Israel, Sex & Gender

Shooting at Tel Aviv GLBT center

Our hearts go out the families of the teenagers killed today, and to Israel’s gay community as a whole. The masked gunner turned an M-16 against a youth support group in the center’s basement and escaped. An inauspicious beginning as we reflect on sinat chinam, baseless hatred. Our prayers to the community for their security and may the villain be brought to justice.
Story here.

12 thoughts on “Shooting at Tel Aviv GLBT center

  1. Ugh. The news stories seem to be disagreeing on the details (location, numbers), but that doesn’t change one thing: this hate crime is disgusting. May their memories be of blessing… (And may the shooter be found, quickly, and arrested.)

  2. Community Tehillim for Three Slain and 10 Injured at Tel-Aviv gay Community Center:
    This from Tirtzah:http://tirtzah.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/three-slain-and-10-injured-at-tel-aviv-gay-community-center/
    We mourn the loss of three people who were murdered in a shooting at a gay community center in Tel-Aviv late Sat. , and pray for those who were wounded in what may have been the worst homophobic attack on the gay community in Israel. The New York Times reports that as of this writing no arrests have been made, and the motives are unknown, but that government officials and leaders of glbt organizations in Israel believe it to be a hate-crime. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this attack, their families, friends and communities.
    Sunday, Aug 2, at 7:00pm EST, we urge you to take a moment to think of those who have been killed and wounded in this attack and to recite Tehillim (psalms) on their behalf. Specifically, we will be reciting psalms 70,20, and 130. May God comfort the mourners among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and bring a speedy recovery, in body and in spirit, to all those injured by this attack.

  3. The GLBTQ community has been in mourning. They have not been pointing fingers. It is unknown if the perpetrator was secular, Hardedi, Arab, or even a self-hating Gay.
    But such things, even if the work of a lone crazy do not happen in a vacuum.
    An atmosphere was set by all sorts of tolerated public comments before the Rabin assassination. Here too the vile hatred spewed in the daily talkbacks of Israeli newspapers, by religious figures, and even by MKs surely paved the way.

  4. Just wanted to note that I really respect that everyone here has refrained from finger pointing. The details are peculiar, and it’s the right thing to do under these circumstances. Not everyone has been as cautious as they should have been, but Jewschool has.

  5. I also am proud that jewschool has held back the finger-pointing. That would be baseless hatred.

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