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Actress, producer, director, and fierce advocate for the rights of Israeli women in the wake of the October 7 attacks, Linor Abargil is hosting this year’s “Israel Prize” ceremony in Sderot, out of the belief that life must go on, and that perhaps now more than ever, change is possible / By Maya Cohen “I have to believe that in the end, things will be ok”

organizations for their silence in the face of the collected testimonies and evidence. Being their voice “Like all of us, on October 7 th I awoke to a terrible reality, and I became restless”, she recounts. “I felt I had to do something. I needed to be the voice of those women who couldn’t speak. With a film crew, I began filming witness testimonies, even before there were testimonies of the victims themselves, and saw monstrous pictures of what had taken place. Then, testimonies of women who had been assaulted began to emerge. (See Abargil’s report, “Linor’s war”, broadcast by Channel 12). I contacted every women’s organization in the world, knocked on all the doors, and was met with total indifference. At least until one day, when I met a woman working for the UN, with a hidden camera in my bag. To my surprise, I was offered to come and speak at the UN”, she says. “I didn’t really know

what I was going to say but I knew that as someone who has gone through a similar ordeal, I wanted to be the voice of the voiceless. I knew that if I spoke from the heart there was a chance people would listen. When I stood on that stage, I felt that all these past 26 years had been preparation for this moment. I never imagined my speech would reach so many. It taught me that every tiny effort can help bring change, and that words carry great power”. Standing strong When you see what’s happening in the world, that there are still many who don’t believe us about what took place – does it discourage you or does it motivate you to take action? “I believe that everything we do can help bring change, so I choose to take action. I also believe that after darkness comes light, and I see that people in Israel, people who weren’t particularly religious before, are embracing their Jewish identity. In no other place in the world have I seen such caring, kindness, and mutual support for fellow compatriots”. What are you currently involved in, in terms of advocacy for Israel?

In 1998, Linor Abargil was crowned Miss World. Six weeks before her crowning, she was kidnapped and raped in the outskirts of Milan by her travel agent. Since then, she has recounted her ordeal many times, believing that her personal story could help other women who experienced sexual violence, on their journey out of trauma and pain. Her voice has been a powerful one in the fight for female empowerment. Since October 7 th , as the sexual crimes perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women have come to light, Abargil has become the ambassador of those women around the world, alerting international aid organizations of the rape and assault they have suffered. The response has mostly been a resounding silence, but last December she was invited to speak at the UN at a conference organized by Israel on the sexual violence committed by Hamas. In her speech which went viral, Abargil criticized international women’s

“I’ve recently got back from an economics conference in Harvard where I recounted my personal story and underscored the fact that Israeli men and women are still being held captive in Gaza"

24 ATMOSPHERE MAY 2024