Minister criticized for accepting invite to event by left-wing fund

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked came under criticism on Thursday by politicians on the Right for agreeing to attend a Rosh Hashanah event sponsored by Yedid, a nonprofit group that has the stated goal of bringing about social and economic justice in Israel through community work and empowerment projects, which receives money from the left-wing New Israel Fund.

Shaked has taken a firm line against the NIF in the past, publicly criticizing its activity, avoiding events it hosts, and authoring legislation that would curtail its scope of action.

The invitation to the event, which Yedid is sponsoring along with the Israel Bar Association, noted that all the proceeds will be donated to the New Israel Fund. The NIF website states that it donated a total of $41,000 to Yedid in 2016.

In February 2015, Shaked and Education Minister Naftali Bennett canceled their plans to attend the Israel Democracy Conference initiated by the Haaretz newspaper because it was being underwritten by the New Israel Fund.

The tension increased after Shaked proposed a controversial bill that would, among other things, increase oversight of the sources of funding that the New Israel Fund receives. In response, the heads of the NIF called Shaked the "minister of hatred" and claimed that "Shaked does not hesitate to use her power to eliminate democracy in Israel."

The justice minister's office issued a statement Thursday that said that "the minister is happy to hear that the NIF funds, which are often funneled in from nonprofit groups that attack IDF soldiers and the State of Israel and slander them in the world, are sometimes given to organizations such as Yedid."