Maccabi World Union’s (MWU) campaign to raise global Awareness of the sexual terrorism perpetrated on October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists at the Nova festival and in communities near the Gaza Strip, is registering impressive feedback that indicates a high level of involvement.
As of this week, the campaign has already attracted 11.9 Million exposures, with 11,700 clicks. The global campaign, launched under the leadership of 100 women, and Maccabi members in various Jewish communities around the world, continues to reach women and men all over the globe and recount the victims’ stories.
The campaign’s global female leadership gathered for the first time in early February to officially announce the launch and equip the women with access to information, documentation, and evidence that would help them echo the terrible acts perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and then with the abductees – many of whom, 134, are still being held in Gaza.
The MWU women’s leadership in Israel initiated this global campaign as a response to the deafening silence of women’s organizations and international organizations affiliated with the United Nations, organizations such as CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) and UN WOMEN, bodies that have an important declarative role.
“These organizations have abandoned the women of Israel with double moral standards, thereby violating basic universal values,” said former MK and senior deputy chair of Maccabi World Union Orly Froman at the opening of the global meeting. “International denial of these crimes [exists] even though Hamas has documented these crimes and its mission to terrorize us for generations to come.”
“Despite all this documentation, we found ourselves after October 7 fighting a second battle – the battle for recognition and the dehumanization that we’ve experienced as Israeli women,” added Shirit Saks Haim, honorary secretary of MWU and chair of the education department for the 2025 Maccabiah.
“As women and leaders in Maccabi World Union, we see it as our duty to expedite the power and intensity of the movement around the world to echo this issue, so that it will not be removed from the agenda until there is a declared and unconditional global recognition of the sexual terrorism that occurred on October 7, 2023.”
MWU, as the world’s largest Jewish sports organization, which since its inception advocates the connection between body and soul, born out of the proactivity of a persecuted minority who recognized the power of action in the face of anti-Semitism – today we see a direct connection between the movement’s values and goals and the need to act on this issue while strengthening our centrality in Israel and the movement’s importance in strengthening Jewish communities worldwide.
Harnessing movement members around the world to take an active part in ensuring global recognition of sexual terrorism, its investigation, and unequivocal condemnation strengthens and gives meaning to our role and commitment as a large and powerful movement.