More than 220 people attended a webinar hosted by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and moderated by its immediate past President of NYSBA, Richard Lewis; featuring guest speaker Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, Chair of the Civil Commission on Oct. 7 Crimes, recipient of the 2024 Israel Prize, Sophie Davis Post-Doctoral Fellow at Hebrew University’s Leonard Davis Institute’s program on Gender, Conflict Resolution, and Senior Fellow at the Hartman Institute.
The event, titled Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War with a Focus on October 7, was co-sponsored by Women in Law Section, the International Section and the Committee on Continuing Legal Education as NYSBA. The Jerusalem Post reached out to Lewis and Elkayam-Levy to hear more about the event.
Please tell us about the initiative and the background for the event.
Lewis: “The New York State Bar Association has been involved in a number of initiatives having to do with Israel and Antisemitism We initially, on June 1, 2023, put together a task force to talk about Antisemitism and Anti-Asian hate throughout the United States. Of course, this project grew after the events of October 7.
“It was not long after October 7 that the New York State Bar Association became involved in an initiative to provide a portal that would give access to attorneys by residents of Israel. This was done in cooperation with the Israel Bar Association, and was intended to give assistance to displaced Israelis and Israelis who had run into various issues involving benefits, family matters, and more. Through our cooperative efforts, that portal has been initiated and is active today.
“Soon after that, we hosted members of the Israel Bar Association, including: Hon. Yoram Danziger, former Judge of the Israel Supreme Court, Hon. Avichai Mandelblit, immediate past Attorney General of the State of Israel, Amit Becher, President of the Israel Bar Association, and others. These members traveled around New York City to meet with some of the largest law firms in the country and meet with the administrations of various major universities including NYU and Columbia where there was a great deal of turmoil. After that, we continued to have contact with the Israel Bar and as a result, a significant number of members of the Israel Bar joined the New York State Bar as well.”
Elkayam-Levy: “Ever since the October 7 attack I’ve been involved in efforts to collect evidence, document and record testimonies regarding the atrocities committed by Hamas. These were compiled, analyzed and filed as part of an independent initiative we named the Civil Commission on Oct. 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children.”
“On this backdrop I was honored to have been invited to speak at the NYSBA event in front of a distinguished audience to try to describe the horrors which took place in Israel from a legal perspective. Many people contact us and are interested in hearing about the accounts of October 7 and it is not at all possible to tend to each request, so I was blessed to have taken part in this important event.”
What were the focus areas of the presentation?
Lewis: “I had the privilege of introducing Cochav, and she presented for approximately 45 minutes with a question and answer period thereafter. The focus areas were a disgraceful use of sexual violence and violence against women, children and families as a weapon of war and the obviously inhuman events that took place on October 7 and thereafter as described by the freed hostages. All this despite the fact that the rules of war do not permit the use of civilians.”
“This was not merely violence against women, but rather violence against families. The families involved were not only Israeli families, but also the families of Gazans who are being used as human shields. It is without question that the barbaric actions of Hamas were intended to cause shock to Israel and the world and the activities of Hamas in using this as propaganda and having it successfully conveyed to college students and others should be of huge concern to all right-thinking persons.”
Elkayam-Levy: Elkayam-Levy: “It was a purely fact-based presentation, with no political strings attached whatsoever. I presented some of what we have verified that took place on October 7.” Elkayam-Levy also spoke about the Yad VaShem-like archive they are compiling made up of recordings, interviews, testimonies, media and other materials. In that regard "I also spoke about the ethical, psychological and legal aspects of dealing with such material, including issues such as individual rights, privacy, data retention, emotional coping, and more."
“Hamas’s atrocities were so brutal and horrible that new terms had to be coined to describe these actions in a legal-oriented jargon. This includes the term ‘kinocide’, or the deliberate targeting and annihilation of entire families, which I helped coin in an article I co-wrote with Professor Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. This, too, was one of the topics discussed in the event, as I presented some of the challenges of legally conceptualizing and naming the atrocities.”
How did the participants react?
Lewis: “This crowd of 220 people was extraordinary, especially considering the short notice that people had, and it has been recorded so that people can access it and listen to it on our website. The feedback that we have received in connection with this program has been incredible.
“So many would like to become involved in the investigations relating to the continuing barbarism of Hamas as shown by their treatment of civilian hostages and their total disregard for families and human life in general. In addition, their constant refrain of "From the river to the sea," does not fully describe what is really intended, and that is the eradication of the Jewish people.” Those who participated in this program could feel not only the intelligence, but also the emotion of Cochav, and I believe they have a more intimate understanding of what is transpiring.”
Elkayam-Levy: “We got great feedback, but most importantly - people were eager to learn more and wanted to find out how they can help with investigations and documentation.”
Are there any plans to hold such events in the future?
Lewis: “We intend to have more events of this nature, and perhaps a significant event in January. Our hope is that we can convey the presence of evil so that the world can better understand the manipulation by the Anti-Semitic groups throughout the world.”
Elkayam-Levy: “We met wonderful people and connections were made instantly. Should we be called up again we will gladly heed the call.”
Did you encounter any political ricochets?
Elkayam-Levy: “Not at all. This was an entirely professional, non-political discussion. It was fact based and participants themselves came from a wide variety of backgrounds, convictions and credences. This entire event, as our initiative, archive and commission, is all about giving voice to those whose voice was taken away from them. To document, formulate legal answers, and make sure that this is never forgotten.”