On December 4, 2024, National Council of Jewish Women had the distinct honor to help organize a special session at the United Nations — hosted by Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN — to shed light on the gravity of the rape and brutal sexual assault inflicted upon Israeli women by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The event, titled “Hear Our Voices,” featured a keynote address from LeanIn.org founder Sheryl Sandberg, a video message from Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and remarks from Sheila Katz, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, activist Mandana Dayani, and Former Miss Universe Linor Abargil — as well as other women’s rights and human rights experts.
More than 700 people filled the room to bear witness to the horrors from that day and to be a voice for those who were silenced. They listened to testimony from Israeli first responder teams who shared firsthand accounts of the atrocities they encountered on October 7, clearly indicating that rape was used as a tool of war by Hamas in Israel.
A short recap video is available below and you can access the full recording of the event here.Please note, these videos — the full event in particular — are hard to watch due to the details of the brutality perpetrated on Israeli women and girls.
On May 9, 2023, NCJW Palm Beach hosted
Hate in the Sunshine StateWhy Here, Why Now?
The discussion and PowerPoint was led by Lonny Wilk, Deputy Regional
Director for ADL in Florida