizations that helped evacuees from the border areas and the north, as well as injured soldiers,” he said. “The fund is another expression of the Histadrut’s work in the social field in Israel.”
The Peretz Naftali Fund was established in 1982 by the Histadrut and the DGB with the goal of creating and promoting various educational institutions focused on science, culture, the humanities, social and sociological problems, economic and financial issues, public relations, and labor. The fund is named after Peretz Naftali, a Jewish journalist and economist of German origin, who served as minister of agriculture, minister of trade and industry, and minister of welfare for Mapai, an early predecessor of Israel’s labor party.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz.
