When Shechem raped Dinah in Genesis 34, the Torah condemns not only the man who violated her but the entire city that allowed her to remain captive. Dinah was held openly in Shechem’s home, and no one objected. Not one elder confronted the crime. Not one resident demanded her release. Their silence became their guilt.
This is the Torah’s principle: A society that tolerates the humiliation of the innocent becomes responsible for it.
October 7 Made That Principle Contemporary
The political-terrorist group Hamas did not merely murder and rape on October 7, 2023. They dragged 251 human beings—children, women, men, elderly—into Gaza. For months, those hostages were kept in houses, apartments, tunnels beneath family homes, mosques, and clinics. People fed their captors. People guarded entrances. Crowds celebrated the kidnappings. The captivity was not hidden from the population; it was woven into daily life.
Crowds of Gazans celebrate the taking of captives – alive and dead – on October 7, 2023
And just as in Shechem, no one in Gaza intervened. Not one hostage was smuggled out. Not one family risked itself to free a stranger. Not one community leader demanded their return.
The Torah would not call this ignorance. It would call it complicity.
Dinah’s City and Gaza: A Shared Moral Failure
Shechem’s offense was personal; the city’s offense was communal. The same moral structure applies today: the crime begins with Hamas, but it enlarges to those who shelter, celebrate, or simply accept the captivity of innocents. The vast majority of Gazans supported Hamas’s actions.
Jacob criticized Shimon and Levi for endangering the family, but the Torah never suggests that the men of Shechem were innocent. Their passivity was enough to implicate them. When God protects Jacob’s family afterward, it signals that defending dignity—even forcefully—was morally justified.
The Torah’s Message for Our Generation
The world tries to draw a sharp line between Hamas and “the people of Gaza,” as though collective moral responsibility vanished in modern times, and the celebrated terrorism is not inherently a collective attack on an entire society. Dinah’s story rejects these illusions. It teaches that a society that houses kidnapped people is not neutral, and a population that normalizes and endorses cruelty shares responsibility for it.
Jacob scolded his sons Shimon and Levi for carrying out the revenge attack against Shechem’s people, and said that it would make their family a pariah. That too is repeating today, as many countries condemn and isolate the State of Israel for its actions in Gaza.
Dinah’s captivity was a test of Shechem’s moral fabric, and it failed. The captivity of Israeli hostages – for years – was a test of Gaza’s, and it also failed. The anger over the slaughter of the guilty has also left a deep mark then and today.
The lesson is simple and ancient: When a people accepts atrocity in its midst, the stain becomes communal. But it will not leave leave the actors in the just war untarnished in the days and years ahead.
In many societies around the world, the concepts of honor and dignity are considered sacred. They are meant to reflect integrity, courage, and the moral fabric of individuals and communities. But in some cultures, the language of honor has been twisted into a tool of control, oppression, and even justification for murder—particularly against women.
“Honor killings” represent one of the most brutal manifestations of this warped morality. These acts of violence—often carried out by family members—are meant to “restore” honor allegedly tarnished by a relative’s behavior. In this framework, dignity is no longer something inherent in the individual, but something projected onto them by a society steeped in twisted religious patriarchy and fear of shame.
Honor killing by West Bank Muslim man
Across the world, honor killings persist, especially in parts of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Gaza regularly report killings tied to perceived slights like refusing an arranged marriage, or even being a victim of rape. In such societies, a woman’s body and choices are not her own. They are just tools in a selfish calculus.
It is especially revolting to note that some societies legally protect these “honor killings.” The Palestinian Authority still has the Jordanian Penal Code No. (16) of 1960, and the Palestinian Penal Code No. (74) of 1936 in the Gaza Strip which provide reduced sentences for such family murders of girls.
Unsurprisingly, societies that bless the murder of women and girls for “honor,” have no compunction about sacrificing them for the dignity of everyone. Gaza’s leaders send women and children into harm’s way while they hide underground. They have even less regard for female enemies: Gazan soldiers and civilians marched into Israel on October 7, 2023 and raped women in front of their families and burned girls alive.
The radical jihadists in Gaza have a vastly different definition about honor than people in the Global North. Insisting that a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict meet Gazan’s measure of dignity is a death sentence for women, girls and Jews in the Middle East.
In an environment of politicians and political organizations endorsing people running for office, it is noteworthy to see a grassroots-led initiative push for an organization to rescind an existing endorsement.
In one of the most-watched primaries in the country, residents of New York State’s 16th Congressional District have been writing to Planned Parenthood to rescind its endorsement of Rep. Jamaal Bowman. The impetus for people in the liberal district to call the women’s rights organization was the recently surfaced video of Bowman yelling at a crowd on the streets of White Plains that the October 7 rape of Jewish women in Israel was a “lie” and “propaganda.”
“I have been giving to Planned Parenthood for forty years. I send them money monthly, and I cannot believe that they would endorse a rape denier,” said Jackie Laub, a retired medical technician who lives in White Plains. “Do the leaders of the organization hate Jews and Israel so much that they would still endorse him?”
Rabbi Scott Weiner of New Rochelle used to be a board member of Planned Parenthood. He submitted the petition to the organization’s CEO and Chair last week, signed by six hundred people in just one week, the vast majority of whom are residents of the district. “I am deeply shocked,” Rabbi Weiner said. “I care deeply about the organization, and for it to have its brand tarnished by endorsing Bowman will likely cost them important donors.”
The video of Bowman denying the sexual assault of women in Israel came out in late March, even though it was filmed at a pro-Palestinian rally in November. When people began to question and criticize Bowman about his rape comments, he refused to discuss it, according to Politico.
Eventually, Bowman got around to condemning the sexual violence committed by Hamas but many of his constituents remain deeply troubled by his initial instinct to not believe women who are raped if they are Jewish.
Diane Katz, who raised her four children in the district said “I wrote to Planned Parenthood as soon as I learned that they had endorsed Bowman. The organization’s response was abysmal. How can they endorse someone who clearly denied the extremely well-documented evidence and testimony of Israeli women who were raped and sexually mutilated? Jewish women around the United States have been leaders in the pro-choice and reproductive rights movement for decades and this is a slap in the face to our community.” She added her name to the petition to not feel so alone and abused by the organization’s tepid response to her letter.
“They are endorsing a rape denier. Can you imagine that?” Katz asked. “A woman’s rights organization is endorsing a rape denier.”
Others had a similar road to signing the petition.
Dr. Rebecca Amaru of White Plains shared her initial email with Planned Parenthood. It led with “I write as a resident of NY-16, a woman, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, an abortion provider, a proud activist on behalf of abortion access and rights, and a Jew.” She added “Jamaal Bowman does NOT stand for the values that Planned Parenthood represents. Mr. Bowman’s statements after October 7, 2023, included denials of the sexual violence propagated by Hamas terrorists against countless women in Israel. The denials by some progressive politicians of the well-documented crimes against women on October 7 are a stain on the Democratic Party. No matter what Planned Parenthood believes about the war in Gaza, you MUST come down on the side of women victimized by rape as weapon of war.”
After not getting a response from Planned Parenthood, she began to forward the petition to friends.
“It is not as though [Westchester County Executive] George Latimer is not pro-women. He is every bit as pro-choice as Bowman. Minus the rape denial,” added Amaru.
Dr. Sandra Weinstein of New Rochelle, a mother of three girls, was glad that the petition was being circulated. “Candidly, I wasn’t going to vote for Bowman anyway, so this has nothing to do with the race. This is about the normalization of rape denial if the victims are Jewish.”
The petition does not discuss the primary race and acknowledges Bowman’s stance on abortions. Specifically, the petition states that it is “deeply distressing to see Planned Parenthood continue to endorse Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY16). While he has been a supporter of female reproductive rights, he has vocally denied the mass rape of Israeli women before a chanting crowd on the streets of his district. Women’s bodily autonomy is not limited to a right to abortion. It must include protections from sexual abuse and assault. Rep. Bowman’s disgraceful ridicule of raped women is beyond the pale and cannot be normalized as acceptable, which Planned Parenthood’s endorsement does.”
One Email sent by someone in District 16 to Planned Parenthood, and a QR Code which was used to get people to sign the petition
Dr. Tali Lando of White Plains was very direct, saying “I’m disgusted. How can my congressperson’s initial reaction not only be to mock the rape of Jewish women, but to incite a crowd that Jewish rape victims are liars? What kind of country are we in?” She continued that the entire premise of Planned Parenthood endorsing Bowman is a contradiction of being for abortion rights. “Planned Parenthood should be ashamed of itself. It cannot claim to be the leading advocate of women’s bodily autonomy while simultaneously aligning itself with a rape denier.”
Rabbi Weiner added that “this is not just a Jewish issue. When a leading national woman’s rights organization like Planned Parenthood affixes its name to person who denigrates the victims of sexual assault to a cheering crowd, every person is at risk.”
The group’s action is already costing them one donor. “After forty years, I am no longer giving to them. They’ve lost me,” said Laub.
Planned Parenthood has still not responded to the petition other than acknowledging that it was received on June 10.
Planned Parenthood is an organization that focuses on women’s access to medical treatments for matters related to reproduction such as birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and abortion. It also focuses on issues related to female bodily autonomy, so discusses and advocates about rape and sexual assault.
It is therefore horrifying that the organization has given an endorsement to Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY16) when he loudly, publicly, and deliberately mocked the rape of Israeli women as a matter of “propaganda” and “lies.”
Planned Parenthood 2024 endorsements in New York
Bowman’s challenger in the June 25 Democratic primary, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, has a long history of protecting women’s rights, including fighting rape. Why would Planned Parenthood ignore Latimer and actively endorse Bowman, who chants that Jewish women cannot be believed when they are raped?
AIPAC digital ad in #NY16, using Bowman’s remarks calling reports of Hamas rape on Oct. 7 propaganda’:
Demand Planned Parenthood pull their endorsement of Jamaal Bowman and condemn his comments about the brutal rape of Israeli women.
ACTION ITEM
Call Planned Parenthood at 212.261.4433. Also call their donor line about your disgust about backing a rape denier like Bowman at 800.430.4907or 212.274.7200. Email them at https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/donor-services
On June 24, 2023, I wrote an article called “The Terrorism of Emasculated Palestinians” that highlighted the work of Sanam Naraghi Anderlini of the International Civil Society Action Network. Anderlini essentially posited that terrorism often attracts men because leaders take advantage of male egos. She asked “what does it mean to be a man? Whether in Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Jamaica, Yemen, Syria, Iraq.”
Anderlini contended that four themes emerge as critical elements for male self-definition and worth, the 4 “Ps”: Provide, Protect, Prestige and Procreation. She argued that men living in societies where they failed in their “manly” roles to provide for the family monetarily, to protect them, to have a position of prestige or power, or to procreate and have progeny, were easy prey for radical actors.
Just over one hundred days after writing the article, Palestinian Arabs did not only commit the largest single day slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, they committed the most violent and brutal attacks against Jewish women on a single day ever. It is therefore worth reviewing October 7 beyond a battle for land or about religion but regarding gender.
Hamas takes Jewish women hostages and rape and mutilate others
Provide. Hamas rules Gaza and has made little effort to build an economy. They are wards of the world taking charity endlessly from the United Nations and donor countries. They spend money and time on tunnels to invade Israel rather than invest in their society.
Palestinians completely failed to provide and would rather steal the fruits of Israeli labor than sweat to provide for their families and communities. Should they fail to take over Israel, they know that donor countries will pay to rebuild the Strip and funnel monies into the society which will come to their families as “martyr payments” for killing Jews.
Palestinian society has built a terrorist-payment infrastructure, with global approval, in which they can provide for their families by engaging in terrorism.
Protect. Members of Hamas protect their own soldiers but not their families. They leave women and children above ground as cannon fodder while they stay protected in underground tunnels. The Palestinian men do not even pretend to try to protect, and focus solely on attacking Israelis, young and old, male and female alike.
Prestige. Shockingly, despite intentionally failing to provide and protect their families and communities, Palestinian’s toxic culture gives these terrorists prestige. Scores of schools, squares and sporting tournaments are named after mass murderers. Imams bless the killers as the holiest members of society.
There is little to no prestige to attain in Palestinian society outside the depravity-prestige of slaughtering Jews.
Procreation. Israeli Jews now have a higher fertility rate than Palestinian Arabs. Some of the reason is because Arab women are becoming more educated and fertility rates decline everywhere as women have greater educational attainment, as well as crowded conditions in Gaza.
Consider the 4″P”s and deep “deformity in Palestinian culture” as noted by leading Arab American James Zogby. Palestinians make no attempts to provide for or to protect Arab women in their households. They sacrifice Gaza and Gazans for the land they covet across the fence.
Regarding women, Palestinian men internalized that once they committed to abandoning their own women and children for their cause, those frolicking, relatively rich Jewish women must be hunted. The existence of free, dancing Jewish women on land that Arabs believe is rightfully their own, mocks emasculated Palestinians.
Anderlini said that generally, many men who try and fail the 4 “P”s to provide/ protect/ prestige and procreate, may turn towards terrorism out of desperation. But alas, tens of thousands of Palestinian men – perhaps millions – deliberately abandon their homes and families to reap the rewards of the terrorist-payment infrastructure and depravity-prestige built into Palestinian society.
On October 7, Palestinian men turned their backs and sacrificed their own Arab women, and descended to rape, torture, mutilate and slaughter Jewish girls and women by design.
ACTION ITEM
Destroy the terrorist-payment infrastructure. Demand elected officials not give any money to Palestinians unless and until the pay-to-slay program is terminated and no terrorist group sits in power.
End the depravity-prestige philosophy. No monies or support from any country until Palestinians remove the names of terrorists from schools, squares and public places.
1400 girls in England raped by [Asians/Pakistanis/Muslims]
The case of the 1400 girls that were bound, beaten and raped over a period of 13 years in England horrified the civilized world. That such an event could go on at all, and then further, left unchecked by police has rightfully enraged the citizens of England and abroad.
Presumably, actions will being taken to right the wrong that was done to the girls and to prosecute those responsible. As part of the process, people are analyzing what could make people commit such atrocities on young children, and how could the police avoid taking action for so long.
Any decent analysis will examine the history of the cases and look for trends: time; place; individual; community; backgrounds; people and friends involved; etc. Common themes will certainly emerge. Some will be important and others less so.
At this point, reporting from some media outlets consider certain characteristics of the assailants important while others avoid them. Consider:
The Telegraph. Initial articles mentioned that the men were from “Asian gangs”. Later editorial-news clearly stated that “All but one of the perpetrators were Muslims of Pakistani heritage”.
The Wall Street Journal. The initial two stories mentioned the “Pakistani origin” of the attackers, but did not mention their religion. The third article did not specifically say that they were Muslim, but said that the Muslim community condemned the crimes, adding a quote from a member of the Muslim community that the attackers “are not Muslims.” In the fourth article, it declared that “the abusers were of Pakistani and Muslim origin”.
The Guardian. First described the attackers as “Asian”. Later articles mentioned the “perpetrators in the town mostly being Pakistani taxi drivers.” Editorials in September reverted back to saying the rapists were “Asian”.
The New York Times. Has referred to the perpetrators as “men of Pakistani heritage”. To this day, none of their news accounts mention that the attackers were Muslim.
There was an evolution of the news flow in the more conservative papers: first the men are described as “Asian”, then “Pakistani” and finally “Muslim”. There are several reasons why this evolution may have occurred: more information about the perpetrators gradually became known, or the relevance of the additional information was viewed as more important as time went on.
The Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal added information that the attackers were Muslim. The Guardian held off, and only obtusely referred to their Islamic faith in an article on September 2nd where it reverted back to describing the attackers as “Asian” but the “growing influx of the far right” had expressed its anger at the “Muslim community”. The New York Times has avoided mentioning the religion of the rapist in any manner.
By the beginning of September, the common religious background of the attackers was well reported. One must therefore conclude that the New York Times deliberately decided to not point out the attackers religious background because they felt it was not relevant to the story (but somehow their Pakistani heritage was).
Was the fact that the men were Muslim relevant to their actions? Was the fact that they were Muslim relevant to their community’s failure of reporting their actions? Was their religion a factor in the police not investigating the many reported cases? Was there an important distinction between being Pakistani and Muslim? Was this simply a gang that happened to be both Pakistani and Muslim and the religion and heritage of the people had only to do with their kinship and nothing to do with the attacks or cover-up?
Perhaps the investigations will resolve the questions. It will be interesting to see if a divide between conservative and liberal papers shields the perpetrators faith (but not heritage) at that time.
The world recently heard of horrific attacks on women in the Middle and Far East.
Last week, the world saw a video of a 19-year old woman fleeing a gang rape in Egypt in the middle of the presidential inaugural celebration in Tahrir Square. Remarkably, she was luckier than other recent victims.
Pakistani rape victim dies after setting herself on fire when her attackers were released, March 2014
The treatment of women in much of the world is appalling. From the youngest age, women are often restricted from gaining an education. These girls are then married off (often under 14 years old) to much older men and become completely dependent on them for survival. Should these young women challenge the system and go to school or spur a marriage proposal, they are often attacked and disfigured for life.
In such a world, a woman’s mind is neither nurtured nor respected. Her opinions are neither noted nor considered. Her role rests solely as sexual partner and mother. It is therefore both terrible and unsurprising, that sexual assaults on teenaged girls would flourish in such an environment.
A music video by First.One.Through with music by Bon Jovi about the terrible attacks on women:
First One Through 