Some 25,000 Israelis, including dozens of Knesset members, marched in Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade on July 21. They were taking part in much more than a heart-warming show of strength by the LGBTQ community. More than ever, it was a demonstration of enlightened liberalism. At the largest gay pride parade that Jerusalem has ever seen, it was a comforting final note after a very harsh week for the LGBTQ community.
It all began with a July 13 speech by Rabbi Yigal Levenstein, the head of the pre-military service yeshiva in the settlement of Eli, in which he called gays and lesbians “perverts.” These disparaging and insulting remarks, made by the head of an influential educational institution, were surprising not only in their crassness, but also because they were made openly, at a public conference. Then came a letter in support of Levenstein signed by 300 prominent rabbis. It was suddenly obvious that despite the enormous progress that Israel’s gay community has made over the past few years in the struggle for equal rights, there is still a long way to go.
