Strong Show of Solidarity for Tel Aviv Tragedy in DC

Martine Kaplan — August 4, 2009 – 1:03 pm | Civil Rights | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Last night, I attended a vigil for the victims of the shooting at the Aguda Center in Tel Aviv. Although we don’t yet know the identity of the killer or motivation behind the crime, it was reaffirming to see so many turn out in support of the Tel Aviv LGBT community. The speakers included a wide array of community leaders from both the LGBT and Jewish communities, from Andrew Barnett, Executive Director of the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League to Martin Peled-Flax of the Israeli Embassy and representatives of all denominations.

Strong statements were made about the meaning of the attack. Flax told the audience how the attack was an assault on “Israel’s civil society as a whole,” because Israel is the only county in the Middle East where such an attack could take place.

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of Ohev Shalom also made a powerful statement, wondering if the rhetoric of the Orthodox community contributed to the climate that made such violence possible. He called for a community pledge against gay bashing and homophobia.

The event was covered by major Jewish and Israeli newspapers—hopefully our support over here will show Israelis who may feel victimized at the moment that they have the support of Jewish LGBT communities around the world. Safe spaces like the Aguda Center are hard to find, and when they are found it can be even harder to bring oneself take advantage of their services. It’s tragic to see such brave people gunned down in the process of supporting one another. It gave me great pride and comfort to take part in such a great show of solidarity.

To see a video of the vigil, go here.

UPDATE: Click here to see a great article in the Washington Blade about the event.

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