Young secular Israelis are leaving Jerusalem in large numbers. But one secular sector that seems to be growing is the LGBT community, and they are looking to make their mark through more that just the annual “Gay Pride” parade.
To that end, they want more money from the Jerusalem Municipality, so that the holy city will become as gay-friendly as Tel Aviv.
And that resulted in a bit of an explosion at a meeting of the Jerusalem City Council on Sunday.
The council members had gathered atop the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City for a festive event marking Jerusalem Day (which was last Friday). During the gathering one of the council’s younger members, Adir Schwartz, proposed measures to “improve the status” of the LGBT community in Jerusalem.
The N12 news portal reports that didn’t sit well with a number of the other council members, including Deputy Mayor Aryeh King.
“If they (LGBTs) are normal, why do they need special budgets?” wondered King.
Council member Yoni Yosef interrupted Schwartz to remind him: “This is a topic that most of the city’s residents are not interested in. Jerusalem is a holy city.”
Mayor Moshe Leon was harshly criticized by opposition council members for not intervening or at least condemning the remarks of his deputy mayor and coalition partners.
The Jerusalem gay pride parade is scheduled to take place next Thursday, June 1, under heavy security.
When the current government was formed late last year, the head of the far-right Noam party, Avi Maoz, vowed to shut down the Jerusalem pride parade, calling it “a promiscuous abomination” that harms the sanctity of the city.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the time promised that the “Pride Parade in Jerusalem will continue to march,” and that his government would “do nothing to harm the LGBT community.”
The pride parade marches through downtown Jerusalem, provocatively close to ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, while conspicuously avoiding entirely the city’s Muslim neighborhoods.
If they are normal, why they run tantrums??
The unbelief of the gay crowd makes it easy for them to mock the God of Israel, His word tells us He is not mocked. There is mentioned in scripture, I can’t remember where, about an earthquake in Jerusalem toward the latter days where many are killed. Maybe next week?
How can Jews honor what the God of Israel calls an abomination?
PLEASE INCLUDE ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS!
[FROM google translate] I agree with the previous commenters. It is damnable cheek to demand such a thing in the holy city of Jerusalem. These unbelieving residents of Jerusalem do not belong in this city. They should be given the choice of keeping God’s commandments or leaving the city and state of Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu should keep God’s commandments or leave.
Ich schließe mich den Ausführungen der vorherigen Kommentatoren an. Es ist eine verdammungswürdige Frechheit, so etwas in der heiligen Stadt Jerusalem zu verlangen. Diese ungläubigen Bewohner Jerusalems gehören nicht in diese Stadt. Sie sollten vor die Wahl gestellt werden, Gottes Gebote zu halten oder die Stadt und den Staat Israel zu verlassen. Ministerpräsident Netanjahu sollte die Gebote Gottes halten oder gehen.
Avi Maoz is absolutely right in trying to shut down the so-called ‘pride’ march. Israel should do as was done in the OT when the sodomites were cleared out of the land by King Asa see 1 Kings 15/12 and 1 Kings 22/46 under Jehoshaphat. Israel puts itself in a precarious position allowing this March to continue as it is an abomination to Almighty God.
How disgusting !! Netanyahu doesnt know his Bible. I can’t believe its being
allowed to be held in Jerusalem, God’s holy city.
Disgusting, how can you let that happen when you’re a believer?