OUTLOOKjune2014.pg85.qxp_OUTLOOK OHIO TEMPLATE 5/23/14 5:06 AM Page 1
trippin’ out
Pride Around the World Jerusalem Open House: Struggling for Equality in the Holy City by Aaron Leventhal
fortable living room with couches and cushy chairs where everyone can come to relax or I recently visited Israel’s capital city of meet informally. On Sunday evenings we operJerusalem and had an opportunity to interview ate a professionally staffed HIV and STD clinic. Tom Canning, the development coordinator for There are several small staff rooms we use the Jerusalem Open House of Pride and Toler- primarily for youth counseling and meetings. ance. JOH is non-religious and open to everyone. Our Tom is gay and lives with a straight and a gay constituency is comprised of secular and reliroommate. After serving in the Israeli Army, he gious Jews, Arabs, Christians and straights. is majoring in East Asian studies and ecoOur youth support program works with schoolnomics at Hebrew University. age teens and young people recently out of school or in the army. The son of an Israeli mother and Irish father, he was born and raised in Kfar Saba, a vibrant AL: What are the biggest issues facing your community near Tel Aviv and a partner city of organization? the Columbus Jewish Federation. TC: Bullying of gays is rampant in the schools and in the Israeli Armed Forces. It is cruel and Aaron Leventhal: What is the Jerusalem demeaning and can turn physically abusive or Open House? violent. Combatting this is one of our major Tom Canning: JOH, established in 1997 as a priorities. grassroots organization, was created to be the community center for the LGBT community. AL: Compare the gay scene in Jerusalem to Until recently, it was the only way to meet gays that of Tel Aviv. in Jerusalem. TC: Tel Aviv is totally open and gay-friendly. Couples freely embrace one another in public. It is located on the second floor of a commer- Jerusalem is different. It’s a conservative city cial building, so anyone can enter inconspicu- and tolerant only if you remain within its conously. Our staff includes executive director and servative norms for both straights and gays respected feminist activist Elinor Side, along pertaining to appearance and public displays with a youth worker, a clinic manager and my- of affection. self. The ultra-religious community, Haridi, is not A turning point came when, after years of homophobic. It’s actually the extremist politicampaigning, the municipality agreed to con- cal right that promulgates the hatred and tribute 15 percent of our $300,000 annual hostilities. budget. Tel Aviv has a wide array of gay bars, dining AL: What services does JOH provide? and entertainment venues. I know only of the TC: First and foremost, we have a large com- Video Pub and Oliver Twist as establishments outlookohio.com
catering to the LGBT community in Jerusalem. and time. He was bearded, wore a long black coat and never spoke to anyone. He would take AL: What is the status of gay rights, and a bag that we stored for him and put on a specifically gay marriage, today in Israel? dress with high heels, sit quietly in the corner TC: Israel’s laws do not single out gays, but of the lounge for about an hour. Then he would there are definite laws prohibiting discrimina- change and leave, returning the following tion against anyone in matters such as emweek. Eventually he stopped his visits, but we ployment and purchasing or renting property. were pleased to have offered him a safe place Most of our legal achievements have been for whatever issues he was dealing with. reached through the courts and not the legislature. “Our organization takes pride in shaping the future for an open and pluralistic community. However, there are significant roadblocks to JOH serves everyone.” total equality, with marriage as an example. A straight couple that does not want to go through a religious ceremony in Israel ... can go abroad, get married and return to Israel with all the rights granted to any married couple. However, gays who are married abroad are not granted full marital rights. For example, if a gay partner dies it is not automatic that his or her partner receives the property. The same with adoption. One partner is recognized as the legal partner, and the other partner must go though adoption procedures. There is a legal industry emerging in Israel to deal with all the convoluted laws affecting gays. Tom concluded our interview with a poignant story that illustrates the importance of the Jerusalem Open House for all Jerusalem residents - Jews, Arabs, LGBT, ultra-orthodox, everyone. “Recently an ultra-orthodox Jew began coming into the center every week on the same day
Columbus freelance journalist Aaron Leventhal is involved in organizing a unique, three-week volunteer program through Skilled Volunteers for Israel this coming December. For more information, go to leventhaltravel.com.
LGBT Jerusalem Gay Pride Week: It’s held annually at the end of July. The Pride march attracted a record 4,000 participants last year and is funded in part by the Jerusalem City Council. Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride Week is festive, while Jerusalem views its activities as politically motivated. Community Shabbat Dinners: They’re held monthly with a progressive service and potluck supper. There are also youth groups and HIV testing and an Israeli group similar to our PFLAG. For more information on JOH programs and services, go to joh.org.il. You can translate the site into English by clicking a tab at the top of the homepage.
Flights from Cleveland or Akron/Canton to Jerusalem start at around $1,700 round trip.
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