Faith and feminism

A leadership forum at the Christian-focused Magdala Center attempts to catalyze change and offer reconciliation for the thousands caught up in Israel’s sex industry.

By ARIEL COHEN
A leadership forum at the Christian-focused Magdala Center. (photo credit: Courtesy)
A leadership forum at the Christian-focused Magdala Center.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
 Hard fact: Over 15,000 women are drawn into prostitution every year in Israel. Since the industry has yet to be deemed illegal, the situation will not improve any time soon – unless someone makes a serious attempt to do so.
This pressing need is exactly what brought dozens of women to a leadership forum at the Magdala Center in the Galilee on March 6, two days before International Women’s Day.
Participants came from all walks of life, many representing different countries and perspectives.
But each woman had one thing in common: The ability to create change, and a passion for restoring women’s dignity.
At Magdala, the audience learned statistics about the prostitution industry – such as the fact that 90 percent of the women in the Israeli sex industry have suffered physical or sexual violence, with many coming from poor socioeconomic backgrounds.
Ten percent of all prostitutes in Israel are under the age of 18, meaning that over 1,500 minors are currently involved; the average age of entry to the sex worker cycle is 12. On the streets, NIS 50 to NIS 100 buys a customer 10 minutes of sexual services.
“To break this equation, it is not enough for law enforcement to fight pimps and traffickers. It’s important to take action against these human rights violations, which until now have not been not touched by the law,” Flavia Sevald, general manager of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ), told the crowd.
According to the JIJ, Israel is considered a destination for human trafficking; each year, thousands of men, women and minors are trafficked in illegally through Ben-Gurion Airport.
While prostitution is legal in the Jewish state, an estimated 80% of Israeli sex workers are victims of violent human trafficking. The average Israeli prostitute works between 14 and 18 hours per day, seven days a week, receiving 17 to 25 clients per day.
Recent governmental efforts to crack down on international human trafficking have led to a spike in internal human trafficking of both Israeli and Palestinian women, since foreign prostitutes are more difficult to come by; the fencing of the border with Egypt has also dramatically reduced the number of women being trafficked in for sex slavery.
Regardless, there are still one million annual instances of prostitution in Israel.
Moreover, most women involved in the industry experience rape, abuse or violence in some form.
For these reasons, the JIJ has been working on legislation to criminalize prostitution in Israel.
According to Sevald, client demand is the main issue driving the sex trafficking industry. In most countries in which prostitution is criminalized, such as the US, the prostitute is prosecuted – rather than the client.
“Is it even ethical to punish a woman who needs to sell herself because of factors involving abuse or organized crime?” Sevald wanted to know. “For pimping and trafficking of women, there are lots of regulations already in place. But the demand is high and as long as there is demand, there will be someone willing to fill it.”
Her organization plans to propose and promote its Customer Criminalization Law, to raise public awareness and change social norms that prostitution is a legitimate way to make a living. The JIJ has not been fully successful in gaining momentum for the bill due to the instability in the Knesset and constant change in the legislature; following the elections, the organization is hopeful the landscape will shift.
Noted Sevald: “Due to the constant government changes, we have only had partial success in promoting this bill; we hope that after the election, we will be able to get this legislation passed. This law prosecutes the client, but not the woman – who is often in the situation due to force, against her will.
“The bill proposes to completely ban the use of prostitution services in Israel.
It is an expression of the opinion that prostitution is essentially a negative phenomenon; it is a violation of women’s freedoms, right and stance in society. To combat prostitution and the trafficking of women, it is not enough for lawmakers to stand by silent.”
Others are also attempting to improve matters for female victims of sexual abuse; numerous NGOs and women’s advocates throughout Israel are making their mark and impacting lives for the better.
The Magdala Center lies at the crossroads of Jewish and Christian history; this provided historical inspiration for the day’s events, via the symposium titled “Reflections on Women’s Dignity.” As to the center’s namesake? New Testament figure Mary Magdalene is said to have grown up in the town of Magdala in the Galilee.
Each speaker related modern-day issues of feminism and women’s empowerment to the center’s roots, in accordance with the story of Mary – who as documented in the New Testament, overcame numerous struggles, including past work in the sex industry, to become a role model for Christian women.
“Through the transforming experience of love, Mary Magdalene’s dignity was affirmed and she becomes a leader among leaders, inspiring hope and reconciliation,” Jennifer Ristine, who holds an MA in theology, said, adding that Mary’s personal victories and reformation offered optimism and healing for victims of abuse.
“Do we have anything in common with this woman? When a woman is deeply convinced of the truth that she is unconditionally loved, she is set free to be what she is called to be for others. She becomes a catalyst for reconciliation.”
Magdala, comprising an archeological site and worship center, opened in 2005; this is the first symposium the center has held, but it most certainly won’t be the last. The center expects to soon open a guest house for pilgrims, and also plans to found a women’s institute during later phases of construction, offering opportunities for ministering, training, cultural interaction and service.
Plans for the women’s center are timely, as an estimated 4.5 million victims are now caught in the web of the global sex trade; the Israeli prostitution industry alone generates over $500 million a year in revenue, stated speaker Valerie Dilcher of the organization Exodus Cry.
Furthermore, Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel statistics show that one in every three Israeli women has been raped or sexually assaulted.
Orna Greenman, founder of Ot Oo- Mofet, a nonprofit aimed at helping women recover from sexual abuse, told her story of overcoming sexual trauma while standing on the Magdala grounds, in front of a first-century synagogue.
Greenman was first assaulted at the age of nine by a close family member.
From then on, she felt the pain of her abuse and found herself broken down emotionally. She described two unplanned pregnancies and numerous encounters in which she didn’t value her body. Then, at the age of 23, she found religion, yet she was hesitant to move forward due to her past traumas.
“Intimacy, even with God, was a struggle.
God only invites and suggests, he does not force – like my uncle did. So there were places in me I did not allow God to touch,” Greenman recounted. “The word ‘intimacy’ can sound like a positive word, but for victims of abuse it is not.”
The primary result of sexual abuse in women is a severe lack of confidence, both in their self-worth and abilities.
Greenman detailed the cycle of abuse, and how it can be passed down from mother to child. While the actual physical abuse may only last a minute, the repercussions may last a lifetime.
And what is Greenberg’s solution for overcoming this tremendous emotional trauma? Forgiveness of both oneself and one’s abuser.
“What hurts us and paralyzes us many years later is the lack of forgiveness, which allows the pain to do exactly what we didn’t want: for the pain to continue and live within us,” she maintained.
Many of the victims who come to her are afraid to forgive, because they believe it empowers their abuser; yet when one forgives, she can reclaim control of the situation and finally let go of her past.
Thanks to guidance from women’s centers and the influence of her newfound religion, Greenman was able to put the abuse behind her and move forward.
She now dedicates her life to helping others do the same at Ot OoMofet; in similarity to what Magdala hopes to one day do, her organization provides a safe haven for those overcoming abuse.
Through the power of God and forgiveness, Greenman affirmed that many women can turn their lives around. She called on the women in the audience to help others around them, and use their prominence to catalyze change.
“I know now that I did not go through all those years of hurt for no reason,” she declared. “God has restored my faith.”