February 23, 2006
Several years ago, a photograph on the front page of The New York Times made an enormous impression on me. The photograph was of a room somewhere in Israel that had a Hebrew sign on one wall declaring that “Smoking is Prohibited.” Pushed up against that same wall was a bed, on which a forlorn-looking woman was sitting. This woman was a victim of sex trafficking, a far worse infraction than smoking, and yet it was smoking that was forbidden.
In a 2001 report on global sex trafficking, the U.S. State Department ranked Israel among the worst countries worldwide (called Tier I). The good news is that because of the work of some effective organizations, Israel rose to Tier III by 2003. Tier III is defined as “does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”
Sex slavery in Israel? The country comprised of people who constantly remind ourselves that we were once slaves? Is this an aberration? Not at all.
In fact, during a recent talk at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, Swiss artist-activist Ursula Beiman reported that Tel Aviv was one of the stops on the world sex traffic circuit. A 2004 book by Victor Malarek, “The Natashas: Inside the Global Sex Trade,” explained that Israel became a convenient destination following the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 because of the ties between people in the former Soviet Union and Israel. A report to the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women showed that the large flow of olim into Israel sometimes provided a convenient cover for criminal traffickers.
It is ironic that most of the women trafficked into Israel are brought over the Egyptian border. In a bizarre reversal of the story of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, these women are sold into Israel – using the same techniques. ATZUM, an Israeli advocacy organization founded by Rabbi Levi Lauer, has reliable information on this problem. In partnership with the law firm of Kabiri-Nevo-Keidar, ATZUM established the Task Force on Human Trafficking (www.tfht.org). TFHT found that a network of Bedouins transport the terrorized sex slaves or “Natashas” across the Sinai and deliver them to purchasers. A 2005 report claims that between 3,000 and 5,000 women are smuggled into Israel annually. The average cost to the buyer is $8,000-$10,000 per woman. When the women are transported elsewhere, they are sold again. And again. The amount of money involved is enormous. You do the math.
TFHT found that the constant movement continues even within Israel. Sex slaves are sold and resold. The purchasers are Israeli pimps and brothel owners who beat, rape, threaten, and starve the women to keep them in check. As slaves, the women are debilitated by working conditions that include no days off and 18-hour days. One of the saddest of all the sad facts about this sordid phenomenon is that a 2003 survey showed that Israeli policemen were more often clients than protectors. This is not surprising when you consider how prevalent brothels are in Israel. According to a recent article in The Jerusalem Post, “Israeli men make an estimated 1 million visits monthly.” It is ironic that although prostitution is legal in Israel, trafficking remains a major business.
It should interest Advocate readers to know that Rachael Ellison, a young woman from Lexington, serves as the director of international projects for TFHT. From her office on Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem, she called recently to share some of TFHT’s successes. To raise the Israelis’ awareness about trafficking, TFHT created clever public service announcements drawn from a competition among design and communications students. It is effectively lobbying Knesset members to bring trafficking issues into key parliamentary committee sessions. TFHT argues that since the IDF has been largely successful in sealing Israel’s borders against terrorists, it can also seal the border against trafficking.
TFHT has an effective spokeswoman in Rachael. She’s one of those Jewish women who is pursuing justice and getting results. I would call her a “practical Zionist,” dedicating herself to improving life in Israel.
Shulamit Reinharz is the Jacob Potofsky Professor of Sociology at Brandeis University, where she founded the Women’s Studies Research Center and The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (hbi@brandeis.edu).