But activists from World Pride claim the event will "bring a new
inner-faith message of equality and tolerance" to Israels
populace. Event organizers say the parade in Jerusalem has been
suited to the city's nature in respect to the local religious
population.
Hagai El-Ad, Executive Director of Jerusalem Open House, the main
organizer of World Pride, is upset by attempts to move or cancel
the weeklong event.
"An orchestrated campaign to sabotage Jerusalem World Pride has
been launched by those who propagate the fallacy that only they
have a right to claim faith as their mantle," El-Ad said.
"This campaign will fail, as it has in previous years," El-Ad
stated, "but the news that the mayor of Jerusalem has signed a
petition calling for the cancellation of World Pride, accompanied
by reports that extremist Jewish preacher Amnon Yitzhak is planning
a so-called 'humility march' in opposition of World Pride, should
be troubling to anyone who believes in Jerusalem as a welcoming
city for all people."
Meanwhile, Yehuda Levin, a member of the Rabbinical Alliance of
America, has come to Israel specifically to prevent the homosexual
celebration from taking place. He said a homosexual parade is akin
to a parade of "prostitutes promoting prostitution, or adulterers
encouraging others to try adultery at least once in their
life."
"Israel is the Holy Land, not the homo-land," Levin told WND.
Levin has been posting signs across Jerusalem urging citizens,
politicians and Israel's chief rabbinate to use all legal means to
prevent the festival.
"We'll use our bodies if we have to," Levin says.
Sharon Kleinbaum, North American co-chair of the Jerusalem World
Pride event, stated in response to Levins activities, "I am both
outraged and saddened by American Rabbi Yehuda Levin's efforts to
undermine and threaten World Pride, its organizers and
participants."
Kleinbaum said, "Levin's use of religion as a weapon of bigotry and
violence is offensive to all who care about God and religion and
morality. He blasphemes God's name when he says that Jerusalem does
not belong to all of us.
"Jerusalem was chosen as the site for World Pride because it
represents a center of tolerance, pluralism and love for all
humanity," Kleinbaum added. "The thousands of World Pride
participants, from Israel and all over the world and of diverse
faiths will be the best answer to Levin' display of intolerance and
unholy values."
World Pride organizers also are concerned about the current
violence between Israel and Lebanon. A statement on the
organization' website reads, "Our hearts go to all the people
affected by the violence, as we continue to hope that peace will
prevail. As Jerusalemites, we are acutely aware of the complexities
of the reality that we face in our city and in the region. We feel
that these days optimistic messages speaking for tolerance and
against violence, as are indeed the core messages of the Jerusalem
World Pride events, are even more significant than during calmer
times."
Like some other rabbis here, Levin believes that there is a direct
correlation between the homosexual parade scheduled to take place
in Jerusalem and the recent onslaught of rockets raining from
Lebanon and Gaza.
Citing Leviticus [18:22-28], Levin said the Torah relates to
Israel' current conflict.
Leviticus states, "You shall not lie down with a male, as with a
woman: this is an abomination. For the nations, whom I am sending
away from before you, have defiled themselves with all these
things. And the land became defiled, and I visited its sin upon it,
and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
For the people of the
land who preceded you, did all of these abominations, and the land
became defiled. And let the land not vomit you out for having
defiled it, as it vomited out the nation that preceded you.'"
Said Levin, "The terrorists, the leaders of Israels enemies are
working for the destruction of Israel, to wipe the Jewish people
off the map."
Levin believes their efforts are succeeding due to what he calls
sexual promiscuity in the land of Israel.
"Lebanon is a part of biblical Israel, and we were forced to
evacuate there," he said. "Gaza is a part of biblical Israel, and
last summer the land spit out over 8,000 Jewish residents."
Levin notes that holding a gay pride parade in Israel is not a new
idea.
"For years, local gay parades were held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem,"
he said. "This is like boiling water in a pot. First the water
starts to simmer, and eventually it boils over."
Last summer, according to Levin, the pot did indeed boil over. In
August 2005, the international World Pride organization sought to
hold its yearly event in Jerusalem. After giving initial approval,
Israeli police were forced to cancel the event due to Israel's
withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli police would have been unable to
carry out the forced expulsion of Jewish residents from the 21
communities of Gush Katif and at the same time provide the required
protection for the tens of thousands of participants scheduled to
take part in the Jerusalem parade.
Levin said the part of the event he finds most despicable is the
"Youth Day," which he charges is intended to present homosexuality
as a viable life option to kids and young adults.
"Last time I checked, sexual contact of any nature with a minor
under the age of 18 is illegal," Levin stated.
"Homosexuality is wrong," Levin said. "This is something every
school kid knows."