Welcome back to Just For This, a new podcast. Each week, host Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (she/her) interviews women in leadership about women and leadership. Inspired by the story of Esther, we feature powerful stories of women who stand out in their fields, who have stepped up just for this moment.

This week's guest is Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy. She is the Sophie Davis Post-Doctoral Fellow on Gender, Conflict Resolution, and Peace at the Leonard David Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the founding head of the Dvora Institute for Gender and Sustainability Studies and a Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. She established and leads the Civil Commission on Oct. 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children.

We note with particular sadness that this week marks just over six months since October 7 and the start of an ongoing war that threatens the safety, lives, and well-being of people in Israel and in Gaza. In our conversation, we also reflect on the urgent need to bring the hostages home, drawing particular attention to the threats of sexual violence against hostages remaining in Gaza.

Content warning for this episode: sexual violence.

Learn more about how Women of Reform Judaism has responded to the war in Israel and Gaza since October 7.

View the transcript here.

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