"A real threat": high-tech executives are fueling the protest against the reform of the judicial system Israel today

"Fighting against the enhancement clause", "Fighting against discrimination against LGBTQ and Arab women", "Fighting against the cancellation of probable cause", "Fighting against the appointment of judges and ombudsmen by politicians" - these are the slogans that appear on an advertisement that has been distributed since yesterday ( Third) most senior officials in the Israeli high-tech world, including prominent CEOs of startups and venture capital fund investors.

The protestors announce their participation in the demonstration that will be held this coming Saturday night against the reform of the justice system, and conversations with its organizers indicate that they also intend to launch an awareness campaign within the high-tech companies, as well as in front of the decision-making ranks.

The high-tech letter

Demonstration in Bhima Square against the reform of the judicial system // Credit: standing together

In the high-tech letter published in December, high-tech executives demanded that Netanyahu maintain the status quo in Israeli society and stop the ever-increasing snowball that, according to them, could damage the Israeli economy and drive away investors from Europe and the United States.

The officials justified their appeal to the Prime Minister by saying that "undermining the status of the court, as well as undermining the rights of minorities, will pose a real existential threat to the magnificent high-tech industry that has been built in Israel with great effort over the past three decades."

Now, the protesting seniors are gearing up, and intend to actively join the protest and organize a series of protest and advocacy actions.

According to one of the media consultants who are pulling the strings of the organization - the previous one and the current one - high-tech workers, CEOs of high-tech companies and startups, as well as people from venture capital funds, are expected to come to the demonstration that will be held tonight.

In a position paper of the protestors under the title "High-tech raises the dawn flag: there will be no dictatorship here" it is written, among other things, that the high-tech industry owes its prosperity to "foreign capital entering Israel that believes in Israeli talent."

Foreign capital which they say "finances 80% of the local high-tech industry".

The protestors warn in the position document that "now, Israel may turn from a progressive liberal state into a 'democracy on paper'".

Micah Kaufman breaks silence (on Facebook)

In addition to physically joining the protest, protestors also plan activities within the companies themselves.

Among those activities, an "informative activity within the companies for employees regarding the meaning of the legal coup, which will be delivered by lawyers and lecturers from the universities" is planned.

Besides the activity within the companies, the protestors also intend to go outside with lobbying measures "to policy makers to explain the damage that may be caused by the measures planned by the government".

According to the organizers, these days they are also raising money to finance the fight.

The high-tech protest poster,

In the list of the factors leading the protest, one can find a long and distinguished list of senior officials in the Israeli startup scene and venture capital funds, who may be less known to the general public, but are considered among the most senior active in the startup scene and venture capital funds.

Among the more familiar names are CEOs of two famous Israeli companies traded on Wall Street - Shai Winninger CEO of the online insurance company "Lemonide" and Micha Koffman CEO of "Fiber".

Publish a Facebook post

Kaufman emphasized in his words that he does not pretend to write on behalf of the entire high-tech industry, because it is not a publication "of a political nature", but "a demonstration that expresses the desire to preserve the values ​​of democracy and the rule of law".

Kaufman wrote about the demonstration that it "does not deal with a change of government, but is a call to the government and the elected Knesset to behave responsibly and not to destroy the delicate social-democratic fabric that has existed in Israel since its establishment under both right-wing and left-wing governments."

A demonstration against the legal reform in Tel Aviv, photo: Reuters

Kaufman is just one of the prominent names that take part in the organization, but next to him stands a long line of well-known and influential names in the startup and venture capital scene.

Among the CEOs we can also mention Shahar Chen from Aquant, Ofer Bengal Chairman of Radis, Roni Zahavi Founder of Hi Bob, Alon Verber CEO of Pixlot, Gal Shaul one of the founders of Maugori, Oz Alon CEO of Honeybook, Guy Havkin CEO For Lifebiotics, Gal Salomon is the founder of Clew Medical, Doron Tamir is the founder and CEO of Minst, Odi Pels is the founder of Friendly Robotics and Mein Cohen is the CEO of Hello Heart.

Among the venture capital investors are Adam Fischer from the Bessemer Fund, Michal Geva from the Triventures Fund, Erez Shahar and Sion Shamri Dahan from the Kumara Capital Fund, Rona Segev from the TLV Partners Fund, Yodafat Harel Bukharis from the Blumberg Capital Fund, former 8200 commander and venture capital investor Pinchas Bukharis, Entrepreneur Eil Veldman, former CEO of Mellanox, which was sold to the Shabim giant Nvidia, cyber entrepreneur Shlomo Kramer, investor and entrepreneur Dov Moran (considered the father of Disk On Key), investors Gigi Levy, Ziv Koop, Rafi Gedron, Anat Nishitz, Yuval Kaminka, founder of Simply, Ron Atzmon Authentics chairman and entrepreneur Orni Petrushka.

were we wrong

We will fix it!

If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us