Trigger Warning: This post discusses multiple forms of trauma including graphic descriptions of sexual trauma, physical trauma, emotional trauma. If activated, TILA recommends incorporating healing practices such as moving, walking, running, pushing against a wall, connecting with people who are supportive and empathetic, and taking a break at any time.
It is Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2024. Amit Soussana has become the first Israeli woman to speak publicly about enduring sexual assault and other forms of violence during her 55 days in captivity following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. Kingsley, P., & Bergman, R. (2024, March 26). Israeli Hostage Says She Was Sexually Assaulted and Tortured in Gaza. The New York Times. Believe All Women.
Last month I, the only representative from USC, and 30 faculty from Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth and activists from Italy, met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the First Lady Michal Herzog. The First Lady spoke about the silence of international organizations in regard to Hamas’s weaponization of sexual violence. I too have found myself asking where are all the intersectional feminists with whom I walked in solidarity for 20 years? I am activated daily knowing that these Israeli women, these sexual assault survivors like me, are not believed. The testimonies and images are beyond comprehension, and yet the survivors are not believed. Bearing witness to all the testimonies for 12 hours a day over 4 days will take years to completely understand. There is no research on how to best support this profound level of on-going sexual trauma and terror. Believe All Women.
The experience of gaslighting and the disbelief are painfully familiar. I have nightmares wondering how Naama Levy, Noa Argamani, Romi Gonen, Arbel Yehud, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Doron Steinbrecher, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, Shiri Bibas, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger and Emily Damar are surviving mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I see each of you in my waking hours and in my sleeping hours, and I hope you are alive. Believe All Women.
We walked the grounds of the Nova Music Festival in the Re’im Forest. The ghosts of the young people dancing, then running for their lives, were felt with each breath I struggled to take. The fear on Noa’s face while Hamas abducted her on the motorcycle and covered her head with a black scarf remains etched in my mind. Her boyfriend witnessed her being abducted while he was being held against his will. Noa’s mother has a brain tumor and does not have much time to live. Noa’s father is grieving his daughter’s captivity and his dying wife. It is too much to hold. The images of Naama Levy being dragged into a jeep at gunpoint, her hands bound, and a large bloodstain on the seat of her pants haunt me. As we walked the grounds, I said to the Israeli woman walking with me, I am certain it’s happening to men, too. She said, it’s too much to think about. We parted ways and each ventured into the forest alone. Believe All Women.
We visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza where in the early morning of October 7th, a Jewish holiday, about 70 Hamas terrorists traveled the short distance from the Gaza Strip and descended upon the Kibbutz, turning a peaceful, quiet community into one of death and terror. We walked through the home of Naor Hasidim, 23, and his longtime girlfriend Sivan Elkabets, 23; both were murdered in those early waking hours. I took photos of the hundreds of bullet holes on their refrigerator, couch, ceiling, doors, walls, washer and dryer. I took photos. Why? Perhaps so that people would believe what I witnessed? Why won’t people believe all women? Why do I need to take photos? Everything in their home remained the same from October 7th, except now it had the smell of death. I cannot stop thinking about this couple and what they endured. Why am I even writing this blog? I hope that all women will be believed. Believe All Women.
I continue to hold on to hope. The tapestry of trauma and resilience fill the streets. I walked by each person’s photo who was murdered, who are still being held hostage, and signs reading “Bring them Home.” My hope is that people can shift away from a binary perspective towards fostering the ability to embrace and navigate multiple truths simultaneously. We can grieve for Israelis and Gazans. Believe All Women.
For more information on trauma and healing please visit TILA’s resources on the website etc.