Citizens' Accord Forum

The Citizens’ Accord Forum (CAF) works to strengthen social cohesion in Israeli society. Our goal is to build a shared society in a sustainable democracy where all citizens have equal opportunities and are invested in strengthening civil society. The Citizens Accord Forum (CAF) was established in 2001 by former government minister Rabbi Michael Melchior. CAF’s mission is to build a shared society in a sustainable democracy in Israel; one in which all citizens have the chance to participate in public discourse in order to bring about social change for the benefit of their own groups and for society as a whole. In Israel today many rifts exist between different sectors of society with different and sometimes competing agendas. These rifts are a barrier towards building a shared society in which citizens representing all parts of society take part in civic engagement together. In addition some groups are marginalized and have less opportunity than others to take part in the public debate and to have their voices heard. One of CAF's strengths lies in its ability to work with the core members of marginalized communities generally excluded from the mainstream discourse on social issues, such as ultra-Orthodox Jews, the Arab and the Ethiopian populations. We work to develop these communities’ capacities to address common civic issues and take part in the public discourse. Our partnership with leading academic institutions in Israel and abroad enhances our ability to combine theory with practice.