About us
Social magic (NGO) is a social voluntary movement, acting towards social justice by forming Assistance Communities for Transformation (ACT – In Hebrew, the acronym means Magic). The association, established during the social demonstrations of the summer of 2011, gives professional multi-faceted aid-services to citizens who find it hard to cope with the harsh socio-economic reality in Israel. The association helps both individuals and families out of the cycle of poverty and out of the accompanying hardships. By establishing change-facilitating social-aid communities, we get such citizens in contact with volunteers, ‘companions', who provide personal aid, and with professionals - economists, legal aids, social workers, and counselors, that form a wide ranging professional network of support.
Our vision
We are a social activist movement that harnesses the power of Assistance Communities for Transformation to establish the social and financial strength of citizens, and to build solidarity among the citizens throughout the state of Israel.
We are inspired by great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, and the non-violent popular movements they led.
Our dream is to bring about social healing, to help create bridges between people and social sectors in the country, and to work towards the establishment of a cohesive and healthy society.
As of today, tens of thousands of citizens in Israel face devastating economic, legal, employment, bureaucratic, and mental hardships. We refuse to remain indifferent, and refuse to leave people who are down on their luck alone to their own destiny.
Our story
On July 14, 2012, during a demonstration that marked one year since the breakout of the biggest wave of social protest in Israeli history, the late Moshe Silman self-immolated. This act of suicide was a tragic expression for the loss of hope and desperation of a man who had been unable to find his way out of deep and prolonged economic straits. Silman immolated himself publicly, but he coped with his hardships privately.
Two days later, a group of people who experienced similar hardships threatened to self-immolate. At that stage, it became clear that Simlan’s tragedy was not a mere personal tragedy, but is representative of a deep and wide-ranging social problem. Hundreds of thousands of citizens were facing severe economic, legal, employment-related, bureaucratic, as well as mental, hardships.