The first essay contest was dedicated to the film "A Whore Like Me," screened as part of the Amirim Club. The winning essay was a response to the film written by Yonadav Samet (class of 2022). Yonadav chose to donate the 1,000 shekel prize to Woman to Woman, a Jerusalem shelter for battered women. The full essay (in Hebrew) is available at the bottom of the page.
Here are a few words from Yonadav about his essay and about the "Woman to Woman" organization:
As part of the Amirim Club's discussion on trafficking in women, we watched a documentary film called "A Whore Like Me". The film follows Chila, a trafficking survivor, on her agonizing quest to receive Israeli citizenship. At first impression, the film raises an important, yet obvious, criticism of prostitution clients and those who treat women with disrespect. A deeper understanding moves the criticism beyond the abovementioned, towards us, Israeli society as a whole, asking us to intervene, to reach out to the women, and put an end to the injustice.
I chose to donate the prize from the essay contest to the "Woman to Woman" organization. The orginazation helps rehabilitate women leaving the spiral of prostitution and women who have suffered violence. The shelter provides refuge and security to any woman in need, and assists in communication with the various welfare authorities. In light of Chila's unfortunate story, I felt it was right to donate the money to such a cause.
Thank you to the judging committee - Neta Dagan (class of 2020), Anna Eisenstat (class of 2021), and Eli Friedman (class of 2020) - and to the contest organizer, Orielle Levy (class of 2020)!