Gay Pride in Jerusalem

A photo essay of rainbows, love, and a little drag.

By Adam G. Yoffie, Hebrew University
Monday November 20, 2006

Following months of legal maneuvering, threats of violence, and anti-gay invective, the Jerusalem Open House hosted a pride rally at Hebrew University’s Givat Ram Sports Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10. Originally scheduled for early August during the WorldPride festival held in Jerusalem, the parade was postponed due to the Lebanon War. In a rare show of unity between Orthodox Jews, Christians, and Muslims, conservative religious leaders attempted to pressure local authorities into canceling the event.

The rally demonstrated the great strides the LGBT community has taken toward achieving full equality throughout Israel. Many activists, although dispirited by the violent threats targeted at their community and burdened by memories of last year’s gay pride march in which three people were stabbed by a protestor, could at least rejoice in the knowledge that they were able to hold the event at all. Nothing of the sort could take place anywhere else in the Middle East, and to do so in Jerusalem, a holy place for the three monotheistic religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, was a powerful statement.

Adam G. Yoffie graduated from Duke University in May 2006 and is currently studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem on a Fulbright fellowship.