President Yifat Bitton of Achva College Speaks to Students About Sexual Violence on Oct. 7

Yeshiva University hosted a presentation on Nov. 6 by Professor Yifat Bitton, who spoke about her investigations into the sexual crimes committed on Oct. 7, 2023. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Israel Studies, the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs and YUPAC. 

Bitton, president of Achva Academic College in southern Israel and founder of T’mura — the Israeli Antidiscrimination Legal Center, an organization committed to promoting equality and advocating for victims of abuse and sexual assault, has argued pro bono cases in Israeli courts on behalf of rape and domestic violence victims for nearly two decades. During her presentation held on the Wilf Campus’ Presidential Conference Room, she shared her findings about cases of rape that occurred on Oct. 7.

With disturbing images of captured female soldiers displayed on screen, Bitton recounted the events of Oct. 7 and how she first took notice of the unusual amount of women taken captive during the attacks. 

“The mere fact that there were so many women on my screen, as someone who has been an expert on fighting sexual violence for so long, almost three decades, it immediately worried me,” Bitton told the audience. “My thought was that there’s no way that if the Hamas militants are occupying these places — are there somewhere — there’s no way that these women will not be sexually hurt.”

While cases of rape and assault wouldn’t be brought to the Israeli public’s attention until weeks later, Bitton launched her investigation on Oct. 8, 2023 — the day after the attack. She spoke about how even the most resilient first responders were “emotionally crushed” and of the deep sense of denial within Israeli society of the sexual crimes committed.

One challenge of her investigation was balancing the legal professionalism and jargon required in such matters with the emotional sensitivity necessary in addressing a rape victim’s situation. She said one ethical issue that came up was how to navigate sharing sensitive information with victims’ families, and to what extent it is appropriate to share details of a child’s abuse with the victim’s parents.

Another challenge she faced was that the sites of the attacks were initially treated as “war zones” rather than “crime zones.” This resulted in less care being taken to preserving crime scenes and to first responders failing to make observations that could point to rape, hindering investigations into sexual assault.

Bitton also expressed frustration in dealing with international rights organizations, such as the U.N., and international feminist organizations, which she feels betrayed the Oct. 7 victims with their attitude toward the atrocities. She contrasted the eight weeks it took for UN Women to condemn Hamas for the rape of Israeli women with the shorter response time it allegedly took for the organization to condemn the Taliban for violations on womens’ freedoms.

“I thought it was very amazing to hear from a scholar as knowledgeable as Prof. Bitton,” Oriah Jeselsohn (SCW ‘28) told The Commentator. “Something that was very interesting and shocking to me was sorta the dichotomy of preserving morality and while at the same time trying to find evidence for the sexual crimes that were committed.”

Others expressed their gratitude for her addressing a topic that is not often discussed in our communities.

“It was a very moving experience to hear from the intellectual component and the emotional component, of the process of defending women who were sexually abused,” Daniel Sternthal (YC ‘25) told The Commentator. “I think it was very eye-opening because we don’t generally focus on these events that happened on Oct. 7 but this was an event [where] this speaker was able to open our eyes.”

“I think that it was a really incredible event and it brought light to so many issues that were so important. And I really think that I learned a lot of new information that I wouldn’t have even thought of previously,” Gabrielle Resnick (SCW ‘27) told The Commentator. “I think it’s just amazing that we had this event and had the opportunity to hear from such an amazing speaker.”

“I wanted students to see the variety of what Israel is, the complexity of Israeli society,” Director of the Arthur Schneier Program Professor Ronnie Perelis told The Commentator. “Not just the headlines, not just the talking points or the ra-ra at a kumzitz.”

“Please give my thanks to the students for coming out. I know it’s midterms and I know this was a tough topic, and people came out,” Perelis added. “It’s just very moving to see students make time for things that are beyond, l’Fnim m’Shurat haDin, that are beyond just their classes, but to come and create an intellectual community. That’s what YU is about.”

Photo caption: Professor Yifat Bitton speaking in the Presidential Conference Room

Photo credit: Ezra Rosenfeld / Rosenfeld Studios