ZAKA is a series of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel, each operating in a police district. These organizations are recognized by the Israeli government. The full name is "ZAKA – Identification, Extraction and Rescue – True Kindness". The two largest ZAKA factions are Zaka Tel Aviv and ZAKA Search and Rescue.
Linor Abargil is an Israeli lawyer, actress, model and beauty queen who won the Miss World 1998, shortly after being raped. Since then, she has become a global advocate in the fight against sexual violence. She was crowned by her predecessor Miss World 1997, Diana Hayden.
Israel Gay Youth (IGY) was founded in 2001 in Israel as a non-profit NGO, branching off from the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association.
A rape crisis centre, also known as a sexual assault crisis centre or sexual assault referral centre (SARC), is a specialised centre to support victims of rape or other sexual assault, both in the immediate aftermath of the assault and in the months and sometimes years following the attack. They are usually situated in a secure location and employ a multidisciplinary team of practitioners to provide medical, psychological, and practical support to the victim.
The Aguda - The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, known commonly as the Aguda, is an Israeli non-profit LGBT rights organization. Founded in 1975, the Aguda is based in Tel Aviv and focuses on volunteer-based initiatives and services for the LGBT community.
Yair Qedar is an Israeli documentary filmmaker, social activist and former journalist. In his project "the Hebrews", he had been Chronicling the lives of Jewish and Israeli figures of the modern Hebrew literary canon, Qedar's 19 feature length documentaries have all premiered at film festivals and have won the director over 20 prizes. Also, Qedar is a leading LGBTQ activist. He created several Queer films and the first Israeli LGBTQ newspaper.
Women in Israel comprise 50.26 percent of the state's population as of 2019. While Israel lacks an official constitution, the Israeli Declaration of Independence of 1948 states that “The State of Israel (…) will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.”
Chaim Eliezer Walder was an Israeli Haredi author of literature for children, adolescents, and adults. In 1993, he became an Israeli publishing sensation with his bestselling first book, Yeladim Mesaprim al Atzmam, which revolutionized literature for Haredi children by introducing young protagonists who speak openly about their problems and feelings, and opened the door for many more writers to produce original fiction for Haredi youth. Walder was a long-time columnist on social issues for the Hebrew daily Yated Ne'eman, an educational counselor, and manager of the Center for the Child and Family, operated by the Bnei Brak municipality.
Sarah Ben-David is an Israeli Professor of Criminology whose scientific and public activity focuses mainly on victimology and criminology and overlapping areas between these two fields. In recent years, Ben-David has worked to encourage research, awareness and therapy in the field of sexual harassment of men and women, and regarding awareness of the reciprocal nature of intimate partner violence and domestic violence.
SAWA is a Palestinian, non-profit civil society organization established in 1998 by a group of female volunteers active in women's issues.
May Golan is an Israeli politician. She was elected to the Knesset for Likud in the 2022 elections. She was formerly the CEO of the NGO Hebrew City, and also worked as a campaigner against illegal immigration.
Esther Eillam was a central figure in Israeli feminism from its inception. Eillam's activism and her writings on feminism and social justice have garnered her awards and recognition, including an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Carmen Elmakiyes Amos is a social and political activist, a medical clown, and a filmmaker. She is a founder of the "Not Nice" social movement, of the Tor Hazahav Mizrahi political movement. In April 2019, she ran in the national elections for the Knesset as a candidate for the Gesher party, led by Orly Levy-Abekasis.
Iris Stern Levi is an Israeli social activist focused on issues of women's and human rights. She is co-founder of the non-profit organizations Her Academy (2016) and Turning the Tables (2011), both of which work to provide vocational training for women who are survivors of prostitution and violence. Stern Levi is also on the board of Coalition of Women for Peace, co-director of the Testimony Tribunal of Women Victims of Sexual Assault, and was the volunteer coordinator for the Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center for 16 years. She is the recipient of the 2018 Sussman-Joint Award.
Deganit Berest is an Israeli painter and photographer.
Revital "Tally" Gotliv is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is currently a member of the Knesset for the Likud.
The thirty-seventh government of Israel is the current cabinet of Israel, formed on 29 December 2022 following the Knesset election on 1 November 2022. The coalition government consists of seven parties—Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit, Noam and National Unity—and is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who has taken office as the Prime Minister of Israel for the sixth time. The government is notable for its inclusion of far-right politicians.
The Shomrat gang rape was a series of sexual assaults which occurred in August 1988 at the kibbutz of Shomrat in Israel. The assaults were committed at various locations in and around the kibbutz and continued for a week. The victim was a 14-year-old girl from the kibbutz. The crime was committed by 11 rapists, including both teenage boys and adults, some of them members of Kibbutz Shomrat. The crime led to a change in Israeli law's treatment of rape, which now states that a man must seek and verify the express consent of a woman before having sexual contact with her and that if such permission is not given, it is rape.
Women in the Israel–Hamas war refers to the experience of Israeli and Palestinian women as victims of violence, combatants, leadership partners, and as participants in informational campaigns during the Israel–Hamas war. The conflict has been marked by violence towards women, including reports of rape and sexual violence by Hamas militants. Following the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, there were testimonies and videos indicating that Hamas employed methods of severe torture, including violence and sexual violence against Israeli women and children. Over 100 Israeli women were taken hostage and held in Gaza, leading to efforts by Israeli women and organizations to raise awareness and promote their release. The UN Secretary-General and UN Women condemned the gender-based violence against Israeli women during the attacks.
During 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel on Israeli towns, some Israeli women and girls were reportedly raped, assaulted and mutilated by Hamas militants. Hamas was accused of committing acts of gender-based violence, war crimes and crimes against humanity in keeping with the recognition of The International Criminal Court (ICC) that sexual violence is a war crime and a crime against humanity. Hamas has denied that its fighters committed rape and assault against women.
