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Columbia University Kicks Off Campus Tour of Oct. 7 Hamas Sexual Abuse Doc Hosted by Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg
To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Columbia University hosted on Sunday night a screening of “Screams Before Silence,” a documentary hosted by former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg about sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists during their onslaught.
In the 60-minute documentary, Sandberg interviews eyewitnesses, released hostages, first responders, medical and forensic experts, and survivors of the Hamas terrorist attack about the women and girls who were raped, assaulted, and mutilated by Hamas terrorists, in some cases while being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Sandberg, who is also the founder of LeanIn.org, said in an Instagram post following the screening at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs that “Screams Before Silence” is going on a college tour this fall and will be screened at more than 100 college and university campuses. The goal is to raise awareness about the Oct. 7 attack and counteract increasing antisemitism on campuses in the US. Sunday night’s screening at Columbia was the official kickoff of the film’s tour across campuses.
“It’s hard to believe that we are here. And it’s more important than ever that students are able to openly discuss the atrocities Hamas committed on Oct. 7 and its aftermath — without fear of intimidation or aggression because of who they are or what they believe,” said Sandberg. “I hope these screenings continue to be a place for civil and productive discourse.”
After the screening at Columbia University, which was coordinated in collaboration with Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Sandberg moderated a panel discussion with Sheila Katz, the CEO of the National Council for Jewish Women, Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal, and professor Magda Schaler-Haynes, who teaches health policy and management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
“We talked about the widespread refusal to condemn Hamas;s sexual violence — including a story I heard that students are walking around some campuses with “rape is resistance” stickers on their laptops,” Sandberg said. “We also discussed the rise of antisemitic incidents on campuses: 73 percent of Jewish college students experienced or witnessed antisemitism in the last school year. This scary reality hit close to home when I dropped my child at college a couple of months ago and saw a campus stall with a big sign that read ‘Safety and Security for Jewish Students.’”
“All of us have a role to play in making sure that sexual violence is never used as a tool of war,” she added. “Rape is never resistance.”
Watch the trailer for “Screams Before Silence” below.
The post Columbia University Kicks Off Campus Tour of Oct. 7 Hamas Sexual Abuse Doc Hosted by Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UK Police Charge Two Men in Connection with Filming Antisemitic TikTok Videos
The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company’s US head office in Culver City, California, US, Sep. 15, 2020. Photo: REUTERS
British police have charged two men with religiously aggravated harassment offenses after they were alleged to have traveled to a Jewish area of north London to film antisemitic social media videos.
The two men, Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, are due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court, a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service said on Saturday.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Companies It Accuses of Aiding Iran’s Weapons Sector
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, over accusations they aided Iran’s efforts to secure weapons and the raw materials needed to build its Shahed drones and ballistic missiles.
The Treasury move, first reported by Reuters, comes days before US President Donald Trump plans to travel to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping and as efforts to end the war with Iran have stalled.
In a statement, Treasury said it remained ready to take economic action against Iran’s military industrial base to prevent Tehran from reconstituting its production capacity.
Treasury said it was also prepared to act against any foreign company supporting illicit Iranian commerce, including airlines, and could impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that aid Iran’s efforts, including those connected to China’s independent “teapot” oil refineries.
Brett Erickson, managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, said Treasury’s actions were aimed at cracking down on Iran’s ability to threaten ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz and regional allies.
Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes, after the US and Israel attacked a large number of targets in Iran on February 28. Shipping through the crucial waterway has ground to a near halt since the war began, sending energy prices sharply higher.
Iran is a major drone manufacturer and has the industrial capacity to produce around 10,000 a month, according to the British government-fund Center for Information Resilience.
Erickson said the sanctions were still narrowly focused, giving Iran more time to adapt and reroute procurement to other suppliers. Treasury was also not yet going after Chinese banks that were keeping Iran’s economy going, he added.
The companies facing sanctions include:
• China-based Yushita Shanghai International Trade Co Ltd for facilitating acquisition efforts for Iran to purchase weapons from China.
• Dubai-based Elite Energy FZCO for transferring millions of dollars to a Hong Kong company to aid the procurement effort.
• Hong Kong-based HK Hesin Industry Co Ltd and Belarus-based Armory Alliance LLC for working as intermediaries in the procurements.
• Hong Kong-based Mustad Ltd for facilitating weapon procurement by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
• Iran-based Pishgam Electronic Safeh Co for procuring motors used in drones.
• China-based Hitex Insulation Ningbo Co Ltd for supplying materials used in ballistic missiles.
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Gaza Flotilla Activists to Be Released From Israel Detention and Deported
Brazilian Activist Thiago Avila, who was detained aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, appears at a court in Beersheba, southern Israel May 6, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Two activists arrested last month when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla they were traveling on are expected to be deported in the coming days after being released from security detention on Saturday, their lawyers said.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities on April 29 and brought to Israel.
The activists were part of a second Global Sumud Flotilla launched from Spain on April 12 to try to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering aid to the enclave.
Israel’s foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization and Avila was suspected of illegal activity. Both denied the allegations.
BRAZIL AND SPAIN SAID THE DETENTION WAS UNLAWFUL
The governments of Spain and Brazil said Abu Keshek’s and Avila’s detention was unlawful, but Israel’s Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court remanded them in custody until May 10.
Human rights group Adalah, which has assisted in their legal defense and also said the detention was unlawful, said that Abu Keshek and Avila were informed that they will be released from detention on Saturday and handed over to immigration authorities’ custody until their deportation.
“Adalah is closely monitoring developments to make sure that the release from detention goes ahead, followed by their deportation from Israel in the coming days,” the group said. Israeli officials were not immediately reachable for comment.
Israeli authorities held them under suspicion of offenses that included aiding the enemy and contact with a terrorist group.
Gaza is largely run by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.