The State, SC
Posted on Sat, Apr. 02, 2005
Critics assail planned festival
Religious leaders oppose event for gays in Jerusalem
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN and GREG MYRE
The New York Times
International gay leaders are planning a 10-day WorldPride festival and
parade in Jerusalem this August, saying they want to make a statement about
tolerance and diversity in the Holy City, home to three great religious
traditions.
Now a number of leaders of the three faiths – Christianity, Judaism and
Islam – are making a rare show of unity to try to stop the festival. They
say the event would desecrate the city and convey the erroneous impression
that homosexuality is acceptable.
`They are creating a deep and terrible sorrow that is unbearable,’ Shlomo
Amar, Israel’s chief Sephardic rabbi, said Wednesday at a news conference in
Jerusalem attended by Israel’s two chief rabbis, the Jerusalem leaders of
the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches, and three Muslim sheiks.
`It hurts all of the religions. We are all against it.’
`We can’t permit anybody to come and make the Holy City dirty,’ said Abdel
Aziz Bukhari, a Sufi sheik in Jerusalem.
Israeli authorities have not indicated what action, if any, they might take
to limit the events. Banning the festival appears to be unlikely, though the
government could withhold the required permits for specific events, like the
parade.
Interfaith agreement among leaders of these three religions is unusual,
especially in Israel. Their opposition was initially sparked by the Rev. Leo
Giovinetti, a little-known evangelical pastor from San Diego who is both a
veteran of the American culture war over homosexuality and a frequent
visitor to Israel, where he has formed relationships in recent years with
rabbis and politicians.
Organizers of the gay pride event, Jerusalem WorldPride 2005, said that 75
non-Orthodox rabbis had signed a statement of support for the event and that
Christian and Muslim leaders, as well as Israeli politicians, are expected
to announce their support soon.
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, co-chair of the gay festival and rabbi of
Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, a gay synagogue in New York, said the
controversy was another sign that each religion has become internally
polarized between its liberal and conservative wings.
The gay festival, planned for Aug. 18-28, is expected to draw thousands of
gay and lesbian visitors from dozens of countries. The theme is `Love
Without Borders,’ and a centerpiece will be a parade Aug. 25 through
Jerusalem, a city that remains deeply conservative, though other parts of
Israel have become increasingly accepting of gays in recent years. Other
events include a film festival, art exhibits and a conference for clerics.