Statement of Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union

Whether committed by Hamas militants or Russian soldiers marauding in Ukraine, rape has once again become a weapon of war. 

The State of Israel has produced overwhelming evidence demonstrating that on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists raped and sexually mutilated a large number of Jewish women before murdering them. Rape has historically been used against Jewish women during pogroms conducted in the lands that made up the former Soviet Union from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and rape remains a part of Russia’s strategy for subjugating occupied Ukraine.

The Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union forcefully condemns Hamas’ actions as war crimes and requests that the international community demand that the Hamas terrorists responsible for this behavior be put on trial for their crimes. The Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union also demands that the United Nations (and particularly U.N. Women) cease their shameful behavior of failing to vigorously condemn Hamas for perpetrating these attacks on the women of Israel, applying a two-tier standard: one that applies to Israeli women and another to women from anywhere else in the world.

We can barely even imagine the trauma these victims of sexual violence (if they managed to survive) and their families are experiencing. When rape of Jewish women becomes acceptable, one must worry about humanity’s fate. With the war in the Middle East being used as an excuse to open up the floodgates of antisemitism once again, we at UCSJ are watching closely the events in the former Soviet Union. These events now include a true throwback to the bad old days—a genuine pogrom targeting Jews. Unfortunately, our mission is as vital today as it was in the past.