TEL AVIV GAY CENTRE SHOOTING: THE RESOLUTION
In 2009, a heinous crime took place in the city of Tel Aviv. A masked gunman burst into the local gay youth centre and started shooting randomly, killing two people and injuring many more. For four long years there was not a single trace of the murderer, with various theories abounding. One of them was contained in the book I wrote about the event called Revelations: Two Weeks In Tel Aviv, published in 2010. Most people, myself included, suspected it was a gay hate crime, likely perpetrated by a religious fanatic. In a land of violence, the reason this shooting received such widespread attention was because it was the first time there had been Jew-against-Jew violence, if indeed it was a gay hate crime.
Fast forward four years and right in the midst of this year’s Tel Aviv Pride celebrations police announced they had arrested three suspects in the case. The true story appears to be that the killer was a hired gunman who went to the Bar-Noar youth club and opened fire randomly after failing to find the person he intended to shoot, in what was reportedly a case of vengeance. A senior Israeli gay rights activist has also been arrested in conjunction with the case on suspicion of obstructing the police investigation.
What this means now for the gay community is that they can rest easy knowing that this wasn’t a gay hate crime shooting, and it also helps with the promotion of Tel Aviv as a major gay tourist destination. While the crime itself was unforgivable, what it created was a major awareness of gay life in not just Tel Aviv, but Israel. It galvanised politicians into taking a stand for gay rights and making a point of courting the GLBT community. This was most evident at the Gan Meir park in central Tel Aviv when a host of speeches were delivered by important political figures before the Pride parade set off down the streets in the steamy Middle Eastern sun.
Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai, Israeli finance minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (a good friend of Madonna, no less!), Culture And Sport Minister Limor Livnat, opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich and political leader Zehava Gal-On all took to the stage, demonstrating how bipartisan support for the gay community is now a given in Israel.
When Lapid, from the ruling far right party, took to the stage the crowd was not happy, heckling in an attempt to stop him from speaking. “No screams and jeers will stop me from supporting the LGBT community,” he vowed. Eventually he was allowed to continue, declaring that he was there to talk about “the rights of gay people to marry and adopt children” saying he was proud of the Israeli gay community and that it should take pride in itself.
Fellow rightwinger Livnat then asked the crowd, “Can you imagine the Israeli culture without you? Listening to the radio, poetry, literature, cinema and theatre.” Eventually Tel Aviv mayor Huldai took to the stage, declaring, “I am proud that Tel Aviv is the most gay-friendly city in the world.” He was followed by US Ambassador Dan Spiro, wearing a Pride T-shirt, who told the crowd President Obama sent his warm greetings. “We learned from Israel to let our troops serve in the military without having to hide who they love,” he added tellingly.
In many ways Tel Aviv is exactly what the mayor declares. Cab drivers will welcome you for Pride, while people in the street stop to thank you for making the effort to visit Israel. With the resolution, if not conclusion, of the Bar-Noah shooting, Tel Aviv is more gayfriendly than ever before.