Posted on 04/19/2005 1:08:56 PM PDT by Alouette
Religious leaders from the three major non-orthodox streams of Judaism joined forces with Jerusalem's Gay and Lesbian center on Tuesday in support of a major international gay parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem this summer, calling the controversial event "a basic democratic right."
The rare show of unity among conservative (masorti), reform, and reconstructionalist Rabbis in favor of the parade came on the heels of a similarly unusual alliance of senior religious leaders of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam based in Jerusalem who have come out vociferously against the 10-day event, which they view as a deliberate affront and provocation to millions of believers around the world.
"I come here in the wake of the strange coalition of leaders that was brought together by intolerance, extremism, and fanaticism," said Rabbi Ehud Bandel, the head of Israel's Masorti movement, at a press conference at Jerusalem's Gay and Lesbian center.
"We are here to convey the message that Judaism is based on respect for each and every human being," he said.
Reconstructionist Rabbi Amy Klein opined that holding the planned event in the Holy Land will demonstrate that "people from all over the world can come together in Jerusalem around a peaceful and spiritual message," while Rabbi Na'amah Kelman-Ezrachi of Israel's Reform Movement said that the festivities will embrace all Jews "as well as people of any other faith."
Responding to the union between the non-orthodox streams of Judaism and the Jerusalem's homosexual community, New York Rabbi Yehuda Levin, a representative of 1,000 Orthodox Rabbis from the 'Rabbinical Alliance of America,' who has been playing an active role to stop the event, said Tuesday that the liberal religious leaders were "turning Judaism on its head" by "taking a trip back from holiness to paganism."
"The liberal streams of Judaism are contributing to a tremendous decline in morality which seems to be following an absolute historic pattern of leading to a total breakdown and corruption of societies' values," he said in a telephone interview from New York.
The campaign against the gay parade got underway last month after an American Evangelical preacher joined forces with strictly conservative Jewish religious leaders to prevent the August parade from taking place in the Holy Land.
Their campaign then spurred a public meeting of top religious leaders, including the Chief Rabbinate and the senior representatives of Christianity in the Holy Land, who, in a rare show of unity, called on the government to step in and cancel the event.
As the debate over the international gay pride parade rages, and those more conservative religious leaders opposed to the event look for both public and divine intervention, police said Tuesday that no decision had been taken yet on whether to ask organizers to postpone the event since their forces will be overburdened with the concomitant withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
The prerogative for issuing permits for marches and other public events in the country rests with the police.
The 10-day international gay event is scheduled to begin on August 18, just three days after the touted new date for the planned month-long Gaza withdrawal.
Even before the conflict with the Gaza pullout emerged, the idea of holding such an international parade in Jerusalem was a source of bitter controversy.
In a largely conservative city, with a strong religious and traditional makeup, the idea of holding such an international parade in Jerusalem is seen by many - even outside of religious circles - as out of touch with both the spiritual character of the city as well as the sensitivities of its observant residents. A recent public opinion poll indicated that three-quarters of Jerusalem's residents were opposed to holding the event, while only a quarter supported it.
The Dahaf institute poll taken last month among 400 people found that among Jerusalem Arabs a whopping 96 percent opposed the event.
Jerusalem held its first annual local gay parade only three years ago.
The event, which draws several thousand participants, has been the source of repeated debate each year, with many religious city councilors and a significant number of city residents considering such an event inappropriate for a "holy" city.
The last international gay parade, which took place in Rome in 2000 despite the wrath of the Vatican, attracted about half a million participants, while local organizers had been expecting tens of thousands of revelers for the Jerusalem event this summer.
JINOs
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
"Liberal Rabbis Endorse Sodom and Gomorrah" (completely believable).
No duh!
That's what they're all about. How their lusty lifestyle gets approved by any denomination that knows God is beyond me. Lust fed defiles all morals!
This is a Jackie Mason moment.
Rumor had it that they were planning an event in Mecca. I don't know if the rumor ever turned to reality though.
This is with a "religious" Mayor, Uri Lupolianski.
Shame on you Uri for further embarrassing Jews around the world
They should have their "celebration" at the Dead Sea. Better yet, try to hold it in Mecca - see how long they last there.
Since that's the neighborhood where Sedom va`Amorah were located, it would be entirely appropriate.
Jerusalem to be offically re-named,.....'Sodom'....
India-Mystics welcome queer Kaballahists from Hollywood,Is-real?
/sarcasm
Silly me. I thought it was based on the Torah.
One of the greatest proofs of the existence of G-d is the hatred of His enemies. If the world really were merely a closed natural system of random causes and effects and entirely physical in nature (with no combat between spiritual forces of good and evil), then why are so many non-Theists and atheists spendind their lives crusading for a twisted morality that is the polar opposite of HaShem's? Why don't they live their lives as though the word were as meaningless and random as they claim to believe it is? But no. Instead we get these crusaders who insist that the "meaningless" universe not only is developing teleologically through history, but imposes a morality on its inhabitants.
If I ever got to believing that the world were random and meaningless, I sure wouldn't waste my time crusading for "social justice." But I've said that before.
I read somewhere that Lupolianski said that he is intentionally giving the impression that he isn't doing anything about this. It's easy to be disappointed with his performance on this issue so far, but this possibility should be kept in mind.
I don’t believe this, Especially given the fact that since his election the Annual Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem has become larger and larger, and he always supported them.
Yes, Unfortunately.
I had so much hope for him on this issue - but Uri has been so disappointing.
I'm sure sick of secular, liberal Jews speaking on behalf of Judaism.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
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