- Jerusalem Open House
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Jerusalem Open House of Pride and Tolerance
הבית הפתוח בירושלים לגאווה ולסובלנות
البيت المفتوح في القدس للفخر والتسامحType LGBT Rights Founded 1997 Location 2 Hasoreg St. Jerusalem, Israel Key people Chairperson of the Board:
Eitan Schechtman
Executive Director:
Elinor SidiArea served Jerusalem Website joh.org.il The Jerusalem Open House Pride and Tolerance (JOH, Hebrew: הבית הפתוח בירושלים לגאווה ולסובלנות HaBayit HaPatuach, "Open House" Arabic: البيت المفتوح في القدس للفخر والتسامح Al-Beit Al-Maftoukh) is a grassroots, activist organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people and their allies. Since 1997, the JOH has aimed to provide direct services for the LGBT community within the city of Jerusalem and to secure LGBT rights in Israeli society at large. The organization attempts to bridge political, ethnic and religious boundaries to build and unite a community in pursuit of the common goal of tolerance and mutual support.
The JOH’s annual budget is derived entirely from private donations, foundation and federation support, and membership and participation fees. The JOH does not receive financial aid from municipal, governmental sources or commercial sponsorships.
Contents
Mission
- Community Support: To provide direct support services for the LGBT community in Jerusalem and to foster cooperation and unity among those of differing faiths, sexual orientations, genders and worldviews.
- Human Rights Advocacy: To advocate for social change on issues related to the LGBT community, taking action to promote the values of tolerance and pluralism.
History
Since its founding in 1997, the Jerusalem Open House has firmly established itself in Jerusalem, becoming a leading LGBT service and advocacy organization with a strong base of support in Israel and abroad. The annual Jerusalem Pride marches organized by the center have become the largest human-rights demonstrations in Jerusalem. With Jerusalem Pride already a cornerstone of LGBT public visibility, in 2006 the JOH brought Jerusalem to the international LGBT stage by hosting WorldPride. The JOH also founded the first LGBT health clinic in Israel - the Open Clinic - and developed programming including a comprehensive youth program and unique projects bridging LGBT and religious identities.
Jerusalem Pride Parade
Since the first March for Pride and Tolerance in 2002, Jerusalem Pride - entitled “Love Without Borders” - has become an established event in Jerusalem, each year bringing in additional partners and supporters. The march is one of the city’s largest human rights demonstrations with thousands of marchers.
In 2005 a municipal ban attempted to halt the parade, but it was overturned by a district court order. Protesters, many of them religious Jews, lined the mile-long parade route shouting insults and displaying signs with messages like: "You are corrupting our children" and “Jerusalem is not San Francisco” [1] During the parade, Yishai Schlissel, a Haredi Jew stabbed three parade participants with a kitchen knife. During a police interrogation, he described the motive behind his actions: "I came to murder on behalf of God. We can’t have such abomination in the country.".[2] The perpetrator was subsequently convicted of three counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Jerusalem District Court also ordered that NIS 280 million (about USD 60 million) be paid as compensation to the victims.[3]
The 2006 Pride parade was also steeped in controversy. Radical right-wing activists Hillel Weiss, Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben Gvir declared a “holy war” against those participating in the Parade and announced that unless the parade was cancelled, violence would ensue.[4] The Parade’s coordinators filed a complaint, accusing them of incitement to murder.[5] A week before the parade violent rioting broke out in the Haredi neighborhood of Mea Shearim. Seven policemen and a number of unknown protesters were wounded. However, the parade proceeded without incident.
Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance 2010
Jerusalem Pride 2010, scheduled to take place on July 29, 2010 will mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack on the Tel Aviv LGBT youth center. Beginning in the evening, protesters will march on the Knesset, demanding additional rights and protections for the Israeli LGBT community.
Advertisement and promotion has already begun for the event in Hebrew, with English versions to follow soon:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/video/video.php?v=400622121610&ref=mf
JOH Community Progamming
The Jerusalem Open House (JOH) operates a community center in downtown Jerusalem that enables lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to explore their personal identities and to build community where almost none existed before in the city. The center serves as a gathering place for the entire community, providing a safe and affirmative environment for a variety of activities:
Advocacy & Social Change
The JOH takes action on a variety of issues concerning the LGBT community through campaigning and advocacy. Current campaigns include efforts to convince the Rabbinical School of the Conservative movement to accept LGBT people into its Rabbinical program in Israel; to achieve recognition for LGBT victims of the Holocaust and their inclusion in Israel’s national Holocaust memorial ceremonies; and to eradicate “conversion therapy” and its disastrous consequences.
Community
The organization sponsors social groups, courses, and weekly sports as a way of meeting new people and pursuing shared interests.
In addition, the Hafuchot Cafe - open daily from 1-8 PM - expands the activity programming by combining the "JOH's welcoming service" for those new to the LGBT community with a dedicated space for social gatherings.
Youth
The JOH is the only center in the city to address the needs and well-being of LGBT youth. Weekly group meetings facilitated by counselors offer LGBT and questioning youth unbiased information, a safe space, and a sense of belonging as they explore their sexual and gender identities.
The Speakers Bureau also sends volunteer speakers to schools and other educational networks to address stereotypes and to help change the reality in which our young people live.
Leadership Course
The JOH's "Jerusalem LGBTQ Leadership Initiative" fosters leadership and community engagement among LGBTQ teenagers and young adults by offering participants a half-year intensive human-rights oriented training course paired with professional mentoring to develop community projects. Thus far the "Leadership Initiative" has been very successful, producing youth community leaders as well as many of the key volunteers at the center including youth counselors, health clinic volunteers, and members of the speakers’ bureau.
Religious Programming
The JOH is the only LGBT organization in the country to offer ongoing religious programming, including Kabbalat Shabbat services, and holiday services. The center also organizes meetings and events for people of all religious denominations, including a social group for Orthodox gay men. In addition, JOH supports exchanges with LGBT synagogues abroad.
Arts & Culture
The center also promotes LGBT arts and culture. Exhibitions by promising new artists are continuously displayed on the walls of the community center. In addition, the center houses a library with over eight hundred volumes of activist writing, gay fiction and the latest LGBT magazines from around the world.
Health Services
The Open Clinic: Free and Anonymous HIV/AIDS Testing in Jerusalem The JOH’s efforts to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and encourage better care and prevention in Jerusalem culminated in 2007 with the launch of Israel’s first LGBT health clinic: the Open Clinic. In a city where conservative culture deters at-risk populations from receiving HIV/AIDS testing, the Open Clinic has created accessibility to HIV/AIDS testing for the city’s residents, whether they identify as LGBT or not. The clinic provides the only free, anonymous, rapid-result HIV/AIDS testing service in the country. The clinic has shown a remarkable ability to reach at-risk populations, including ultra-orthodox men, new immigrants and Palestinians.
JOH Leadership
Chair of the Board
- Jerry Levinson (1997–2004)
- Noa Sattath (2004–2006)
- Elena Canetti (2006–2007)
- Ayelet Schnur (2007–2008)
- Mikie Goldstein (2008–2010)
- Noam Gal (2010–2011)
- Eitan Schechtman (2011-)
Executive Director
- Hagai Elad (2000–06)
- Noa Sattath (2006–08)
- Yonatan Gher (2008–2011)
- Elinor Sidi (2011-present)
See also
- Tehila
External links
References
- ^ http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-07-01/news/17381003_1_mayor-uri-lupolianski-ultra-orthodox-jerusalem-open-house
- ^ http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Israeli_man_faces_attempted_murder_charges_for_stabbing_three_gay_pride_marchers
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3212934,00.html
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3316718,00.html
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3320248,00.html
Categories:- Jerusalem culture
- LGBT organizations in Israel
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