In the United States, approximately one in five women will be raped in her lifetime, and in Israel, one in three women will be sexually assaulted. Even more shocking, in America, one in five girls and one in seven boys will be victims of child sexual abuse before they reach the age of 18.As the largest women's and largest Jewish membership organization in America, Hadassah understands how important the issues of rape and sexual violence are to us. Hadassah has a proven track record of influencing how the Jewish and general communities view issues of violence against women. By addressing these issues, women can create new coalitions in their communities, and revisit those they've already established.
Hadassah's goals regarding the subjects of rape and sexual violence are:
To educate our members about rape and sexual violence as a gender-based hate crime in the United States, Israel and around the world;
To increase awareness of these issues through educational programs, and to strengthen those initiatives by joining in local alliances and community
coalitions;
To advocate – through our National American Affairs/Domestic Policy andour Israel, Zionist and International Affairs Departments – for passage of
legislation to designate rape and sexual violence as hate crimes, and to
ratify international treaties against all forms of discrimination against
women;
To encourage local rabbis and community leaders to address the issue of rape through Jewish sources and to provide a Jewish perspective on this
universal issue; and
To encourage discussion of this difficult issue between parents and children, and to provide a Jewish context in which young women can build
their self-esteem and self-image.
For a free copy of the "Rape as a Hate Crime in War and Peace" program, please contact our National Order Department at (800) 880-9455 and ask for Program #R959b.
