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Last-Minute Cancellation of Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade a “Victory” for Orthodox Jews

By Gudrun Schultz

JERUSALEM, Israel, November 10, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The long battle over Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade came to a surprise end yesterday, as organizers were forced to finally cancel the event one day before its scheduled date.

Security concerns, amid relentless pressure from the Orthodox Jewish community against the event, were cited as the reason behind the last-minute cancellation.

“A lot of people are very happy because a level of purity has been returned to Jerusalem,” said Rabbi Yehuda Levin, of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, Mercury News reported. “The holy city of Jerusalem now breathes a sign of relief that it is not going to be sullied by this kind of event.”

Violence in the Gaza strip Wednesday led police to declare they would not have manpower to maintain order and ensure security during the parade--Palestinian reprisal attacks were anticipated after the Israeli military shelled a northern Gaza town, killing 19 civilians.

Organizers substituted a rally at Hebrew University’s soccer stadium in place of the extravagant demonstration planned for Jerusalem city streets. Held in the small University stadium, the rally drew a modest crowd of about one thousand participants, Deutsche Presse Agentur reported, with an estimated 3000-strong police force securing the building.

Protests against the parade have been held in religious neighborhoods of Jerusalem and in locations throughout the country over the past weeks. Violence marked the week leading up to the scheduled parade date--a Tel Aviv synagogue was desecrated and clashes escalated between Orthodox Jewish protestors and Jerusalem city police.  Anti-parade protestors agreed to cancel demonstrations if the homosexual event was relocated to a closed area.

Leaders of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities worked together in a show of unprecedented unity to prevent the homosexual celebration from taking place. Their efforts were joined by strong international condemnation from religious leaders of multiple faiths.

The Vatican issued a statement earlier this week calling for Israeli officials to cancel the event, which it said would be a “grave affront” to millions of Jewish, Christian and Muslim faithful world wide.

“The Holy See has reiterated on many occasions that the right to freedom of expression…is subject to just limits, in particular when the exercise of this right would offend the religious sentiments of believers,” the Vatican said.

“It is clear that the gay parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem will prove offensive to the great majority of Jews, Muslims and Christians, given the sacred character of the city of Jerusalem.”

Protracted efforts by Jerusalem’s religious leaders to prevent the homosexual celebration appeared to reach a dead-end in September, after parade organizers Open House threatened to sue the municipality.

See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Tel Aviv Synagogue Desecration in Support of Jerusalem Gay Pride
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110605.html

Thousands of Orthodox Jews Protest Gay Pride - Signs: "J'lem is not Sodom or New York"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06102002.html

Jerusalem Loses Battle to Ban Gay Pride Parade—Court-Ordered Date Set for November 10
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/sep/06091904.html

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