Leaders of Jerusalem's liberal Jewish movements voiced their support yesterday for the upcoming gay pride parade and denounced the coalition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders opposed to the event as a "desecration of God."

AdvertisementAt a joint press conference in the capital's Open House, representatives of the Conservative (Masorti), Reform and Reconstructionist movements said that the "unholy alliance" that has emerged between the unlikely allies, which includes both of Israel's chief rabbis, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Catholic Archbishop Pietro Sambi and leaders of the Muslim community, is a misuse of religious authority by people who should be "more concerned with justice" than with bigotry.

"I come here in the wake of the strange coalition of leaders that was brought together by intolerance, extremism and fanaticism," Rabbi Ehud Bandel, president of the Conservative Movement in Israel, said. "We must raise our voices, as Jews and as religious people, in support of another approach, based on tolerance, compassion and the dignity of human beings, which are the basis of the Torah."

Bandel, who says that the Israeli movement supports the gathering, called on the organizers of the parade, however, to respect the city's holiness and show sensitivity toward the city's overwhelmingly religious residents. "Come and march here in Jerusalem," he said, "but make sure that the principles of modesty and tolerance, which you so rightfully deserve, will be directed to the residents of this city."

The organizers, in turn, promised that the event would be a respectful gathering of pluralism, rather than a parade of "blatant sexuality."

"We protest statements by clergy who spend their time hating, being dismissive and being intolerant," said Rabbi Na'amah Kelman, of the Reform Movement's Hebrew Union College. "Every person was created in the image of God, independent of race, religion or sexual orientation."

Also on the panel were Rabbi Amy Klein, director of the Reconstructionist Movement's seminary in Israel, Rabbi David Lazar, one of the first Israeli rabbis to officiate at same-sex weddings, Noa Sattath, chair of the Jerusalem Open House, and Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, from Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York, the world's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) synagogue.

Liberal Orthodox leaders, though invited, declined to take part in the panel.

Meanwhile, a number of liberal Christian churches have already voiced support for the parade, and the United Jewish Communities is expecting to send a delegation of GLBT activists to the 10-day event as well.

At a press conference last month, clerics warned that such a gathering may invoke God's wrath and consistently called homosexuality a "sin." Others, like Rabbi Yehuda Levine, of the Rabbinic Council of America, said the event would be a "spiritual rape" of the city.

The Open House's Sattath said yesterday, "The homophobia that we've seen in the past few weeks has shown the importance of pluralism, especially in this city." The 10-day festival, scheduled to begin August 18, has yet to receive the necessary police approval, and it is possible that the event may coincide with the looming disengagement.