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WHO ARE WE? My name is Michael DORFMAN. I'm one of the leading specialists in public organization and public relations in the Russian community in Israel. During 8 years I edited and published a newspaper , was engaged in publicity. I guided the Russian headquarters of the association "One nation - one mobilization" which worked to support Barak's law for mobilization of yeshiva's students. I was political consultant of Jacob Terner, the present city mayor, to Russian questions. I have much experience working in commercial advertisement and public relations. I'm the press secretary of the association "Le Merkhav". We differ from other non-profitable organizations in that that we act within the Russian community. We have much experience in publicity companies, pressure groups. We have found ways of instilling and spreading information among different groups of population.
WAYS OF SOLVING. Accordingly to the accumulated information our organization' "Le Merkhav" has worked out the following projects: Public relations and installation of advertisement in houses of prostitution and other places of sex-business. 1. Advertisement material and PR penetration to the world of isolated teen-agers. 2. Using the 12 steps model of Anonymous Alcoholics in solving problems of people kept by force. 3. Organization of shelters for slaves. It's a shame that the only place where people are kept before departing from Israel is a prison. 4. Assistance in leaving. Today people are expelled like criminals, they are too frightened to ask for help.
BACKGROUND. 1. During my work as a publisher, an editor of a local weekly magazine "Negev" in Russian language there fell into my hands varoius information about women and children kept in Israel under compulsion. In 1994 I undertook to write a report on the topic, collected information about the group of girls in houses of prostitution in Beer-Sheva and Ashkelon in barrack-like style. The girls were not allowed to get out alone, they were brought to the beach, restaurants and shopping places under escort of 2-3 watchmen. To buy a bottle of water, the girls had to pay a watchman 50-60 NIS a bottle. I managed to establish a connection with one of the girls in order to prepare a report. Several people came to my office and threatened my family and me. Finally I didn't make the report, so as not to prevent the girl from escaping from Israel. The information I gathered was sent to the police. It was enough to make a court-case against the owner of the houses of the prostitution, the watchman and other criminals for threatening, extortions and inveigle into prostitution the new immigrants from former USSR. 2. In 1995 I was in Kharkov (Ukraine) with a mission from the Ministry of Interior (Bureau of connections with Jews of USSR "NATIV"). There I've obtained information on marketing "live goods" from East Ukraine to the East Mediterranean countries including Israel. Also I followed there several dealers recruiting women for work and for becoming prostitutes. I'm aware of seven cases where girls were taken by force. Besides this when I was in Kharkov, I received information about a girl by name Helene Diatchenko, who after her family members testimony, was invited to Israel as a musician, but lately kept in Israel by force. I sent this material to "NATIV", but I have no knowledge about her fate. 3. In 1996 I received information about tourist agent Leonid N. from Beer-Sheva and his employer a certain Alexander from Ashkelon who dealt with illegal import of workers from Ukraine. I met them in order to find out their method to get details. In addition I understood that they were involved in the export of girls who were kept there under compulsion. Among other things I was told about the fate of girls named Slava and Ira from West Ukraine that were used as sexual objects in houses of prostitution in Ashkelon, Beer-Sheva and Tel-Aviv and later on sold to Egypt. I understood also that the company made a business of export of children for adoption and selling girls according to individual orders. I sent the information to the manager of the South department of struggle who Fraud commissar Misha Shauli ( later police attache in Moscow). He sent me a detective Ziv to whom I reported. But the criminal activity was not stopped. 4. In 1997 I was a line producer and in cooperation with the Russian TV company "Top secret" participated in creation of a film about the Russian Jew Gregory Lerner, which was kept in Israeli prison. Also, we made together a series of reports about Russian Mafiosi, which were under trial or in prisons of USA and Switzerland Alexander Taranzev , Mikhailov etc. At that time the question of export of "live goods" against their will was arising repeatedly and we even decided to make a project on this subject. Unfortunately, the finance crash of Russian economy in 1997 put an end to our plans. All collected materials and documents remained in Moscow. 5. In 1998 I was the leader of the Negev department of the movement "Alternative" that assisted individually the emigrants from former USSR. In 1999 we created the south non-profitable organization "La Merkhav". "La Merkhav" assist children-victims of racism and ethnic violation in Southern schools and in the army. "La Merkhav" sponsors four groups of encouragement of racial victims, acting according to the principle of twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. "La Merkhav" opened the hot line for solders and schoolchildren, who suffered from displays of ethnic violation. Besides it, we help the children of illegal workers and other people living in Israel illegally to get into kindergartens. We came across the cases when people, especially children, were kept in Israel by force. We provided these data to police and welfare organizations, but we have no impression that the police possess adequate instructions and necessary tools to act properly.
Given my insufficient knowledge of English it's preferable to provide an interpreter in case of our meeting.
Sincerely, Michael DORFMAN.
Israel: 1) In that document UN Human Rights Committee expresses deep concern about Israeli basic laws: they do not match international (UN and other) standards and are in contradiction with democratic principles
2) The UN Human Rights Committee expresses concern over the situation of women who continue to face discrimination in many aspects of life, including in military service and in religious institutions, and that they are underrepresented in the conduct of public affairs.
3) The Committee regrets that women brought to Israel for purposes of prostitution, many under false pretences or through coercion, are not protected as victims of trafficking but are likely to be penalized for their illegal presence in Israel. Such an approach to this problem effectively prevents these women from pursuing a remedy for the violation of their rights under article 8 of the Covenant. The Committee recommends that serious efforts be made to seek out and punish the traffickers, to institute rehabilitation programmes for the victims and to ensure that they are able to pursue legal remedies against the perpetrators.
4) The Committee express a deep concern about the Levy-Landau law, which legally allows tortures in Israel
5) The Committee regrets that the authorities appear to be placing obstacles in the way of family reunion in the case of marriages between an Israeli citizen and a non-citizen who is not Jewish (and therefore not entitled to enter under the Law of Return). These obstacles, which include long waiting periods for entry permits, a "probation" period of over five years' residence to establish that the marriage is genuine and a further waiting period for citizenship
6) The Committee is concerned at the preference given to the Jewish religion in the allocation of funding for religious bodies, to the detriment of Muslims, Christians, Druze and other religious groups. The Committee recommends that regulations and criteria for funding be published and applied to all religious groups on an equal basis.
7) The Committee is concerned that the application of religious law to determine matters of personal status, including marriage and divorce, and the absence of provision for civil marriage effectively deny some persons the right to marry in Israel, and result in inequality between men and women. It is also concerned that the minimum age of marriage for girls, fixed by law at 17, may be reduced by the religious courts, and that no minimum age is fixed for men. The lack of provision for civil burial is also a matter of concern. The Committee urges early implementation of measures currently under consideration to facilitate civil marriages and civil burial for those who do not belong to a religion. It recommends that the State party take into account international standards for the age of majority in its current review of the minimum marriageable age for men and women.
see the whole document on next kunk (below): http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/documentation/tbodies/ ccpr-c-79-add93.htm
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/documentation/ genassembly/a-54-184.htm
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/documentation/ commission/1999-5.htm
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/documentation/ genassembly/a-54-182.htm
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/documentation/commission/ 1999-5.htm
UN Human Rights Reports Search for "Israel" Results:
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/search.asp?target= Israel&Scope=%2Ffortherecord1999%2F&maxhits= 1000&goButton=+Search+&navEvent=Top
(Amnesty Internationsal links): http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1997/MDE/index.html 1997 Amnesty International Reports on Middle East and North Africa
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1997/SUM/51500397.htm Administrative Detention: Despair, Uncertainty and Lack of Due Process
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/countries/indx515.htm Publications on Israel (the State of) and the Occupied Territories
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1997/SUM/index.html Summaries of 1997 Amnesty International Reports
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1997/MDE/51500397.htm Administrative Detention: Despair, Uncertainty and Lack of Due Process
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1994/MDE/150294.MDE.txt Hostages taking, detention without trial, tortures and killings
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1994/MDE/150194.MDE.txt Medical concerns
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1994/MDE/150394.MDE.txt Israel is a country, where tortures, batteries and murders of imprisoned people are officially permitted!!!
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1994/MDE/150594.MDE.txt Mordekhai VANUNU case
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/ar97/MDE18.htm Lebanon - Israeli war crimes
http://www.amnesty.org/news/1995/Israel.96.02.26.txt Killings of Civilians
http://www.amnesty.org/news/1995/Israel.96.02.12.txt Security is Not an Excuse For Brutality
http://www.amnesty.org/news/1995/ai.96.02.05.txt Massive Condemnation of Israel
http://www.amnesty.org/news/1995/Israel.95.10.05.txt End the Tortures!
http://www.amnesty.org/news/1995/Israel.95.09.13.txt New Killings
http://www.amnesty.org/news/1995/Israel.16.08.95.txt All World Call to End Tortires
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1998/MDE/50100298.htm Israel is listed among the most brutal countries
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1998/MDE/50100798.htm Israel takes civilian hostiges
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/countries/indx515.htm Summary
(Derechos Links:)
TORTURES
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/250598.html?Israel#first_hit Israel: Fear of torture of 15 detained person, including two children
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/ 030697.html?Israel#first_hit Israel: Petition to stop torturing Omar Ghanimat denied by High Court
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/040698.html?Israel#first_hit Israel: Hebron man tortured
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/060798.html? Israel#first_hit Israel: Detention and torture of Palestinian student
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/1.html?Israel#first_hit Urgent Action Israel: Threats against Human Rights NGO Director
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/160798.html?Israel#first_hit Israel: Arrest and possible torture of Palestinian man
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/161198.html?Israel#first_hit Israel: Arbitrary Arrest and Ill-Treatment of Two Elderly Lebanese Case ISR 161198
http://www.derechos.org/omct/actions/isr/220797cc.html?Israel#first_hit Israel: Ibrahim Tawfiq Abu Ratima Shot and Killed by Israeli Soldiers
Derechos search for "Israel": http://www.archivos.org/search/wwwwais/wwwwais.cgi http://www.archivos.org/search/wwwwais/wwwwais.cgi?keywords=Israel
http://www.millenniumforum.org/
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/ http://www.derechos.org/nizkor/impu/tpi/helms2.html http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/actions/ot/para1.html http://193.135.156.15/html/69b6685c93d9f25180256498005063da.html http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/961117.html http://www.birzeit.edu/press/1996/torture.html http://www.umn.edu/humanrts/catIsrael94.htm http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1998/MDE/ai_israel_nov1.html http://www.amnesty.org/cgi-bin/aisearch http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?sc=on&hl=on&q= Russians+in+Israel&kl=XX&pg=q&search.x=27&search.y=8
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