The Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) () is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

human rights organization operating in Israel. JIJ advocates human rights and civil justice, advocates in the Courts of Israel, the Israeli Knesset, international governments, academia and mainstream media forums in Israel and across the globe. The institute assists weakened populations, such as Holocaust survivors, women, men and children that are trapped in the sex industry, IDF soldiers with no homes or families, and religious and ethnic minority groups. The Institute was founded in 2004 and since then has handled over 1000 cases dealing with religious freedom in Israel.

Areas of operation

Human rights advocacy

JIJ ha
Special Consultative Status at the United Nations ECOSOC
which provides the organization with the opportunity to be heard by a global audience and directly contribute to international humanitarian law. Members of the institute have lobbied before the European Parliament, the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the parliaments of Finland,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and France, petitioning them to reconsider what was perceived by JIJ members as irresponsible policies of funding the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,

. Furthermore, JIJ conducted research and interviews and drafted in-depth reports on human rights abuses committed by the

and Hamas. The findings were submitted to several leading international bodies as well as different universities around the world, among which are Oxford, MIT, Toronto University, University of California Berkeley,

Helsinki University The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public university, public Research university, research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turk ...

, Uppsala University and many others.

Assisting weakened populations

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice provides assistance to IDF lone soldiers. Lone soldiers are young men and women who have no family support or a place to return to over weekends; most of these soldiers stay in "soldier homes" provided by the IDF. JIJ provides weekly

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

meals, holiday celebrations, additional humanitarian assistance as well as leisure activities. JIJ secured a positive decision at the Knesset to significantly improve the living conditions of Lone Soldiers in Israel. JIJ offers humanitarian as well as legal assistance to Holocaust survivors, individuals of Ethiopian descent, and other populations in need.

Combatting prostitution and human trafficking

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice is promoting an anti-prostitution bill based on the

Nordic Model The Nordic model comprises the economic and social policies as well as typical cultural practices common to the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). This includes a comprehensive welfare state and multi-level coll ...

in Israel. This will criminalize the clients of the sex industry and stop the abuse of the people trapped in

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

. JIJ is part of the "Coalition for Combating Prostitution and Human Trafficking" and has an ongoing presence in the Knesset Subcommittee for combating

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

and prostitution. JIJ conducts extensive online campaigns to change Israeli ideas on issues regarding human dignity and prostitution, as well as working in partnerships with schools. In August 2016, JIJ was a main partner in arranging a memorial protest rally in Tel-Aviv, which called for the implementation of the Nordic Model and for the criminalization of prostitution in Israel. The rally took place in front of a strip club in the city.

Ethnic and religious equality

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice has handled over 1000 legal cases to date and has won 24 petitions before the Israeli Supreme Court, handling issues of family reunification, citizenship and more. In 2012 the Jerusalem Institute of Justice petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice to overturn Amendment 17, a law passed in 2010 granting synagogues a 100% exemption on municipal property taxes on the grounds that the exclusive application of the amendment to synagogues was undemocratic. Due to JIJ's petition, on August 2, 2012, the Knesset officially extended Amendment 17 to include all houses of worship and religious studies.

Internship and research

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice has an active internship program with on average 40 interns a year. The interns come to Israel from different parts of the world, and engage in the institute's activity in different areas, from social media management, legal and political research to monitoring hostile activities online as well as offline.

References

{{reflist Human rights organizations based in Israel Jewish organizations based in Israel Legal organizations based in Israel Law firms established in 2004 Anti-discrimination law in Israel