Apparently, the planned gay-pride parade through Jerusalem has been cancelled as a result of threats of violence. I agree with Rabbi Grossman that this is a shame: Capitulating to threats only emboldens those who seek to use intimidation as a tool.
Worse still, reports about the cancellation quote Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders denouncing the march. With all the vital issues that need moral leadership in the world–from fighting poverty to working to end bloodshed–the one issue that serves to unite everyone is hate.
It is the victory of fear over hope.
Fear and Homophobia in Jerusalem
Friday November 10, 2006
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This blog is no longer updated and is closed for comments. We welcome your comments about Judaism in our Judaism forums.
Brad Hirschfield currently blogs on Windows and Doors.
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Listed as one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and a regular commentator on Court TV, he is the creator of the popular series, Building Bridges, airing on Bridges TV, and the co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula.
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William, You're right. For myself, there is only one God I must "worry" about. I was merely trying to include all religions with my statement above. And the main point of my log was simply this: Somewhere in the bible it says that we do not have the power to Judge others...again, we must leave that to the higher power, being, god, ect....So the bible says it's against God's law to be gay...well the bible also says you shouldn't judge....this is the hypocrisy that frustrates me so.. Be Well....too. Liz
When God made man He said for him to reproduce and to subdue the earth. He has laws and reasoning behind His Will, it is not about our own need to satisfy our sexual desires. What about Sodom? Has man been so self consumed that we have forgot about Gods wrath? Jerusalem is Gods land and to let ones who openly defy Him is hate within itself.
I think there is an issue of violence vs. non violence, and here violence won. The intriguing thing is that the gay community is perhaps the most non violent community on Earth, they can have 250,000 or up to a million people in a march and not have a single violent incident (except maybe from homophobes). This is quite remarkable living in our society. And the gay community has never been an agressor against Jews, yet so much anger towards gays from a small group of bigoted Jews boggles my mind. This makes me agree with recent remarks from Elton John: shame on traditional, conservative religions! When will religions come together instead of hate each other, show good will toward each other instead of contempt, and unite for a purpose other than hate? They're all setting a bad example.
ALL people are created b'tzelem eolhim, "in the image of G-d." For anyone, and it does not matter who says it, to think that G-d is limited to the heterosexual "lifestyle" is idolatric. There are no lifestyles. There are ways people live their life most of the time: that is their life, not lifestyle. Oh, it just occured to me that there are as many promiscous, liscencious acts that heterosexuals do as my community "does." You are forgetting that there IS a difference between identity and behavior. Identities in and of themselves CAN'T be sinful, only what people do with them. That is where it breaks G-d's law. Amen. (What is THE most important Law of all? And yes, there is ONE that matters above all others. G-d loves us more than these: and NO ONE can take that away. Amen!)
BTW, the sages say that Sodom & Gomorrah were the affluent of their time, whose self-righteous indignation and unbridled hatred for the poor is what got them smoked. Lot was welcomed and given a position within the city, never abused... why? Because he was the rich nephew of a very wealthy man. Their method of abuse toward anyone not able or willing to demonstrate substantial affluence earned Sodom & Gomorrah the reputation they were looking for: if you're poor, don't come here. If anything, judgment fell upon them due to the disrespect and violence they perpetrated against all people they considered less worthy than themselves. But, hey--in another parashah, Korach's dissatisfied band was swallowed for gossip. (Torah tells us gossip is akin to murder.) A man s way determines that desperate times call for desperate measures, but Adonai seems to always keep it simple: An eye for an eye judge and you ll be judged in the same manner violence earns violence. If we do what is expected of us: to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with Him--Micah VI,8 8)--who knows what COULD happen? Maybe the ground would open up and the whole bunch would be taken, rock throwers and all.