The Weinstein effect is spreading. The American actresses who have gone public with their stories about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein over the past month undoubtedly inspired Israeli women to speak openly to the media about the men who harassed and assaulted them. There have been dozens of recent headlines about sexual harassment and assault in Israel. One common denominator among so many of them is that the women sharing their stories are well-known, influential figures at the top of their professions.

For the past few years, most of the stories that have come out about sexual assault have featured perpetrators in positions of power over their victims. Senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers were accused of assault, such as retired general and former Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, Ofek Buchris and Liran Hajbi, and major political figures including former President Moshe Katsav, former ministers Haim Ramon and Silvan Shalom, Knesset member Yinon Magal and highly regarded actor Moshe Ivgy.

Each of the brave women who filed complaints showed immense courage by standing up to such wealthy and influential men, although most of them were identified in the media only by the first letter of their names. This last wave, however, is different. The women telling their stories occupy prominent public and professional positions, including top journalists and senior politicians.

Oshrat Kotler, a highly regarded senior anchor on Channel 10 News, admitted during a live broadcast on Nov. 2 that at the start of her career, she was propositioned by Alex Gilady, the president of Keshet Broadcasting, which operates Channel 12. Gilady is one of the most powerful people in the Israeli television industry. Kotler’s account was chilling not only because of the identities of the people involved, but also because of Kotler's public persona as a strong, even combative woman. Nevertheless, like so many women who are targets of sexual harassment, she was afraid to tell her story for years. "It's too bad I wasn't brave enough 15 years ago. I would have spared a lot of women the misery," she said.