Ha`aretz: Gay congress draws proud Jews from around the globe Friday, July 5, 2002
Depleted in numbers but not in spirit, gay and lesbian Jews from around the globe converged on Israel this week for the biennial convention of the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews, at Kibbutz Givat Ha-viva. Nothing short of regional war fare, declared congress president Scott Gansl, would have convinced him to alter his plans to hold the event in Israel.
A featured guest and speaker at last week’s Gay Pride parade in Tel Aviv, American-born Gansl says he has always seen Israel as a "a light unto the nations," and claims that it is far more advanced than the United States in its pro-gay legislation. Generally, he says, there is a "very high" rate of interest and participation among American Jewish gays and lesbians in Israeli affairs, although this is not reflected in the number of participants in the convention. Just 65 participants arrived for the four-day event, which began Wednesday. But, says Gansl, "it’s better than we expected."
Gansl has been planning the 2002 meeting (the last was held in Germany) for more than 18 months and has had to cope with mounting security concerns, opposition and even threats, which he dismisses as "typical rhetoric." Some participants begged him to reconsider. Others hoped for a compromise, but Gansl, for example, scoffed at a request to move the event to Eilat. After every bombing, he says, people would call in with cancelations - while he became only more determined to have the conference here. He insists that it is safer in Israel than in New York, Chicago or any other major U.S. city.
He decided that he would reconsider only in the case of a major war - and he’s quick to point out that he doesn’t see Israel’s recent incursions into the West Bank and Gaza as an act of war: "It’s Israel’s right to defend herself," he says. "If this is war, it looks pretty peaceful to me."
The Congress board meetings, which convened in Jerusalem this past Wednesday and Thursday, attracted only a "quorum," he reports, instead of the usual 50 or 60 people. Still, Gansl is satisfied with the group’s diversity: Participants hail from South Africa, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the United States. Some 20 Israelis had [at press time] already registered for the weekend program, and Gansl expected more to sign up. The majority of the international contingent is American: 12 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) synagogues from major U.S. cities sent representatives here.
Some participants arrived early to take part in Israeli Pride Week and in Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride parade last Friday, where, on behalf of the congress, Gansl addressed the crowd, echoing comments by MKs (Knesset Members) Yossi Sand (Meretz) and Yael Dayan (Labor) in support of the local gay-lesbian community.
Marching along the streets of Tel Aviv, he said, it was almost impossible not to be impressed by the turnout, estimated to have been tens of thousands of people. He saw people swept from sidewalks and descending from balconies - "everybody loves a parade," he says.
He was not surprised that the parade is one of the largest held in the city every year. Israel, he explains, has long stood out for its democracy and pluralism. The Jewish character of the state does not infringe on his personal freedom, he believes, adding that he is excited by a recent Israeli Supreme Court anti-discrimination ruling with respect to the work place. Unlike the U.S., Israel also has an "open policy" for gays and lesbians serving in the military.
The Jewish GLBT community in the States has fought hard to gain acceptance and tolerance, however, and Gansl is proud that it has, for the most part, achieved its goals. Synagogues now often accept same-sex couples, and many even try to anchor tolerance in their bylaws, he notes. The executive director of Jewish Federation in Philadelphia is gay, and even the American Orthodox community has begun to "confront the issue."
Gansl sees substantial differences between American and Israeli GLBT activists. American Jews are not familiar with the "type of Jew that exists in Israel." Israelis, he explains, have never experienced discrimination as Jews. He also finds it difficult to understand Israelis who are so secular that they don’t identify themselves as being Jewish. When they travel outside the country, he remarks, "they don’t ’come out’ as Jews."
A self-proclaimed "traditional" as opposed to "religious" Jew, Gansl sees a culture gap between him and his Israeli co-activists, even on a personal level. He himself has become more affiliated as a Jew since coming out, and is very active in his local GLBT synagogue.
As for the social aspects of gay-lesbian culture, Gansl sees Tel Aviv as the GLBT capital of Israel and says it’s a definite hot spot with a nightlife for gays and lesbians that rivals that of the Greek Islands and Amsterdam. The city’s weather is a little too hot for his taste, but the "bold, brash, and secular" culture of Tel Aviv is exciting and inviting, if unfamiliar.
He noted that the Tel Aviv GLBT office recently hosted an Israeli-Palestinian pride party. Despite the political situation, over 180 guests arrived - half from the West Bank and Gaza.
Gansl added that he feels at home here: "I don’t see [just] tolerance. I see acceptance." Still, he admits, he usually wears a skullcap, but has kept it in his backpack during his trip. Because he doesn’t speak Hebrew, he feels people may be suspicious if he wears it.
Gansl stayed with members of the local GLBT community in Be’er Sheva last week. He attended Shabbat evening services and several members couldn’t understand why he wanted to go. They naturally assumed that participating in services would be oppressive and antagonistic, he explained. He tried to convince them his Jewish experience was anything but that-but isn’t sure he got the message across. Still, he’s determined to find a niche for himself in Israeli and Jewish society.
Meanwhile, he downplayed the obstacles he has faced in those worlds, including the fact that the World Congress of GLBT Jews was recently denied membership in the World Jewish Congress - a rejection which he attributes to bureaucracy. He himself still hasn’t given up on the idea of joining the WJC. "Being gay,’ he says, "has taught me to be resilient."
By Daphna Berman
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