Stav Shaffir
Stav Shaffir
Stav Shaffir May 17, 1985 is a journalist and a social activist. Shaffir was also a member of the small group of founders, organizers and unofficial leaders of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests, and would eventually rise to become spokesperson of the movement.
Stav Shaffir סתיו שפיר | |
|---|---|
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| Born | May 17, 1985 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Alma mater | City University of London Tel Aviv University |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Leading member of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests |
| Military career | |
| Service | Bamahane, Israeli Defence Force |
| Years of service | 2004 - 2006 |
Early Life and Family
Shaffir was born in Netanya, Israel. Shaffir's mother is a teacher by profession and her father an accountant. Today they run an accounting firm together in Israel. At the age of 11, Shaffir and her family moved to a small town called Pardesia in the Sharon area. After finishing high school, Shaffir postponed her military service for one year in order to work with underprivileged children in the city of Tveria, as part of a volunteer group associated with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
Military Service
Upon being drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces, Shaffir was accepted as a cadet in the Israeli Air Force and was enlisted into the flight academy. Five months into the flight training course Shaffir was transferred to a new position as a military journalist in the IDF magazine, Bamahane. As a military journalist, Shaffir covered IDF activity including the Israel's unilateral disengagement plan and the 2006 Lebanon war.
Higher Education, Journalism and Extra-Curricular Activities
Upon being released from the army, Shaffir was accepted into the Olive Tree Scholarship Program[1] by the City University of London where she completed a B.A in sociology and journalism. During her studies in London, Shaffir worked as an intern in the British Parliament within a special program that enabled students to work with parliament members on a variety of social projects. Furthermore, Shaffir took part in the European Union Investigative Journalism contest and was awarded first place for her piece covering Iraqi refugees in England. In 2009 Shaffir returned to Israel and enrolled in the Rimon School of music. During that time, Shaffir continued to volunteer in a number of educational programs and began an M.A in the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas in Tel Aviv University. In the past seven years Shaffir has worked as journalist in many different publications, including the authoring of a travel section in National Geographic, a real estate section in the Ha'ir weekly newspaper, and a series of articles for Mako magazine. Shaffir’s latest position was as an editor for the Yedioth Ahronoth[2] internet site Xnet, for which she published the first article to appear in the Israeli media concerning the 2011 Israeli social justice protests.
The 2011 Israeli Social Justice Protests
Background
The 2011 Israeli social justice protests (Hebrew: מחאת צדק חברתי), which are also referred to by various other names in the media, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Israel beginning in July 2011 involving hundreds of thousands of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds opposing the continuing rise in the cost of living (particularly housing) and the deterioration of public services such as health and education. A common rallying cry at the demonstrations was the chant; "The people demand social justice!". As the protests expanded during August 2011, the demonstrations began to also focus on other related issues relating to the social order and power structure in Israel. The housing protests which sparked the first demonstrations began as a result of a Facebook protest group that initially led hundreds of people to establish tents in the Rothschild Boulevard in the center of Tel Aviv, an act which soon gained momentum, media attention and began a public discourse in Israel regarding the high cost of housing and living expenses. Soon afterwards, the protests spread to many other major cities in Israel as thousands of Israeli protesters began establishing tents in the middle of central streets in major cities as a means of protest. As part of the protests, several mass demonstrations have been held across the country, in which hundreds of thousands of people have participated. A major focus of the protests have been what organizers have termed social justice. Part of the movement is about changing the social order, and the economic system. Calls to topple the government were made by some parts of the protests.[1] Criticism of the protests includes accusations of a political agenda rather than a social one with revelations of funding from specific left-wing individuals and organizations like S. Daniel Abraham and the New Israel Fund.[2] Maariv journalist Kalman Libeskind claimed that the spontaneous protests had actually been three months in the planning by Stan Greenberg and orchestrated by left-wing organizations and The National Left.[3] Criticism within the protests accused the 'protest leaders' of not publicizing specific goals, the lack of visibility of their goals, and the damaging impact of media focus being on a few activists.[4]
Amongst the most prominent activists in the protests are Daphne Leef,[64] Stav Shaffir,[10] Yigal Rambam,[65] Jonathan Levy,[66] Orly Weisselberg, Roee Neuman, Jonathan Miller,[67] Regev Kontas,[68] Adam Dovz'insky,[69] Baroch Oren[70] and Boaz Gaon.[71] Actively contributing and supporting the protests were newspaper columnists Roy Arad and Shlomo Kraus.
Involvement
Shaffir was a member of the small group of the founders, organizers and unofficial leaders[2][3] [4] [5] [6][7] of the The 2011 Israeli social justice protests along with [[Daphni Leef], Itzik Shmuli and others. Shaffir would eventually rise to become spokesperson of the movement.
Shaffir received initial public recognition during the first days of the movement as a result of her clash with Knesset member Miri Regev on the television show Erev Hadash (video in Hebrew). In the months to come, Shaffir would help organize the founding of over 120 tent camps all over Israel, lead large demonstrations including the ‘March of the Million’, and work with members of the Knesset in demanding social justice. Beyond the many articles Shaffir has published in the Israeli media concerning the movement, she has also spoken to foreign media outlets [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] in order to better explain the ideas and driving forces behind the movement. Shaffir was also invited to the annual J-Street conference (2012) as a key speaker[17][18] along with Israeli writer Amos Oz.
External References
- Social justice rally, Tel Aviv, Israel העם החליט צדק חברתי (video in Hebrew)
References
- ^ "Olive Tree Scholarship Programme Alumni".
- ^ a b Pine, Dan (22.3.12). "Israeli protest leaders take new tack in fight for social change". JWeekly.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Seliger, Ralph. "Young Israeli protest leaders visit NYC". meretzusa.org. Retrieved 4.4.12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Chandler, Doug (3.4.12). "You Can Call Them 'Occupy Zionism'". The Jewish Week.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kampeas, Ron (3.27.12). "JTA: J Street and Israel are still arguing—but on friendlier terms". JTA.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Mozgovaya, Natasha (3.26.12). "Haaretz: Having 'real conversations about Israel' at J Street's conference". Haaretz.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Natasha, Mozgovaya (3.25.12). "Haaretz: J Street founder: Israel paying lip service to peace process". Haaretz.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Lior, Ilan (28.10.11). "Social protest leader tells Haaretz: Israelis won't accept the status quo". Haaretz.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Vick, Karl (28.10.11). "What Occupy Wall Street Can Learn from Occupy Tel Aviv Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097627,00.html#ixzz1u8MX3Erx". Time World.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|title= - ^ Donnison, Jon (4.9.11). "Israeli protest over living costs". BBC.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kershner, Isabel (31.8.11). "Activists Aim to Revitalize Israeli Protests". New York Times.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ News Desk (11.10.11). "Occupy Wall Street: Stalwarts of Arab Spring offer advice". Global Post.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Press, Eyal (25.10.11). "Rising Up in Israel". The New York Review of Books.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ von Mittelstaedt, Juliane (8.17.11). "Israel Protests Could Boost Peace Process". Spiegel Online.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "How Goodly Are Your Tents, O Tel Aviv? A Symposium".
- ^ Kleinberg Neimark, Marilyn. "What's Next for Israel's J14 Social Justice Movement?". WBAI 99.5 FM. Retrieved 4.1.12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Kampeas, Ron (27.3.12). "J Street and Israel are still arguing—but on friendlier terms". JTA.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ C. Cohen, Zach. "College Students Flood J Street Conference [J Street 2012]". New Voices. Retrieved 24.3.12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
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