03/09/2024
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists
U.S. Affiliate of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists
AAJLJ Statement on International Women’s Day 2024
It is International Women's Day. In a normal year, this important commemoration focuses on such pressing legal issues facing women and girls throughout the world as reproductive choice, domestic abuse, child marriage, sexual violence, female ge***al mutilation. They all remain top of mind, as they should. We always applaud progress and encourage leaders to remedy the gaps.
This year, however, we are compelled to demand that International Women's Day focus as well on the sexual violence and ge***al mutilation committed against Israeli women, even as too many purported women's advocates and "allies" have failed these women miserably.
We continue to believe all women, but even more so, we believe our Jewish sisters and Israeli women.
We mourn those who lost their dignity, their right to bodily safety, to Hamas terrorists and their supporters, and who continue to live, fearful and traumatized, while those who claim to "believe all women" violate them over and over again through their own moral failings. We mourn the undoing of years of what so many women saw as progress from the . Instead, Israeli women and their Jewish sisters are left with: .
We are outraged that the UN report on women took 5 months to be released. We are outraged at the deafening silence of purported women's advocates.
We demand that Hamas release the hostages safe and sound. We demand, and will continue to demand, apologies to the female Israeli victims of October 7th, who were disbelieved and treated as if "they had it coming."
This International Women's Day, we demand that the international community right its wrongs against Israeli women.
Robert Garson Richard Foltin
President Executive Director
Rhonda Lees Alyssa Grzesh
Regional Vice President, DC Director of Programming
March 8, 2024
