Jerusalem Post Magazine
October 14, 2011

By Ruth Eglash

Within minutes of meeting Rabbi Levi Lauer, director and founder of the non-profit social rights organization ATZUM – an acronym for “work, justice and law” or “Justice Works” in English – it is easy to see how over the past decade his thought-provoking and deeply philosophical fast talk has contributed to improving the lives of countless individuals, often society’s most downtrodden.

“Jewish sovereignty means taking responsibility for the darkest places in your history and the most problematic places in your society, the most vulnerable citizens that live among you,” reflects the American-born Lauer, who made aliya more than 30 years ago, as he explains how he went from being a renowned Jewish scholar at some of the country’s most respected Jewish institutions – Pardes, WUJS and the Shalom Hartman Institute to name a few – to tackling a wide variety of under-acknowledged social problems, perhaps most fascinatingly the gritty horrors of Israel’s brutal sex slave industry.

“It seems to me that the Jewish world, particularly the traditionally observant community, has become abhorrently triumphant. It is so full of itself, so self-confident and sure in its newfound wealth, its newfound power and its newfound strength, that it has grown far less aware and responsive to the have-nots in the society in which it lives,” observes Lauer, who clearly embodies the tagline on his charity’s website: “ATZUM: Addressing Urgent Need in Israel, One Person at a Time.” [Read more...]

Jerusalem Post
October 9, 2011

By Ruth Eglash

Human rights groups and the Knesset Subcommittee on Trafficking in Women are taking on Israel’s burgeoning sex service industry.

Committee chairwoman MK Orit Zuaretz is set to raise the stakes in the coming months battling prostitution with potential legislation that will make it illegal for a man to utilize the services of a prostitute.

“I am connected to this issue through my work as the chairperson of the committee and I have come to understand that the petrol that maintains trafficking in women is the demand for sexual services,” said Zuaretz, who recently returned from a two-week trip to the US to explore the white slave trade.

According to the MK, both women trafficked to Israel for work in the sex industry and local women who wind up working in one of the country’s many discreet apartments or brothels come from very poor or problematic family backgrounds. In short, their careers as sex slaves are derived from a lack of other options.

“These women never come from wealthy families and taking advantage of them in this way is like buying blood diamonds,” she points out. “If you buy a blood diamond it is criminal; if you buy the body of a woman it should be criminal too. I don’t understand why this is tolerated by the public in a Jewish state.” [Read more...]

Jewish Daily Forward
October 6, 2011

By Nathan Jeffay

It’s a bigger sacrifice than most people could ever imagine. But for Esther Grinberg-Boissevain, risking her life by hiding  innocent Jews during the Holocaust just wasn’t enough of a contribution to the Jewish people. The Dutch nurse also decided to move to Israel.

“Israel was a special state, a new state, and there was an opportunity to help build and help care for people,” she told the Forward at a Rosh Hashanah party for so-called Righteous Gentiles, who are known as such for hiding Jews from the Nazis.

Grinberg-Boissevain is one of at least 130 Righteous Gentiles who made the decision after the war to move to Israel. It is only now with the group dwindling fast from old age that members are starting to tell and write down their stories. Grinberg-Boissevain, for example, has a homemade pamphlet that she shares with friends and acquaintances.

“People in Israel, even in the communities where [Righteous Gentiles] are living, just have no idea that they are there,” said Yael Rosen, coordinator of ATZUM’s 9-year-old project to make records of their stories. “People are amazed when they hear about the heroes living in their midst.” [Read more...]

Jerusalem Post
October 6, 2011

By Arieh O’Sullivan/The Media Line

Holocaust-era heroes who risked their lives to save Jews left Europe to make homes in Israel, but their numbers are dwindling.

RAMAT YISHAI – Viktor Melenik, an 82-year-old bon vivant with a couple of medals pinned to his lapels, bellows out: “Forget the soup, let’s have wine.”

A half a dozen folks in their 70s and 80s chuckle along in this unusual gathering of unassuming heroes of sorts at a café in northern Israel. Known as “Righteous Gentiles,” they helped saved Jews from persecution and extermination during the Nazi Holocaust. [Read more...]

Arutz 7
October 5, 2011

By Yoni Kempinski

Some 120 gentiles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust came to live in Israel.  Several of them gathered this week for a special meeting.

(View the Hebrew video here.)

ATZUM, a non-profit organization focused on promoting social activism and remedying injustices in Israeli society, hosted it annual Rosh Hashanah gathering for Israel’s resident ‘Righteous Among the Nations.’

Held at the Nagish Cafe on Rechov Haaravah in Ramat Yishai, which was founded by ‘righteous gentile’ Esther Grinberg, the event is intended to  send a clear message to the rescuers that their heroism and sacrifice has not gone unnoticed and that they will never be forgotten. [Read more...]

Arutz 7
September 26, 2011

By Chana Ya’ar

A group of “rescuers” living in Israel — known to the rest of the world as “righteous gentiles” — will also gather to celebrate the Jewish New Year, albeit after the holiday, on October 4. The ‘ATZUM’ organization has organized the gathering, an annual event, to enable the rescuers, many of whom are now elderly, to socialize with each other and with their “adoptive Israeli grandchildren” says ATZUM founding executive director, Rabbi Levi Lauer.

The NGO, which focuses its efforts on promoting social activism, will hold the gathering at Jerusalem’s Nagish Cafe, run entirely by disabled individuals. The restaurant was founded by Esther Grinberg, — herself honored by Yad Vashem as one of Israel’s Righteous Among the Nations. [Read more...]

Arutz 7 Radio
August 30, 2011

Yael Rosen of Atzum (www.atzum.org) talks with the hosts of Arutz 7′s  ‘Aliyah Revolution’ about Project Abrah, a project designed to help Ethiopian-Israelis understand the heroic efforts of their older generation in coming home to Israel. [Read more...]

The Huffington Post
January 12, 2011

By Marcia G. Yerman

January 11 was Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The statistics are overwhelming. Sexual trafficking makes up a significant percentage of these numbers. No country is immune. It happens in Germany. It happens in Thailand. It happens in the United States and the United Kingdom. It happens in Israel.

The exact numbers of sexually trafficked persons, including children, varies from organization to organization. Sexual trafficking is now the world’s second top crime, tied with the illegal sale of guns and arms. The drug trade is number one.

Individuals are taking personal steps to get involved and lobby for change. Some are coming out of the faith-based arena. One of them is Peggy Sakow, the U.S. Outreach Coordinator for Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, a Canadian Reform congregation. The synagogue has partnered with the Israeli group ATZUM, and their Task Force on Human Trafficking (TFHT). Jointly, they have launched a North American letter writing campaign directed to prominent cabinet ministers of the Israeli Government. It urges the leaders to pursue tougher measures against human trafficking and sex slavery in Israel. [Read more...]

Ms. Magazine Blog
November 17, 2010

By Kyle Bachan

If you were in Tel Aviv a couple of weeks ago, chances are you might have done a double-take as you passed by a certain shopping center storefront. Instead of using mannequins to sell clothing items, there were live models on display–perhaps a more natural way to show off the attire. But then, if you looked closer, the price tags weren’t clipped to their clothes: They were attached to the women’s wrists.

“Women to Go” is actually an Israeli activist campaign created  to raise awareness about human trafficking. Its in-your-face tactic was meant to shock, and while not everybody has agreed on the method, few can dispute its effectiveness in terms of attracting attention: The campaign has been covered by media outlets worldwide, including a front page feature on CNN.com. [Read more...]