When Hatreds Collide: Gay Youth Attacked in Tel Aviv

categories: Peacebuilding & Reconciliation, The Holocaust

Published August 09, 2009 @ 07:51AM PT

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had choice words for the perpetrators of an attack on a gay youth center in Tel Aviv last week:

"We are all created in God's image. We all have fundamental rights, the first of which is to be treated with respect by others and give [them] the same respect," he said.

"Anyone who has suffered from baseless hatred, as an individual or in a group, knows how painful and unacceptable it is. This is something we must uproot from society as much as possible," he added. "I think Israeli society has made progress toward tolerance, and I hope and feel certain that we can make further progress."

A masked gunman entered the center and fatally shot a 26 year old male counselor and a 17 year old girl, and wounded 11 others.

Particularly since the Holocaust, the Jewish community has been at the forefront of the world movement for tolerance, turning their horrific experience into a productive effort to combat hatred everywhere. Whoever this individual is, if he is a member of the Israeli Jewish community, it is beyond shameful that the lessons of his own history have been lost on him.

Elsewhere, in Israel and around the world, Jewish and LGBT communities are banding together to commemorate their loss.

(For great discussion on LGBT rights at home and abroad, check out my fellow Changester Mike Jones.)

[Photo of a rally in Tel Aviv after the shooting.]

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Comments (3)

It's unfortunate that two people were murdered inside a gay youth center in Israel. Violence against LGBT people on the basis of their sexual orientation is unjustified. However, it's great that the Jewish community is one which supports tolerance. Binyamin Netanyahu is correct in that all people have rights which must be observed. Hopefully, murders inside LGBT youth centers will become very rare along with the most shame for the murderer.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 08/09/2009 @ 03:08PM PT
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"Whoever this individual is, if he is a member of the Israeli Jewish community, it is beyond shameful that the lessons of his own history have been lost on him."

It's shameful whenever anyone doesn't learn those lessons, but it's not right to attach that to the murderers ethnicity. Really, would you say that about any other oppressed group? There's a long history, stretching way before WWII, of treating Jews this way -- and it is part of the process of othering Jews that creates antisemitism.

Posted by Matt Egan on 08/12/2009 @ 07:56AM PT
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu doesnt know nothing about tolerance of other peoples rights, oh my gosh how much lies will this person speak of about tolerance.

Look at the tolerance for the Palenstine people.. he wrote the book for intolerance for these native Palentine people.

I agree that the GLBT community needs to be protected all across the world, but for Netanyahu to speak about tolerance is totally unreal.... you can bet that Netanyahu political regime had something to do with the attack on the GLBT community in Tel Aviv...

His actions speaks louder then his words of lies.

Posted by Lara Nunes on 08/30/2009 @ 01:24AM PT
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Author

Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.