Last November, representatives of all the organizations receiving grants from the New Israel Fund gathered on a greenery-filled patio in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv. There were people working on refugee issues and the occupation, human rights and democracy, torture and religious coercion and unrecognized villages in the Negev. Above the lavish buffet tables, storm clouds began to gather. According to all forecasts, they were about to cut short a wonderful, summery late-autumn week. Guests arriving from the Negev and from Jerusalem reported that in their areas, the storm was already in full force.
