“There’s a regular harasser who is well known in Tel Aviv clubs,” says Noa, who chose to use a pseudonym. “We were at a club and he came over and kissed me. Just like that. I was drunk and went along with it, but suddenly I came to my senses. I went away and made it clear I didn’t want it. But he didn’t leave me alone all night. He kept coming up to me all the time and kissed me. I pushed him away and he didn’t leave. He kept coming back and kissing me. I assume he also touched me.”

The kind of incident Noa is describing is not unusual or extreme, but an almost daily reality at clubs and other night spots in Tel Aviv. Many women are very familiar with her situation from their personal experience.

The sexual harassment of women under cover of darkness, noise and alcohol has gotten more exposure recently thanks to a spontaneous campaign, “Don’t Kill My Vibe,” started by women clubgoers and bar and club owners. “It’s a taboo,” says Yaron Trax, owner of the club The Block. “It’s something that everyone knows happens, but everyone keeps quiet. Owners don’t want to be known as a place where women are harassed, and they don’t think it can be changed.”

The campaign started with a Facebook post by clubgoer Gili Ron, with the heading, “Dancing with Tears in Our Eyes.” She wrote, “On Friday, I went out with two girlfriends. We went out to dance, to be happy. But everywhere we stood or danced, we encountered a problem. Men don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves. It starts with individual guys inching toward us, and then a circle of young men slowly surrounds us, closer and closer. People left and right are pushing, clinging, touching.”