Year End Report, 2013

Highlights of 2013

LEV LEVIEV – Adalah-NY continued its campaign, begun in 2007, against the Israeli diamond magnate and settlement builder Lev Leviev. This campaign has had a number of successes, with governments, investment banks, celebrities, and international aid agencies distancing themselves from Leviev and his company Africa Israel. In 2013, we continued to place pressure on Leviev to end his settlement construction activities in the occupied West Bank:

  • December 14, 2013: 7th Annual Anti-Apartheid Holiday Caroling at the Leviev jewelry store in New York City.
  • September 4, 2013: Signed letter with Palestinian civil society organizations urging the Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global to reinstate their ban on investment in Africa Israel.
  • January 2013: Continued a campaign begun in 2012 asking City Harvest to end their connection with Lev Leviev.

Adalah-NY’s advocacy in 2013 with both the Norwegian Government and City Harvest to end relations with Leviev’s companies ultimately proved successful in early 2014.

TIAA-CREF – In 2013, Adalah-NY continued its support for the We Divest campaign against the pension giant TIAA-CREF, which was originally begun by Jewish Voice for Peace and endorsed by numerous human rights groups across the globe. The campaign calls for TIAA-CREF to divest from companies supporting and profiting from Israeli apartheid, violations of international law, and human rights abuses. These companies include SodaStream, Elbit Systems, Caterpillar, Motorola, Northrop Grumman, Veolia and Hewlett-Packard.

In the Fall of 2013, a focus began on boycotting SodaStream, which manufactures and distributes home carbonation devices and flavoring for soft drinks. SodaStream’s main production site is in Mishor Edomin, the industrial park of Ma’aleh Adumim, an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

CULTURAL and ACADEMIC BOYCOTT – The cultural boycott against Israel aims to counteract Israel’s use of cultural events and performers  to normalize its illegal occupation of Palestine and whitewash its violations of international law and Palestinian human rights. As part of this movement, Adalah-NY participates in actions aimed at isolating Israeli cultural institutions complicit in their government’s actions.

Adalah-NY is also in support of the academic boycott as called for by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, PACBI.  This is based on the fact that Despite the efforts of a handful of principled academics, the Israeli academy is profoundly implicated in supporting and perpetuating Israel’s systematic denial of Palestinian rights and is complicit in the Israeli system of oppression that has denied Palestinians those basic rights guaranteed by international law, including academic freedom and the right to education.

OTHER BDS ACTIONS

BDS MOVEMENT BUILDING – Adalah-NY organized panels, took part in a number of conferences and events, and carried out workshops to present our work and participate in an ongoing discussion to further develop the BDS movement in the United States and internationally. Activities included:

SOCIAL MEDIA – Adalah-NY maintained a dedicated social media team to amplify our presence on Facebook and Twitter. Over the course of the year we saw our Facebook page grow to over 1,200 “likes”,  and our Twitter following grew to over 2,200.

  • We used both social media platforms to disseminate information about our campaigns and events, and also worked in coalition with other groups to organize Twitter actions in support of various campaigns.

Financial Report

In 2013, WESPAC Foundation continued to act as our fiscal sponsor.

2013 REVENUE

Total 2013 revenue: $12,340

2013 EXPENDITURES

  • Web site hosting, design, and maintenance: $3,800
  • Demonstrations: $310
  • Special events: $593
  • Meetings and conferences: $453
  • Advertising: $500
  • Organizational dues: $103
  • We Divest campaign: $200
  • Educational materials and projects: $932
  • Administrative fees: $907

Total 2013 expenditures: $7,798