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Tel Aviv Remembers LGBT Center’s Bloody Day

Posted by: Lez Get Real on August 1, 2010.

Ronnie and Elior

One Sabbath earlier this year, a small group of young gay and lesbian Israelis all from Tel Aviv came to Marin County where I live, to my Synagogue, to pray. Two barely years older than my own, stood up to speak to our large congregation, concluding with many a tear in response to the harrowing account of that bloody day.

The Tel Aviv LGBT Center was a safe place for LGBT youth, their refuge, their playground; their home away from home – and perhaps for some, the only place that felt like home. One of our speakers spoke of being kicked out by his parents for being gay; while the other spoke of the acceptance by his father, a Rabbi. Some parents believed their sons and daughters were safe, in the celebration of their sexuality and never thought to worry that hate could come from within.

Yet on that day one year ago, friends and counselors lay bleeding on the floor, dead and maimed all because of the hate of one man, probably fuelled by others through whatever form of provocation, perhaps religious fervor of the extremist or perhaps confounding insanity; we do not know until the shooter is caught. However what we do know is that an attack on a LGBT Center is an attack on LGBT love. It was a crime of rage ignited by hate.

Today 3,000 people joined a memorial march marking one year since the mayhem at a gay youth club in Tel Aviv. The marchers left Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Avenue and made their way to Meir Park carrying torches and banners reading “Homophobia is equal to racism.”

Israel is not unused to violence from its enemies and people are probably more prepared than we anywhere in the world to deal with shocking realities when they occur; however when I interviewed the teens who had been there that day, they said nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.

“The murder shows the contemptuous attitude toward the gay community,” Ayala Katz, mother of Nir who was murdered in the attack. “With all the emotions and sadness and yearning for Nir, I also have enormous optimism that we will be able to talk to all. Only dialogue will bring us all, Israeli society, to a different place.”

Noa Raz, activist and counselor, who accompanied the teens to the USA that visit, went to the aid of the wounded and dying as did Elior Chen and Ronnie Klein, (pictured) who both ran down to the Center after hearing about the shooting, saying they will never be able to forget what they saw and felt; the overwhelming breach of the bounds of their special safe space and how their own faith has stood at the helm of their passion to continue to be openly gay and lesbian regardless of religious extremists.

Elior comes from an orthodox background and Noa, deeply religious and fervently determined to prayer with her “Tiffilin” (daily practice usually reserved for men only) asserting her equality as a female Jew. Elior, Ronnie and Noa have recently entered into marriages with their respective partners.

While the organizers of the march called for donations to assist those left disabled after the hateful attack, the heart wrenching memorial was marred by the knowledge that the Israeli Government has failed to provide support for the victims of the deadly day, especially those injured and maimed, as they do not recognize this tragedy as ‘hate crimes.’

This caused a stir at the memorial itself when people heckled the Education Minister, who was the only government official present and speaking in support of LGBT education.

Israel is one of the few countries that has marriage equality under its civil law. Yet MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) asserts “The fact that those injured in the attack are not recognized in Israel of 2010 as hate crime victims, and are not supported by the State, is proof of the inadequacy of Israeli society,” to Ynet on Saturday.

by Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com