Episode 28 - Sex Trafficking in the Jewish Community: The Case of Zwi Migdal

In this episode Ariella and Sara Rosenberg (of Jewish Survivors United) discuss the history of the infamous Jewish sex-trafficking organization, Zwi Migdal, which operated globally from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, trafficking women and girls from eastern European Shtetls to brothels they maintained around the world. Women and girls abducted by these traffickers would be sent around the world, cut off from their families, and forced into prostitution by the men in Zwi Migdal.

This episode discusses the beginnings of Zwi Migdal, the methods they used to get their victims, and the response of the Jewish community to the threat they posed. Over the course of this discussion, parts of the response of the Jewish community today to modern issues of sexual violence may seem similar to the way the community responded then, and in some ways the community then acted more responsibly than the community does today. It's important to know this history so we can recognize and combat the modern threats of sexual violence in our community.

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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.abebooks.com/9780679311638/Bodies-Souls-Tragic-Plight-Three-0679311637/plp

https://www.abebooks.com/9780805238662/Prostitution-Prejudice-Jewish-Fight-Against-0805238662/plp

The following two books were not used in making this episode but are nonetheless excellent resources on this subject: 

https://www.amazon.com/Tmeiin-jud%C3%ADos-impuros-Historia-Spanish-ebook/dp/B07CYZMXDD

https://www.abebooks.com/9789500727105/Infierno-Prometido-Promise-Prostituta-Zwi-9500727102/plp