Teen Prostitution in Israel

Israel is a land of many contradictions. Donna Rosenthal in her book The Israelis discusses one aspect of this tiny nation, home of so many different religious faiths, that is truly surprising- the thriving sex trade that exists within its borders.  Rosenthal states that “an estimated 700 massage parlor/brothels operate in the country … [and that] according to police about twenty-five thousand paid sexual transactions take place daily” (383).  While prostitution itself is legal in Israel, there is a type that is not-and that is teen prostitution.

Solicitation via Internet

According to an article in the Jerusalem Post, of the estimated 10,000 prostitutes in Israel, more than 1,000 are minors. The article goes on to say that statistics released by the Prime Minister’s Office show that most sex workers begin their careers at the age of 13 or 14.  The non-profit Elem Youth in Distress organization is a child welfare agency aimed at rescuing kids from entering the sex trade. According to Dorit Friedman the project director for their Awake All Night project, “We’re constantly seeing ads seeking younger and younger children for underage sex”. Friedman says that it has become more difficult to reach out to kids that may be getting involved in the sex-trade because they are not out in the open, “today much of the activities have moved to the Internet and on-line chat rooms, making the already secretive industry harder to detect”. The Awake All Night project gives teens somewhere to turn where they will not be judged, and where they will hopefully seek intensive rehabilitation services to keep them out of prostitution. Despite the size of the problem of teen prostitution, project Awake All Night is the only program of its kind in Israel.  The Jerusalem Post article is factually reporting the grim statistics regarding teen prostitution in Israel; the elem website gives more information about the organization and is a site that accepts donations to help them with their work.

In another article from WeNews which also describes the work of Elem, even more disturbing statistics are given.  Correspondent Brenda Gazzar reports that in the city of Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, at least 350 teens ages 13 and 14 prostitute themselves at “extremely low prices”, according to a report made to the UN Commission on Human Rights. She has also looked at the causes behind teen prostitution in Israel and has found blame to fall on a variety of shortcomings in Israeli society including “a deteriorating economy, government cuts in social services for children and youth and the availability of pornographic materials that seem to legitimize sex with children”.  The focus of this article and the writer’s intent seems only to draw attention to the plight of kids in danger.  This danger is reflected in Rosenthal’s chapter when she quotes a sixteen-year old runaway from a drug rehabilitation center who says about unprotected sex with foreign workers “If they don’t want to wear condoms, I don’t care. They’re the ones who have to explain things to their wives”. Rosenthal goes on to report that the transmission rates for venereal disease and AIDS, which had been far lower than in Western Europe and the United States have skyrocketed (384).

Damaging

In 2011 Elem identified 620 kids some as young as 12 who had been involved in prostitution, compared with 126 kids in 2010, reports Dana Weiler-Polak in Haaretz. Law enforcement efforts to combat this activity have been lax. Only two cases were opened against customers of teen prostitutes in a ten year period and both cases were closed, one for lack of evidence and the other on the grounds that there was no public interest in prosecuting the case.

A blog entitled “the sisterhood-where Jewish women converse” has an entry from Allison Kaplan Sommer that points out the casual attitude that most Israelis have toward prostitution in their nation.  She says that “In a country with a long laundry list of worries and concerns, it seems like the most benign of practices, an inescapable fact of life”. She points out that the “hooker with the heart of gold has been a staple character of Israeli films” and that a recent Hebrew-language Honda commercial had a man picking up a prostitute forgetting that his wife and kids were in the back seat. The tagline was “You forget it’s a family car”.

Sommer states that there is a real effort currently in the Knesset to criminalize the purchase of sexual service, even though a similar effort failed two years ago. It is clear from her blog that Ms. Sommers is appalled by the attitude of many Israelis and her view is articulated by Rabbi Levi Lauer of non-profit organization Atzum which has a task force on Human Trafficking. Rabbi Lauer states that “there are too many important people who themselves solicit the services of trafficked women” and also that “there are too many people in important places with too many important friends [who] would get caught with their pants down”.

Godless in the Holy Land

The land of Israel sits at the crossroads of the world’s major religions with the city of Jerusalem itself considered a holy site for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Religion permeates the very air of this ancient land.  The violence that has rocked the area is based on conflicts that are, at their core, of a religious nature.

How then do citizens of Israel who profess no religious beliefs manage to live in a land where they are surrounded by religion at every turn? Where the very state they live in, though secular, is awash in religious symbols and imagery?

Donna Rosenthal, in her book The Israelis asserts that 80% of Israeli Jews are non-Orthodox. This is a huge majority that encompasses a broad variety of beliefs ranging from those that are “staunchly atheistic, agnostic, semi observant, Reform or Conservative” (232).   Rosenthal states that many of these Jews consider themselves to be very secular and not religious despite what label they give themselves. Though they may only go into a synagogue twice a year, or not at all, they still frequently take part in “religious” activities because they are so ingrained in Israeli life. “Wearing costumes on Purim, planting trees on Tu b’Shvat, partying around campfires on Lag b’Omer” are given as examples of this. Rosenthal seems to view this as perfectly acceptable and just another side of Israeli life, despite the huge contrast that exists between these types of people and those that are highly religious.

Symbol of Jewish Atheism

While many of the non-Orthodox are semi-observant (the equivalent of Christians who go to church only on Easter and Christmas in America), some who are classified as non-Orthodox have no religious faith at all. The experience of being Atheists, Agnostics, or vaguely “spiritual” in a country like Israel must be an unusual experience.

Rosenthal relates the experiences of Israelis who have been verbally harassed by Ultra-Orthodox Jews for their manner of dress, or for driving through Hasidim neighborhoods at the “wrong” times. Describing the division between the non-orthodox and the Ultra-Orthodox one Israeli in the book states “Sometimes it feels like it’s them and us… We hardly talk to each other. They despise our modern culture, they’re repulsed by us” (239).  Despite living in such a small area of land and being a single ethnicity surrounded by ‘enemies’, the huge gulf in religious beliefs seems to be driving a wedge within Israeli society and Rosenthal emphasizes this in her chapter.

A difficulty for non-religious Jews in Israel is that the government has given the authority over many key areas of daily life to the Orthodox Jewish establishment and its Rabbis. They have control basic elements of life that touch on the lives of every citizen regardless of belief- marriage, divorce and burial. ProfessorDan Mahler, chairman of the Israeli Association for the Prevention of Religious Coercion states that “while in any other developed country or society the discussion between atheism and the religion lies on the ideological plane, in Israel the STATE gives ultimate power to the orthodox establishment.  He states that this forces secular Jews to participate in religious rituals and ceremonies that they do not believe in.  It is Mahler’s viewpoint that this is an attempt to force Orthodoxy on all Jews living in Israel and an attempt by the Orthodox “delegitimize, defame and ban all other opposing Jewish trends, sects and individuals”.

What is an Atheist Jew? How can one be a Jew, which seems like a religious term and also be an Atheist?

A blogger who goes by the name Andyboy who claims to have been born in Britain, but who is now an Israeli by choice, answers this question and provides many statistics regarding religious beliefs in Israel and expressing his views as an Atheist Jew in Israel. He states that “Jewish Atheism is practiced by atheists who are ethnically, and to some extent culturally, Jewish. Because Jewishness encompasses ethnic as well as religious components, the term ‘Jewish Atheism’ does not necessarily imply any kind of contradiction”.  He also rightly states that by Orthodox Jewish law and its belief in matrilineal descent, a person who identifies themselves as Atheist who was born to a Jewish mother would be considered by Orthodox authorities as fully Jewish. In the blog it is pointed out that Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir were all Jews who were also Atheists, while I found much written about Herzl and Ben-Gurion and their Atheism, whether Meir was an Atheist is less clear. She is famously quoted as saying, when asked about her belief in God: “I believe in the Jewish people and the Jewish people believe in God.”  I don’t know if this can be called proof of Atheism however.

Theodor Herzl-Atheist

David Ben-Gurion  -Atheist

Golda Meir-Atheist?

For regular Jews living in Israel getting away from religion sometimes requires a court order and that can be difficult to get. Author Yoram Kaniuk recently received a court order from a judge in Tel Aviv allowing him to register his official religious status as “without religion”.

In granting the change, the Judge, Gideon Ginat, stated “Freedom from religion is a freedom derived from the right to human dignity, which is protected by the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom”. Kaniuk, for his part emotionally stated that he feels he can now live in Israel and be considered legally Jewish by nationality, yet follow his conscience to determine his own religious identity. This article originally appeared in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz which lends it credibility.

Jews in Israel who call themselves Atheists, Agnostic or something other than the mainstream Orthodox or Non-Orthodox categories may do so for a wide variety of reasons but they have a difficult path to follow. As Rabbi Azari says in Rosenthal’s book, “Israel is the only democracy in the Western World where Jews do not have freedom of religion, the only place where Jews deny religious freedom to Jews. What we are fighting for is the right for Israelis to have the freedom to choose how they want to be Jewish” (242).

Oy! Gay?

IDF Soldiers

            The Israeli Defense Force or IDF is known as one of the toughest and most admired armies to be found anywhere in the world. Unlike the volunteer army of the United States, military service in Israel is compulsory for all non-Arab citizens (with some religious exemptions). Also unlike the United States which has been grappling with its “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, Israel has had, since 1993 a far different policy. In Donna Rosenthal’s The Israelis, the author explains that “since the Israeli Supreme Court decriminalized sodomy in 1988, justices have approved some of the world’s most progressive gay rights legislation” (371).  Since 1993, it was decreed that all gay soldiers were to be treated equally and that no officer could ask a soldier about their sexual orientation. Rosenthal goes on to mention the fact that there are dozens of high-ranking gay officers in the IDF.

            While this sounds very progressive, one must wonder how the IDF and its leaders who are known for their formidability actually feel about it and what is the actual behavior towards gays.  A former female soldier is quoted as saying “If Israel is machismo, than the army is Machismo on steroids” (Rosenthal, 348).  Does the reality match the hype?  Is the IDF one big happy family?

Not exactly.

While discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal in Israel, according to an article in Haaretz, “More than 40 percent of gay and lesbian soldiers in the IDF were sexually harassed during their time in the military” the article goes on to say that of those surveyed 45% said that “homophobic remarks are very frequent …soldiers serving in combat units reported such remarks more frequently- 59%”. The report referenced in the article was a study done in 2011 by the Israel Gay Youth organization and it was based on a sampling of 364 gay and lesbian soldiers who were either currently serving in the IDF or who had been discharged within the year.  The study did go on to say , however, that the IDF had in recent years acted extensively to improve conditions for gay soldiers serving in the military  and to increase their commanders awareness of the conditions involved.

Many former soldiers have made their personal experiences known on various websites.  On the NewJersey Jewish News website, bureau Chief Debra Rubin quotes Avner Even-Zohar, a decorated former IDF captain who spoke about being openly gay in the Israeli military.  “Even-Zohar kept his own sexual orientation mostly to himself during his six-year stint in the IDF, which ended in 1993 just as the new rules took effect. Previously, officers were often demoted if their homosexual preferences became known.” Even-Zohar, who today chairs Turkish and Hebrew studies at the United States’ Department of Defense Language Institute, says that the Israeli military of today is much more accepting of gays.

            An example of this is the personal account of Tomar Azaria, who was a gay combat soldier. Reported in the Huffington Post, Azaria said that during his initial obligatory three years’ service there was “a homophobic atmosphere in his unit”. Now that he is a reserve soldier though, it is much easier because “his comrades accept and respect him”.

From the online version of Moment Magazine which bills itself as “Independent Journalism from a Jewish Perspective”, an Opinion piece from Yoav Sivan describing his experiences in the IDF comes across as fairly positive. Sivan gives background on how the Israeli military policy came about which mirrors what author Donna Rosenthal said in her book. He adds the interesting detail that while gays were allowed to serve beginning in 1983, they were required to undergo psychiatric evaluations and were denied security clearances. He also states that these rules were implemented in an arbitrary and inconsistent manner.

Sivan makes the excellent point that the speed with which the policy was changed in the Israeli military shows that the “constantly embattled Israelis feel as if they have bigger fish to fry then squabbling over gays in the military".  He also says that the speed of the change can also be linked to the make-up of the military. While service is compulsory, the Ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israelis are exempt from the draft, so “progressives may be over-represented”.Sivan goes on to say that he did not come “out” until his IDF service (between 1998 -2001). He said that once he became an officer in the navy headquarters his “peers, friends and even commanders helped me gradually step out of the closet”.

The 2002 film Yossi and Jagger which was a love story between two male soldiers helped the IDF’s reputation for diversity according to Sivan.

However, Sivan admits that Israel’s progress is not perfect. And this seems to be what becomes apparent when one searches the web for information regarding this topic. While great strides have been made, and the IDF is far ahead of the US military in its treatment of gays, he states that “homophobia and discrimination are still a challenge”.  The information presented in this post seems to come from reliable sources that are honestly describing personal experiences of individual soldiers. The accounts seem credible as most contain both positive and negative elements and seem to all point at a fairly similar experience. As time has gone by since the policy of the IDF was changed at the urging of Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin (Rosenthal, 371), conditions for gays in the military seem to be steadily improving.

As Israel seems to be under an almost constant state of threat, and since neighboring Arab nations still call for its destruction, it does indeed seem that the IDF has “bigger fish to fry” than worrying about gays serving in its ranks. While more work appears to be necessary, the IDF seems light years ahead of other military organizations in their treatment and integration of gays into the armed forces.

Misinformation or mistake?

Herb Keinon’s article in the Jerusalem Post, briefly describes the case of Khulood Badawi, an information and media coordinator for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, in a letter to Valerie Amos, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, has called for Badawi’s dismissal.  Badawi had posted a link to a picture purporting to show a dead Palestinian child killed by an IDF strike during a recent four-day flare up of hostilities between terrorists in Gaza and Israeli forces. Ms. Badawi had also tweeted of the picture: “Palestine is bleeding. Another child killed by #Israel…Another father carrying his child to a Grave in #Gaza.”

Part of graphic photo sent by Badawi        

The disturbing photo was later discovered to have been actually published in 2006 by Reuters, and the child’s death had been due to an accident and was completely unrelated to recent events. Prosor stated that not only was Badawi guilty of spreading misinformation, but that her actions “violated conduct expected of a UN official”. In addition that she had “actively engaged in the demonization of Israel, a member state of the United Nations”.

Khulood Badawi

The article went on to say that the Israeli Foreign ministry had had previous issues with the OCHA, which they felt was “badly one-sided”. There was no comment from OCHA except a spokeswoman’s statement that she was not authorized to comment on the situation, and that she was unaware of Prosor’s call for Badawi’s firing.

The author of this piece, Herb Keinon, is the diplomatic correspondent at the Jerusalem Post and has held that post for twelve years, while writing for the Jerusalem Post for twenty-seven years. While originally from Denver and a graduate of American Universities, Keinon has lived in Israel for the past thirty years and it is reasonable to assume that his writing would have a pro-Israeli outlook. The fact that the link to the photo and the tweet regarding it can easily be verified thorough other sources lends credibility to the article which mainly quotes known and verifiable sources and refrains from statements of opinion from its author.

While the picture and the tweet were sent from Badawi’s personal twitter account and a blog on her Facebook page , this fact is not addressed in the article. It is possible to misconstrue that Ms. Badawi sent the information out in some sort of official UN capacity, which was not the case.   In a later article from Arutz Sheva, it was reported that in a reply to Posor issued by Undersecretary Amos, she stated “It is regrettable that an OCHA staff member has posted information on her personal Twitter profile, which is both false and which reflects on issues that are related to her work.  The opinions expressed in her tweets in no way reflect the views of OCHA, nor has it been sanctioned by OCHA.”  As of that date, the article also stated that Badawi had “neither retracted nor apologized for her inaccurate tweet”.

Social Media Plays Pivotal Role

The original Jerusalem Post article, aside from publicizing an instance of “fauxtagraphy” and misinformation, also indirectly raises the question of the place of social media in today’s society and the political ramifications that can arise from the expression of one’s personal opinion.  While Ms. Badawi’s Tweet and blog are separate from her position at the UN, where she is to behave as an impartial representative, the real story may be is it really possible to separate the two parts of a person’s life?  In an Associated Press article regarding this story, it is stated that Badawi sent the photo to her 2,250 Twitter followers. It was then reposted 450 times. While it is known that Khulood Badawi is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, and it can be assumed that her Twitter followers are as well,  the fact that the photo was reposted 450 times giving a false image to events must be addressed.  As Prosor says in his letter such actions “contribute to incitement, conflict and, ultimately, violence.”  The fact that Badawi’s position at the UN is that of an information and media coordinator makes her use of a six year old photo in the completely wrong context even more troublesome and her motives questionable.

Khader Adan

            

Administrative detention is a procedure under which detainees are held without charge or trial for periods of up to six months, which can be renewed repeatedly. Under administrative detention, detainees' rights to a fair trial as guaranteed by Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) are consistently violated.

Khader Adan is a 33-year-old Palestinian baker who has been held by Israeli authorities since a raid on his home on December 17^th of last year due to his alleged affiliation with the Islamic Jihad movement.  Adan’s situation is of particular note because he has been on a hunger strike for more than 10 weeks which was begun to protest the treatment he had received at the hands of the ISA (Israel Security Agency), the conditions of his detention and on a larger scale Israel’s policy of administrative detention.

            According to an article attributed to Amnesty International on the Palestinian News Network, Adan has been scheduled for release on April 17^th.  However, due to
 the deteriorating condition of Adan’s health after his 66 days of deprivation, Amnesty International is calling for his immediate release so that the man can receive urgently needed medical treatment that they claim is needed to save his life. Shackled to his bed at Ziv Hospital in northern Israel under armed guard, it is said by Israeli authorities that Adan constitutes a security threat.

            It has been reported that Adan has agreed to end his hunger strike but Amnesty International was unable to verify this independently according to the article.  Adan’s appeal was to go before the Israeli Supreme Court but this was cancelled because Adan’s attorney had reportedly reached an agreement with Israeli authorities for his release on April 17^th. Despite this agreement, Amnesty International wishes for Adan to be immediately released along with all other Palestinians who are being held in administrative  detention and have not been “charged with recognizable criminal offences”, and who can be “tried in accordance with international fair trial standards” said Phillip Luther, Amnesty International’s Interim Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

           
     While this article appears in a Palestinian news source, it mirrors the piece on Amnesty International’s own website regarding this situation so the positions and statements in it clearly come from Amnesty and do not seem to have been manipulated or altered to show any pro-Palestinian bias.  There is no author listed for the piece, merely that it is from Amnesty International originally.   According to their website, Amnesty International is "a global movement of members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights". It is an organization that is "independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion".  It is apparent from the article that this is the case as it address the issue of Khader Adan primarily from a humanitarian viewpoint, without calling into question his alleged association with Islamic Jihad, a known terrorist organization.  While the organization does call for an end to the practice of administrative detention, this does not indicate that they are Pro-Palestinian in their views as they have protested similar tactics by other governments.

            The article also mentions the group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel which is a non-government organization that has been monitoring Adan’s condition.  On this groups website the page “The Case of Khader Adan” confirms the basic facts of the Amnesty story and goes on to say that that he was tortured and subjected to cruel and degrading treatment during his arrest and interrogation.  This group is also critical of the practice of administrative detention practiced in Israel and the world over.  The branch of the group mentioned- Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is comprised of both Jewish and Palestinian doctors  which may lead one to believe that the group is not biased towards one group in particular but it is stated on the website that the group opposes the occupation which may cast them in a Pro-Palestinian light.

                                                           Khader Adan

      The focus of this article is the treatment of Khader Adan and the issue of administrative detention. The article does not address the question of why Adan was detained in the first place. According to articles in Haaretz, Adan is not just associated with Islamic Jihad but a leader and a spokesman for the group.  Another article makes mention of a You Tube video purportedly showing Adan with a megaphone recruiting suicide bombers.  The Palestinian News piece does not address any of this but instead deals only with the health and treatment of Khader Adan and the policy of administrative detention. Israeli authorities are not quoted in the piece and the Israeli version of events, such as circumstances of Adan's capture and his past history are not a part of the story.

             Because of this, this piece only gives a partial picture of the situation and seems to play more on emotions than complete facts. It would seem that while this article gives a fairly reliable account of certain aspects of Khader Adan's situation, there is a great deal more to this story than what is addressed in the Amnesty International article presented by the Palestinian News Network.                                 
       

Sexual Seperation within the Gur Hasidim

Jews in Israel run the gamut from the ultra-orthodox to the completely secular.  The differences in beliefs and lifestyles can raise tensions for people living in such a small, and complex area of the world.   Attempting to remove some of the mystery regarding the beliefs of one ultra-orthodox sect, the Gur Hasidim, is the aim of an article by Tamar Rotem in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In Rotem’s article “Gur Hasidim and Sexual Separation”, some of the beliefs of the Gur Hasidim are explained, in particular, their concept of sanctity and how it guides their dealings between men and women.   Journalist Rotem, who writes for Haaretz and has written many articles on the status of women in Israel, quotes liberally from a doctoral dissertation of Dr. Nava Wasserman written while at Bar-Ilan University.

According to Dr. Wasserman, the concept of sanctity is central to the day-to-day behavior of members of the Gur sect and it effects relations between men, men and women, and even into the realm of marital relationships. The Gur believe that modern society is overrun by sexuality and sexual imagery. Their response to this is to try to banish any hint of sexuality from their lives and to remove all forms of temptation. They have rules that apply to every aspect of their lives to keep the mingling of the sexes as limited as possible. This extends even to interaction with family members of the opposite sex, such as cousins for younger members, or relatives by marriage, for older people.

Many of the practices are difficult to adhere to and Wasserman acknowledges that some of the sect’s followers admit to difficulties, particularly at the beginning of a marriage. Since the young people come to married life with little or no knowledge of marital relations, when they are informed of what is expected of them, it can come as quite a shock.  Beyond that, the state of marriage can be very difficult for them to become accustom to, as their experiences with members of the opposite sex are so limited. The article states that as people advance into middle age, things become easier and couples relax in their relationship and adherence to rules of separation and can behave more freely with each other.

Following the rules of sexual separation applies to both men and women in the Gur Hasidim, but it is understood that the true responsibility for ensuring sanctity in the marriage and in all interpersonal relationships lies with the men.  The role of women in this society is to be helpers to the men and to ensure that they do not hinder them in their quest for sanctity.

Dr. Wasserman asserts that rather than feeling subjugated or diminished by the Gur Hasidim lifestyle, the women she encountered felt empowered by it as they felt it added to their feelings of security and independence from men.

Hasidic Bride

The author of this piece, Tamar Rotem, does not seem to make any judgments regarding the Gur Hasidim or the statements made by Dr. Wasserman. Her intention seems to be a factual account of Dr. Wasserman’s findings.  The only judgment that the author seems to make is that she calls Dr. Wasserman’s study “an honest attempt” to understand the sexual separation aspect of the Gur Hasidim.  She does not highlight any points in Wasserman's statements that may seem subjective to a reader, such as the claim that the movement gives rise to women's empowerment.  It appears the writer is attempting to present some basic information about a controversial group without inserting her own judgments into the story.  Readers who may be interested in other views regarding this and related topics can easily find many other articles that give a different viewpoint to the topic, written by this article’s author Tamar Rotem, as well as others.

The information in the article regarding the beliefs and practices of the Gur Hasidim seems reliable. The Doctor who is the major source of author Rotem’s information seems to have been one of the few people who has been able to find and publish this information because these concepts are generally only  taught orally among the sect members. It is important to note that Dr. Wasserman’s has in the past taught educational psychology to female instructors at a Gur Hasidim seminar in Bnei Brak. While this may show her ability to connect with people of this sect and have access to its members that a  journalist would not be allowed, it may also be seen as a link to the group that would predispose her to see both them, and their practices in a positive light.