Hadassah Metro and The American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) cohosted a special reception and screening of Screams Before Silence on July 11 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.
The reception and documentary were followed by a powerful dialogue between Anila Ali, president and CEO of AMMWEC and Hadassah national president Carol Ann Schwartz. Over 150 people attended the event and the audience was a mix of Muslim and Jewish attendees, including religious and organization leaders.
In conversation, the two discussed why it is so important for women across divides to come together to advocate for women, promote awareness of these atrocities and discuss the importance of diverse voices in today’s society.
“Violence against women is never okay. The Holy Quran orders ‘men to be the protectors of women.’ Islam prohibits attack on non-combatants, even during conflict,” said Anila Ali. “It is so important to engage in meaningful conversations and dialogue around the challenges facing women of all backgrounds.”
“As a global humanitarian organization, we at Hadassah are shaken to the core by the evidence of the weaponization of rape and other acts of sexual brutality in conflicts across the world,” said Carol Ann Schwartz. “By coming together we can empower even more women, from all walks of life, to help raise awareness, demand justice and drive positive change to end gender violence in conflict.”
This screening and partnership follow months of Hadassah’s strong advocacy in speaking out against and raising awareness of Hamas’ gender-based violence on October 7 and beyond. Earlier this year, Hadassah launched the global End The Silence campaign to demand that the UN conduct an independent, unbiased investigation of Hamas’ use of rape and gender-based violence as weapons of war.
Hadassah was proud to host this event alongside AMMWEC and the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. We are grateful to our incredible partners who supported this event and helped bring about this meaningful conversation, including Anti-Defamation League New York/New Jersey, AEquitas, American Zionist Movement, A Wider Bridge, Elluminate, Emunah, I Believe Israeli Women, Jewish Women International, Muslim Women Speakers, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, Simon Wiesenthal Center, UJA Federation of New York and Zioness Movement.
"The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan is proud to be one of the leading presenters of films that require conversation and community engagement. The JCC is a space for dialogue, deeper understanding and bringing the community together to explore important topics," said Isaac Zablocki, senior director of film programs at the Israel Film Center at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.