Jill Biden tours joint U.S.-NIF project

Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, toured and praised a New Israel Fund–backed program that the organization says could be endangered by a proposed Israeli law.

Biden, who accompanied her husband to Israel last week, toured Sidre, a Negev town, to examine the Bedouin Women’s Empowerment Project, which encourages independence for women through microenterprise. She visited a rug-making workplace there.

 “I am a working woman, too, and I know how important it is to be independent,” said Biden, a community college professor.

The project is funded by the New Israel Fund and the Middle East Partnership Institute of the U.S. State Department. A bill under consideration in the Knesset would attach reporting conditions to projects funded by foreign governments, conditions that NIF and other groups say are excessively onerous and would effectively kill such programs.

Behind the bill is criticism of groups — some also funded by NIF — that have reported on alleged Israeli human rights abuses.

NIF director Daniel Sokatch, who was formerly the CEO of the S.F.–based Jewish Community Federation, said, “It is this very funding that is potentially jeopardized by those who object to a robust and independent NGO sector. We especially appreciate Dr. Biden’s visit at a time when the values of these programs must be publicly demonstrated.” — jta