“The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women has come and gone this year in total and shameful silence from Italian and international feminist organizations regarding Jewish women still held captive by Hamas terrorists,” declared Susanna Sciaky, national president of the Jewish association Adei Wizo. In an open letter, Sciaky highlighted the plight of women who have been held hostage for over 400 days by Palestinian terrorists. “For the rest of the world, it is as if they no longer exist,” she lamented. This heavy silence compounds the lack of solidarity for the “women who were raped and killed in the attack on October 7.”
\nAt rallies advocating for women’s rights, Sciaky observed, “It is often preferred to wave flags of Middle Eastern organizations and states that have never shown the slightest concern for women’s emancipation. On the contrary, women in these countries suffer terribly.” She pointed to Iran and Afghanistan as examples of nations where totalitarian regimes systematically violate women\u2019s freedoms.
\n“Israel, like all democracies, is not and cannot be perfect country, as only autocratic regimes claim perfection,” Sciaky emphasized. “But, Israel could never have been born, grown, or survived without the essential contributions of women.” While significant progress has been made in advancing women’s rights in the Jewish state, “the road to equal opportunities is still long.”
\nShe also noted that “femicide is a scourge that knows no borders and must be eradicated by addressing the damage caused by patriarchal attitudes.” This is a struggle shared by the Jewish community worldwide, although it faces an additional daily challenge: “In the context of pervasive anti-Zionism, the voices of Jewish women are increasingly drowned out by hatred.”
\nDespite this hostility, Sciaky reaffirmed the commitment to honoring all victims of the October 7 attacks. “Today, our thoughts are with the women who remain missing from that day, torn away from their loved ones and held kept in darkness. We pray for their return.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"