Pride in Israel

STRANGE WORLD
THE traditional visits organised by Jewish groups to take young American Jews to visit Israel for the first time now have a new itinerary – dancing at gay clubs in Tel Aviv and meeting with gay Israeli soldiers. The ten-day Pride in Israel trip focuses on Israel's increasing commitment to gay rights.

Highlights of the tour include attending the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, speaking with gay activists and discussions with gay members of the conscript Israeli Defence Force. Participants will also plant trees in the Pride Forest in the Upper Galilee.

"You never thought a trip to Israel could be so gay; you never thought a gay trip could be so Jewish," claims the press release.

In 1988 the Israeli Supreme Court decriminalised gay sex. In 1992 it passed an equal opportunity law protecting workers against sexual-based discrimination. In 1993, the defence force rescinded its few regulations discriminating against gays and lesbians, and in 1994, the Supreme Court ordered El Al Airlines to provide a free plane ticket to the partner of a gay flight attendant, as the airline had long done for heterosexual spouses of employees.

Opposition to such liberal laws is one of the few things that Jewish and Muslim fundamentalists agree on.