Promoting Our Voices
KeepOlim stands up for ALL Olim, promotes their voices, and fights for them in the Knesset!
In July 2017, we successfully advocated for a change in law to enable all Olim to get their driver’s licenses converted to Israeli ones.
Because of our advocacy campaign, now an Oleh who has been driving for five years or more and has lived in Israel for less than three years may simply convert their driver’s license at the Driving License Bureau.
We Work On Many Different Projects
KeepOlim’s Advocacy Program is currently working on creating a framework for foreign professional degrees to be accepted in Israel. We also fight for Lone Soldiers and are part of the Bodedim Coalition, whose goal is to establish a new law that provides recently released Lone Soldiers with a basic “bill of rights”.
KeepOlim has a non-political Lobby “Shdula” that works across all party-lines in the Knesset to advocate for all Olim. Our mission is to make sure no Oleh falls through the cracks and that their voices are uplifted and heard by their lawmakers.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz’s special message to KeepOlim on announcing the change in the driver’s license conversion law
Tzvika Graiver, Co-Founder of Keep Olim, addressing the Knesset subcommittee on Olim Issues
Gallery
KeepOlim Meets With Aliyah & Integration Minister MK Pnina Tamano-Shata
At the Knesset
With MK Michael Oren
With MK Ksenia Svetlova
With former refusenik, former MK and Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky
KeepOlim’s Special Event At The Knesset
July 9, 2018
Testimonials about government advocacy
This is such a tremendous accomplishment….thank you for your unending energy and effort to work toward changing the status quo in Israel!”
Keren Ann Burgman
”Tzvika, Liami and whoever else was involved in this amazing challenge, you all rock. May all our lives be made just a little bit easier in whatever way possible. Making Aliyah is an achievement in itself and we just need a bit of encouragement in our day to day lives. Once again thank you so much and kol hakavod :-)”
Melanie Bersiks
“Liami and Tzvika: mazal tov and kudos on your good work.”
Hillel Kuttler
“About time Israeli lawmakers realize they need Olim to survive…”
Rika Sissi Greenberg
“Yishar koach to you guys! Thanks for fighting this battle for us”
Elisabet Meltvik
“Absolutely sterling work.Thanks for taking up the cudgel for all olim.”
Michele Rootenberg
“Thank you. You will have positively affected so many!! You are amazing! And so is the rest of the team!”
Nili B. Abrahams
“Mazal tov and big big THANK YOU!!! It is a step forward and hopefully the beginning of many more.”
Elisabeth Jaeckel
”As always amazing… you were born for this.. Just wonderful”
Joanna Brown
”Kol Hakavod to all that worked so hard for this!!! Thanks for making life for Olim here a little bit easier. BE PROUD OF YOURSELVES KEEPOLIM! ❤️”
Kylie Cohen
“Kol hakavod! Thank you for making the life of Olim easier. I know a few people that were trying to get their New York bus license transferred to Israel and had to go through the impossible to do it so they gave up and one moved back to America. Thank you Keep Olim for working on this!!”
Natacha Correa
“Even though I just took my test this morning after 2 years of issues and will find out later if I failed/passed. Still had issues with the tester and driving instructor’s making calls to stand up for me!!!! We’ll see! Thank you Liami Lawrence and Tzvika Graiver”
Jenilee Bader-Ben Shimon
“Thank you KOIM!!! This was a big stress for me so I’m sure it will make the lives of olim much smoother moving forward. Great work!”
Alex Feder
“Great job! Kol Hakavod upon all your efforts on behalf of olim!”
Chani Leifer Klein
“I thought getting my license was hell until I read some of the hellish stories on here.The more people show these bureaucrats that they are our public servants and are put in their places the more efficient this country becomes for all citizens. Well done KOIM.”
Victor Molinas-Booth
“Amazing guys! Too late for me but I am happy for all the future olim who are spared from this nightmare? Toda raba and Shabbat Shalom!!”
Samuel Funk
“I went to Kabbalat Shabbat on the port at Tel aviv. I prayed so hard for all of us tha HaShem will get this for us all after the hard work of these two guys!! Toda raba and Shabbat Shalom!!”
Bri’el Bar Avraham
“Thank you all for your hard work on this! It’s so important.”
Jessica Lang
“Amazing! Liami Lawrence and Tzvika Graiver you guys should be very proud of yourselves. All the best success stories are about turning a negative into a positive and you have certainly done that. The icing on the cake is you actually care about the individual, not just the movement. I shared your news about the driving license changes in some other groups where it will be of benefit and people came back to me asking, can you ask them to do something about x, y z …of course I told them to join the group and see what can be done. In some groups there was just apathy like they couldn’t care less as it didn’t come from their Olim organization of choice, or didn’t affect them personally. That’s what’s different about this group, even when sometimes negativity takes over and people argue, they actually care and want something to be done to improve things.” –Dana Waterman Mizrahi
Dana Waterman Mizrahi