After weeks of debate, world social workers group won’t expel Israeli union

JTA — An international federation of social workers has voted not to expel the Israeli Union of Social Workers following weeks of debate and opposition from Jewish groups over their potential ban.

“After careful deliberation, IFSW members voted against this motion,” the National Association of Social Workers, the US affiliate of the International Federation of Social Workers, said in a statement.

The vote to suspend or expel the Israeli union on Wednesday would have required 75% of the union’s 67 voting member nations to vote for the measures. Out of 50 member unions that voted on Wednesday, 16 were in favor and 34 against expelling the Israeli union, while 27 voted in favor and 23 voted against suspending it.

The vote stemmed from a complaint issued by the Irish, Spanish and Greek affiliates of the federation, who accused the Israeli union of failing to seek an exemption from mandatory military service for its members.

The chair of the Israel Union of Social Workers, Inbal Hermoni, welcomed the outcome of the vote in a statement shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“We succeeded in conveying that the Israel Union of Social Workers is committed to peace and dialogue as a means of resolution, and that it reflects the political complexity and polarization of Israeli society in which it operates,” said Hermoni. “We welcome the confidence placed in us to continue being part of the global social work community, and we hope for a just peace for all residents of the region.”

Wednesday’s decision marked the end of weeks of internal debate within the federation, during which the proposed expulsion drew mounting scrutiny from the Israeli union and Jewish groups who warned that the measure would single out Israeli and Jewish professionals for discriminatory treatment.

On Tuesday, 12 prominent Jewish organizations, including Hadassah, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federations of North America sent a letter to the American and Canadian members of the international federation calling on them to voice their opposition.

“Hadassah is alarmed by this blatantly antisemitic maneuver to isolate and exclude Jewish and Israeli professionals solely based on their ethnic and religious identity,” said Carol Ann Schwartz, the national president of Hadassah, in a statement.

“We call on the National Association of Social Workers and the Canadian Association of Social Workers to reject this outrageous and grossly discriminatory proposal,” she said.

The same day, the US-based National Association of Social Workers voiced its opposition to the vote for the first time, calling on the other voting members to “uphold the profession’s core values of unity, dialogue, and compassion.”

The motion to expel the Israeli union “directly contradicts IFSW’s mission of promoting international cooperation, unity, and constructive engagement,” wrote the American union in a statement.

“Rather than fostering hope and harmony, expulsion would sow division and disharmony, eroding the trust and solidarity that are essential to our global community,” it said.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, which also signed onto Tuesday’s letter, hailed the vote Wednesday as a “victory for inclusion over discrimination.”

“While it is disappointing that the IFSW even considered such exclusionary motions, we are hopeful that this closes the door on any effort to isolate Israeli social workers initiated by international bodies that should be supporting and lifting them up,” said Guila Franklin Siegel, the chief operating officer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, in a statement.