Bari Weiss & Sheryl Sandberg On World's Silence To Hamas Sexual Violence

In recent years and decades, there's been much more awareness about sexual violence, especially towards women, and raising women's voices on these matters. And yet, when it came to the sexual violence of October 7th, it seems that many political activists and institutions and parts of the media that you'd expect to be speaking up on this, didn't. And I want you to see Sheryl Sandberg, who produced a documentary about the sexual talking to Barry Wise, talking about this blatant double standard. Have a watch. The only Jewish state in the world had a primal scream. And then there was silence, you know, of the world. And especially, I think, and this is the issue you and I are talking about and care so much about as feminists. And I can't help but think about, you know, someone like Michelle Obama, who in 2014, everyone who's watching this or listening will remember, Boko Haram kidnapped- Bring back our girls. Bring back our girls, right? Boko Haram, an Islamist group in Nigeria, stole something like 276 schoolgirls, did God knows what to them. And everyone in the world cared about those 276 girls because of the leadership of Michelle Obama. And then everyone that sort of fell like dominoes to follow her moral leadership on that issue. Where is she and people like her in this moment? I mean, look, I think everyone should be screaming, bring back the hostages. But you know what's interesting about this? I actually looked this up recently. Do you know about half those girls are still not back? They're still gone. I do think it's very hard to stay focused on these issues. And I really think we need more focus and we need many more voices on this one. But come on, like, I don't think it's lack of focus that has led so many people to not say a word about this issue for nine months. It's not lack of focus. It's something else. I mean, I don't think it's lack of focus either. I think it is a combination of it not fitting the narrative they need to believe for reasons they should think harder about and anti-Semitism. Yeah, it's very, very straightforward. This is just simply the Jews being treated differently because we always have been. It's always been that way. So we don't need to, you know, scratch our brains trying to figure out what the cause of this is. We should point it out and we should be absolutely unashamed in saying that there are clear double standards and we're not going to be intimidated by a media and a political elite and activists who want to try and undermine Israel, dismiss their suffering, dismiss her right to be there. But what it also does bring to our consciousness is the fact that we are treated different and it seems that to some extent we always will be. But part of the message that we're trying to get across on JTV is that on the one hand, we're treated differently and that can be seen in a very negative way and a concerning light, which is why we share all the things we need to, we do in order to try and influence opinion. But you can also look at it in a positive light. You know, when we say like, oh, look at the double standards, the world is just clearly out to get us. You could also say they're out to get us, but just change the tone. They don't get us and they want to get us, meaning they treat us differently because they know we are different and the frustration people get when they say, why could you treat us like everyone else? It's because they know we are not like everyone else. The Jewish people are different than the other nations of the world. And part of our view, part of my view on JTV is that the hostility is that they don't, they sense we're different, but they don't hear from us why we're different and what it is about us that makes us different. And so the Jewish people have felt that our approach needs to be to fit in and that will work. History has clearly shown us that that does not work. That does not solve the problem of anti-Semitism. We tried to fit in in Europe and it didn't work. They said, stop trying to become like us. We know you're different. And the more we insist the solution is they just treat us differently. And as Barry was saying to Cheryl, you know, just have more of a focus, then that will solve it. It's not going to work. That's not going to work. The solution is when the Jewish people tell the world who we really are, tell them that we are different and what our difference is about, that we are meant to be not just a nation like other nations, but a light to the nations. We are God's chosen people chosen by him to share his values, share his vision with the world, share his, what he needs the world to become. And we have done that for thousands of years, but after many, many years of persecution, it's told us if we say anything, if we articulate our difference, the world will hate us. They'll try and destroy us. But the truth is now the world is crying out for it. The world is in desperate need of moral leadership, moral clarity. And so part of the difference in treatment is because the world knows we are different. And so we should actually embrace that. This is a real fundamental point. And when people think, well, if we just, if we say that they'll hate it, they won't like it. Actually, no, they won't. They're in desperate need of understanding the purpose for why we're all here. And particularly, by the way, with the issue of Islam and radical Islam in the Middle East, if you understand their narrative around why they hate Israel, it's because they think we are the new chosen people of God. He's dismissed the Jews and the Jews were cursed to wander the earth forever and their covenant was broken with God. So then how do you make sense of the fact that the Jews after 2000 years are returned to the land of Israel? How do you make sense of that? It looks like God never really did abandon the Jews, that their covenant still remains intact. By the way, a covenant that can be broken isn't worth the paper that's written on. But anyway, it's a real threat to their theology. So either God never forsook the Jews and their narrative really is true, or this must be an evil. It's a test from God. Israel is an evil that needs to be eliminated. So how can we think the answer to that problem, to their view of Israel? It's a talk all about how Israel follows international law and is democratic and all these Western secular values. They're not going to care about that. What this comes down to is who are the Jewish people? What is their relationship with God and the world's destiny? And so when people cringe and when I say that we need to be telling them who we are, that we are the Jewish people are God's chosen people chosen to spread his vision and light to the world, well, that really is the only theological paradigm shift that the world needs to take in that will actually solve this problem, especially among the Muslim world. They think God forsook the Jews, they're the new chosen people, they need to understand that's not the case. Everyone has a role in this world, everyone is here because they're needed by God. But to ignore, to dismiss the basic fact of the Jewish people's chosenness and their role in the world is simply going to perpetuate this problem. So we mustn't be shy about it. And the purpose, by the way, of all this denial of the sexual violence and all these things is in some ways to try and intimidate us, to get us to be silent, to get us to feel like we shouldn't speak up and have a voice. But the solution cannot be to hide away. The solution has to be to become even more confident, even more unashamed in not just challenging these ridiculous double standards, but also to be absolutely clear in telling the world what it is that makes us different and why it is that they sense that. Hi, thank you so much for watching. To watch another one, click here. To stay up to date with all our content, click here to subscribe. And if you're able to, you can help support J-TV to grow and grow by clicking join below this video, where you can become a member and get perks, including early access to videos and private live discussions with me. But most of all, you'll be partnering with us on our mission to change the world.