Gay Today: World

Jerusalem's LGBT Center
Advertises Gay Pride in Arabic

Compiled By GayToday

Jerusalem, Israel--In a first move of its kind, Jerusalem's LGBT Community Center the Jerusalem Open House (JOH) is providing detailed information in Arabic for the city's Palestinian gay and lesbian community.

The events calendar for "Jerusalem Pride 2001", a month-long celebration of gay pride in a locale often referred to as "the Holy City." Produced by the JOH, invitations are for "all Jerusalemites to celebrate Gay Pride in Jerusalem: Arabs and Jews, Palestinians and Israelis, the religious and the secular. Gay, lesbian, bi and trans: are all invited to a celebration of freedom and pride: the freedom to live without fear and the pride of overcoming it. The freedom to be oneself in Jerusalem."

Jerusalem Pride 2001 events will begin on June 5 with a celebratory reception at the LGBT Community Center in the heart of Jerusalem's downtown, honoring MK Yael Dayan. Events will continue throughout the month of June and are also posted--in yet another Israeli first--at the JOH's website in Arabic, Hebrew and English: www.gay.org.il/joh.

Among the major events of the month will be an unprecedented conference titled "Homosexuality and religion in Moslem and Jewish traditions", to be held June 20 at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.

JOH Executive Director Hagai El-Ad comments: "At this time of conflict in Jerusalem and the region, we see special importance in bringing out different voices, voices from a different time when Islamic and Jewish traditions had a shared, unique view of male-male affection, romance and love.

"We hope that by expressing these voices from the past in a contemporary context, we will once again be able to come together as human beings in Jerusalem, break away from the fear, violence and segregation and be joined by our shared vision and hope for an open life, freedom and happiness in this city which we all love so much."

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The Jerusalem Open House

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The Jerusalem Open House 7 Ben-Yehuda Street
Jerusalem
3rd Floor (onthe pedestrian mall)
Hours: Sun 10am-11pm; Tues 10am-3pm; Thurs 4pm-11pm; Fri 10am-2pm
Telephone: 02-6253191 (when calling from outside Israel: +972-2-6253191)
Mail: P.O. Box 33107, Jerusalem 91330, Israel Fax: 02-6253192
E-mail: joh@gay.org.il

Website: http://www.gay.org.il/joh The JERUSALEM OPEN HOUSE is supported by the New Israel Fund (NIF) and the Israel Cooperative Program (ICP)