A week after Flora Levy publicly revealed for the first time that she had been kidnapped and brutally raped over four nights 56 years ago, she is still trying to process the overwhelming response.
The interview, published in Laisha magazine and on its website, drew thousands of comments and messages on social media, many of them offering support and assistance. Friends and acquaintances have now launched a crowdfunding campaign on her behalf.
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Flora Levy: 'If I’d known I would receive such an embrace from the public, I would have spoken out long ago'
(Photo: Oz Mualem)
“The night before the article was published, I didn’t sleep at all,” Levy said. “Carrying a rock like that for so many years is insane. Bringing it out into the open was not an easy task, but I had to do it to give my soul a little peace. I live my tragedy every day, every hour.”
How do you feel after the publication?
“There were moments of light, when I thought, this is it, I’m starting to heal. The positive reactions encouraged me for an hour or two, but after I finished reading them all, I was left alone again with the pain, in the darkness.
“A few days ago, I went to a clinic and suddenly a woman I didn’t know approached me and asked, ‘Aren’t you the one who was in Laisha? Are you Flora?’ I lowered my head and said, ‘Yes.’ She asked, ‘Can I hug you?’ I said yes. She hugged me and asked to take a picture with me.
“I thank everyone who took the time to read and tried to encourage me in the comments. It is not something I take for granted. We have a wonderful people, who know how to embrace someone in difficult moments.”
Many commenters demanded that you reveal the names of the 17 rapists who confessed.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t want to reveal the names, but that is for my personal safety. At the same time, I encourage other women to reveal the names of men who raped them.
“A lot of people wrote in the comments that I’m brave and strong. So there you have it, I’m brave for others and not for myself. Right now I can’t publish the names. The day will come, and it will happen.”
'I always dreamed of fulfilling myself as a writer, not to become famous, but to be able to say: I’m worth something. All these years, I carried a mark of Cain: I was raped'
(Photo: Oz Mualem)
Dozens of comments asked where your biological and adoptive parents were.
“I grew up in a broken family. My biological family didn’t know I was missing because I wasn’t living with them, and my adoptive family thought I was with my biological family.
“In 1970, very few homes had telephone lines. There was barely a phone line for each family, and it was complicated to find things out.”
“I always dreamed of fulfilling myself as a writer, not because I wanted to be famous, but because I wanted to say: I’m worth something. All these years I carried a mark of Cain: I was raped”
Which reactions do you remember most?
“A lot of people wrote that they broke down halfway through reading because my story was so difficult. I’m sorry that I made them sad.
“Someone wrote to me that the rapists weren’t Jews, they were Hamas terrorists. A woman wrote that just the day before, she had watched the new version of the American film I Spit on Your Grave, directed by Meir Zarchi in 1978. The film is about a woman who sets out on a revenge campaign after a gang rape.
“She wrote that the rape in the film was frighteningly similar to mine. Maybe it drew inspiration from my story?”
Do you regret not going public earlier?
“Of course. I beat myself up over it. I should have gone public when it happened, in 1970.
“If I had known I would receive this kind of embrace from the public, I would have revealed myself long ago. If it weren’t for the war, which led me to speak out, I would have remained alone with this tragedy until the day I died.”
A group of people has launched a crowdfunding campaign for you.
“I’m grateful for it, and I hope that with the help of the campaign I’ll be able to publish my story. My drawers are full of things I’ve written.
“I always dreamed of fulfilling myself as a writer, not because I wanted to be famous, but because I wanted to say: I’m worth something. All these years I carried a mark of Cain: I was raped. I want to prove to myself that something came out of me.
“I also hope the crowdfunding will help me buy a small apartment. Having to worry every month about paying the rent gives me anxiety.
“If there are good people who want to help me live better for the rest of my life, without judging me and without telling me anything, I would appreciate it very much. I would like everyone to say to themselves: This could have happened to my daughter or my granddaughter.”
Dalia Levy, 65, a close friend of Flora’s and a retiree from Holon, said Flora has barely left home since the interview was published.
“She says she still doesn’t feel secure enough,” Dalia said. “She cried a great deal in recent days because of the reactions.
“On the one hand, she felt that people were strengthening her. On the other, it was difficult for her to read that people were taking her story so hard. She feels uncomfortable and doesn’t know how to deal with it.
“She suffered for so many years. I’m glad to discover that people care about her.”
Hava Habaz, 56, who has been Flora’s friend for 32 years and encouraged her to tell her story publicly, said she had long urged her to confront the trauma.
“Many times I told Flora, ‘This can’t go on like this. If you don’t close the circle, it won’t end,’” Habaz said.
“When I first heard her horrific story, I couldn’t understand how she could stay silent and not tell anyone, or how anyone could go on living after something like that.
“I was afraid to read the article, and I was also worried there would be comments that would hurt her. I hope the crowdfunding helps her and that her life becomes easier and more peaceful.”
- To donate to Flora Levy’s crowdfunding campaign, click here