The Social Guard

The Social Guard (Hebrew: המשמר החברתי, HaMishmar HaHevrati) was an Israeli non-profit association that emerged from the social protest movement in Israel in late summer 2011. It was founded as a volunteer initiative by author Lia Nirgad and her partner Dr. Daniel Dor, who called on Facebook for the creation of a civilian force to observe, monitor, and report on the proceedings of the Knesset (Israel's parliament). The organization's stated goals were to bring the public closer to the Knesset, to regularly report and follow what was happening in its committees, to strengthen the Knesset and its members against pressures from capital and political interests, and to remind elected representatives of their commitment to voters and the public's demand for social justice. After about half a year of volunteer activity, The Social Guard registered as an association (amuta) with volunteers serving as Knesset observers and a salaried mechanism. Its observers attended all committee discussions related to social justice and civil equality, watched, reported, and eventually began asking questions in committee. Their testimonies, including information on the Knesset's functioning, were published on the organization's website and Facebook pages and reached commercial media. This field activity also served as the basis for special projects such as the "Social Index," which ranked Knesset members and parties according to their votes on social and economic legislation. The Social Guard maintained a policy of full transparency regarding its financial expenditures; in 2013 its budget stood at 535,000 shekels. The organization had no offices but had nine members on its board of directors and three members on its audit committee. Starting in 2019, the organization's activity was greatly reduced due to frequent election campaigns and the Knesset's dysfunction, and later the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented access to the Knesset. In July 2025, the association was voluntarily dissolved and deleted. The Social Guard was a civil-society organization rather than a commercial brand, but it operated as a registered non-profit entity with a public-facing name and website. Its legacy lies in its pioneering role in parliamentary monitoring and social accountability in Israel.

The Social Guard (Hebrew: המשמר החברתי) was an Israeli association that arose during the social protest movement in Israel in late summer 2011. The intention was to realize the social insights of the protest, which advocated civil activism and taking personal responsibility for one's fate. The organization's initial goals, according to its statements, were to bring the public closer to the Knesset and to regularly report and monitor what was happening in its committees, out of a desire to strengthen the Knesset and its members against pressures from capital and political pressures, and to remind elected representatives of their commitment to voters and the public's demand for social justice. Initially, The Social Guard was a group of volunteer social activists who first met following a call by author Lia Nirgad and her partner Dr. Daniel Dor on Facebook to establish a civilian force that would observe, monitor, and report to the public from within Knesset deliberations. After about half a year of volunteer activity, The Social Guard registered as an association, in which volunteers (Knesset observers) operate, and it has a salaried mechanism. The Guard's observers attend all discussions held in Knesset committees related to social justice and civil equality, watch, report, and after gaining experience also begin to ask questions in committee. The observers' testimonies, including information on the Knesset's functioning, are published on the organization's website and Facebook pages, and even reach commercial media. This field activity also served as a basis for special projects of The Social Guard, such as the "Social Index," which ranked Knesset members and parties according to votes on social and economic laws. The Social Guard maintained a policy of full transparency regarding its financial expenditures; in 2013 the budget stood at 535,000 shekels. The organization had no offices but had 9 members who were board members and three members on the audit committee. Starting in 2019, the organization's activity was greatly reduced, due to frequent election campaigns and the Knesset's dysfunction, and later the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the possibility of reaching the Knesset. In July 2025, the association was voluntarily dissolved and deleted.

• Founded as a volunteer initiative during the 2011 Israeli social protests.

• Registered as an association (amuta) after about half a year of volunteer activity.

• Budget stood at 535,000 shekels.

• Activity greatly reduced due to frequent elections and Knesset dysfunction, later COVID-19.

• Association voluntarily dissolved and deleted.

Civil-society watchdog promoting social justice and parliamentary transparency.

1. 1המשמר החברתי - ויקיפדיהhe.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Social Guard - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3דף הבית - המשמר | מגזין ישראליhamishmar.org.il