Dear friends,

Today is my last day as Executive Director of HaMoked. With mixed feelings, I have decided this is the right time for new leadership for the organization, and for me to move on to new professional challenges.

Help Me Give a Parting Gift to HaMoked

HaMoked is a rare place. Every day we see the tangible impact of our work. Just this past month we obtained Jerusalem residency status for a stateless child; lifted a travel ban so a mother could take her infant son to Turkey for life-saving medical care; and forced the Ministry of Interior to process the request of six orphans in Gaza to reunite with their older sister in Israel.  

At the same time, the big picture has never looked so grim. These past two years we’ve witnessed severe setbacks to the cause of human rights, including on issues at the heart of HaMoked’s work. It is hard to find sources of hope for our future.

Perhaps the most hopeful thing I can say is that HaMoked is still here. In an intensely polarized climate, the team of Jewish and Palestinian staff show up every day, and work together with professionalism and sensitivity to alleviate suffering and ensure rights where we can, and to raise a principled voice that insists on universal respect for human rights.

It has been a real honor for me to head this organization over the past eight years, and I am glad to know that I leave HaMoked in capable hands. HaMoked’s Board of Directors has selected Tal Steiner to take over and lead our excellent team. Tal started her career as a lawyer at HaMoked and most recently served as the Executive Director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel.

I want to thank all of you, HaMoked’s partners, allies and friends, for your support to me and to HaMoked over these years. Those of you who have donated generously, who have partnered with us, who have helped amplify our message – we could not do this work without the support of the broader human rights community, in Israel, in Palestine and around the world.  

If you have valued the work I and HaMoked have done these past years, I’m asking you to show your appreciation and make a donation now to HaMoked. Let’s ensure that Tal has the necessary resources coming in to steer the organization to meet the challenges ahead.

Thank you and all the best,

Jessica Montell
Executive Director of HaMoked