2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shooting
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shooting resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to at least fifteen others at the Tel Aviv branch of the Israeli GLBT Association, at the "Bar-Noar" , on Nahmani Street in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, on 1 August 2009. A 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were killed. Three deaths were mentioned in earlier reports of the incident but one has since been discounted. Most of the injured were minors. Six of those injured were in serious condition. Tel Aviv was subject to a citywide "clampdown" after the attacks as several hundred police launched a manhunt to locate the killer. As of November 2011, the crime remains unsolved.

The shooting united critics and supporters alike in condemnation of the crime, with one lawmaker calling it the worst attack against the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...

 in Israel's history. The location of the attack—at the heart of what is seen as Israel's most liberal city— has resulted in protests by the gay community.

Shooting

On the evening of August 1 at around 23:00, an unknown person with firearms entered the "Aguda" building in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, and opened fire on the crowd attending an Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
Israel Gay Youth was founded in 2002 in Israel as a non-profit NGO, branching off from the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association.-Overview:Israel Gay Youth is a voluntary Israeli NGO for lesbian, gay, bisexual and...

 event, and immediately escaped thereafter. Two people were killed, and fifteen were wounded. The police had launched a search campaign to find the shooter, and in addition immediately closed most of the entertainment places for the gay community that operated during the same time of the shooting event, for fear of additional shooting.

The gunman entered the building where a weekly event was being held (in the basement), shot in several directions and then fled on foot. The building was frequented by gay teenagers who engage in social activities and listen to music. The centre was small with one terrace; thus preventing anyone from escaping. They instead hid under a bed and tables as shots were fired. Israeli television said the crime scene was a "bloodbath". Five of the injured were treated at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, while five were treated at Wolfson Medical Center
Wolfson Medical Center
Wolfson Medical Center is a hospital in Holon, Israel.Wolfson Hospital is located in southern Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, Tel Aviv district of Israel in a vicinity abounded by a population of nearly half a million inhabitants...

 in Holon.

The shooter was masked, dressed in black and used a pistol to carry out his attack. It is not believed his motive was related to nationalist terror but the exact motive is currently unclear. The city's gay community stated the killer had a homophobic motive while police have cautioned people that the attack may not have been a hate crime and that the motive remains unknown.

Manhunt

A manhunt was immediately launched in an attempt to locate the gunman. Roadblocks were set up in the city. Police shut down all other gay clubs and buildings that had homosexual connections near the crime scene immediately after the shooting in case there were further attacks. Hundreds of police officers were conducting street and door-to-door searches in the city.

Police had discarded the possibility that the shooting was a terror attack.

Reenactment

Police in Tel Aviv accompanied a teenaged survivor of the attack to the basement to conduct a reenactment on 3 August 2009.

Victims

The dead were named as 26-year-old Nir Katz from Givatayim and 17-year-old Liz Troubishi from Holon.

One 16-year-old victim spoke of his fear that the shooting would cause an effect of enforced outing
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 as parents find out their children are gay for the first time.

Reaction

Political reaction

The murderous event was broadly covered by the Israeli media, and was widely condemned by many public figures. The President of Israel
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...

, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...

, reacted to the murder, stating that: "The horrifying murder that was carried out yesterday in Tel Aviv, against teenagers and young people, is a murder that civilized and enlightened people cannot accept. Murder and hatred are the two most serious crimes in society. The police must exert great efforts in order to catch the despicable murderer, and the entire nation must unite in condemning this abominable act." Peres called the culprit a "lowly criminal" and urged the police to apprehend him quickly. Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

 Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...

 also condemned the murder at the opening of his Cabinet meeting He expressed his "shock and dismay", condemning the "shocking murder" and reminding Israeli citizens that "we are a democratic and tolerant country and we must respect every person as he is"..

Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan Horowitz is an Israeli journalist and politician. He was the Foreign Affairs commentator and head of the International desk at News 10, the news division of Channel 10, before being elected to the Knesset on the New Movement-Meretz list in 2009....

, currently the only openly gay member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

, condemned it as "the worst attack ever against the gay community in Israel [...] a blind attack against innocent youths.

The Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...

 party said they were "shocked and bereaved, and denounce without reservation the murderous incident".

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich
Yitzhak Aharonovich
-External links:...

, head of Israel's police force, called it "a serious and grave incident". Aharonovitch spoke of going to the crime scene, saying "it was a difficult sight".

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni
Tzipi Livni
Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...

, a gay and lesbian community contact in Israel, called it a "grave incident", saying "even if all the details surrounding the event are not yet clear, the hatred exists and must be dealt with". She said it should "awaken society to rid itself of prejudice" and "shake up society, and all the circles inherent in it, including the political establishment and the education system, and on this day deliver an unequivocal message against intolerance, incitement and violence, and to act against any manifestation of these".

The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai is an Israeli politician, academic administrator, former fighter pilot and current mayor of Tel Aviv. He was born in 1944 in Hulda to Polish parents from Łódź. He is a history graduate of Tel Aviv University, Auburn University Montgomery , the U.S...

, said his city would still welcome members of the gay and lesbian community, saying they would fight for their rights to live.

The Tel Aviv head of police Shachar Ayalon did not say the shooting was a hate crime.

On August 8, days after the event, the Prime Minister came to the crime scene at "Bar-Noar" in order to show support for the community and the deadly attack on it.

Protest rally

A protest rally was held in Tel Aviv following the shooting, including lit candles. A few hours after this event occurred, a demonstration of few hundred people took place on Rothschild Boulevard
Rothschild Boulevard
Rothschild Boulevard is one of the principal streets in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, beginning in Neve Tzedek at its southwestern edge and running north to Habima Theatre. It is one of the busiest and most expensive streets in the city, being one of the city's main tourist attractions...

 in Tel Aviv, and the protesters marched towards Allenby Street
Allenby Street
Allenby Street is a major street in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was named in honor of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby.Allenby Street stretches from the Mediterranean sea in the northwest to HaAliya Street in the southeast. It was first paved with concrete in 1914. During the day, it is a commercial street...

, and King George Street
King George Street (Tel Aviv)
King George Street is a street in Tel Aviv. The street extends from Masaryk Square in the north to Magen David Square in the south, where it meets with Allenby Street, the Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin Street, and Simta Plonit...

 until they reached The Municipal Center for the Gay Community, in Meir Park, and on the way chanted "Inciting homophobes, children's blood is on your hands" (", "homofobim mesitim, al yedeichem dam yeladim"). The next day, at 17:00 pm, an additional demonstration took place on Rothschild Boulevard, and in addition a protest watch was held in Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...

's range, in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

 City in the north, a known entertainment place as well, and also in Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....

 in Jerusalem and in the government complex in Beer-Sheba city in the south.

International reaction

On 3 August 2009, more than 150 Jewish and LGBT people held a candlelight vigil
Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. In the latter case, the...

 in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

s and Jewish community leaders representing Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

, Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...

, and Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...

 congregations were among those in attendance. On 3 August 2009, more than 100 people held a memorial at the San Francisco LGBT Center organized by the LGBT Alliance of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin & Sonoma Counties and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay. Rabbi Camille Shira Angel from Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, among others, offered words of meaning. Other rallies were held in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...



On 31 August 2009, a cousin of Nir Katz — together with the Vancouver Hillel Foundation — organized a candlelight vigil in honour of the victims at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The evening's service drew about 100 people and served as a rally against hate crime. This vigil also served to mark Shloshim, which in the Jewish tradition is a service to mark the end of the 30-day mourning period following the death. A video recording of this vigil can be found on youtube.com under the title "Vancouver Vigil — In Memory of Nir Katz (1983-2009) Parts 1 through 5". A separate vigil was held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

.

A rally to condemn the shootings was held in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.

Solidarity rally

A week after the murder, on August 8, a solidarity rally was held in Rabin Square
Rabin Square
Rabin Square , formerly Kings of Israel Square , is the largest open public city square in central Tel Aviv, Israel. Over the years it has been the site of numerous political rallies, parades, and other public events...

 in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

. Twenty thousand demonstrators or more gathered to show solidarity with Israel's gay community, including the victims shot at the center. President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...

 addressed the crowd, saying the shots fired at the gay and lesbian community "hurt all of us — as people, as Jews, as Israelis." Also attending the rally were Minister of Education Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Education.-Biography:...

, Minister of Culture Limor Livnat
Limor Livnat
is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Culture & Sport.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Livnat is the only member of Knesset not to have a secondary education...

, Minister of Welfare & Social Services Isaac Herzog, various Knesset members, and Israeli singers such as Rita, Dana International
Dana International
Sharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...

, Ninet Tayeb, Amir Fay Guttman, Keren Peles
Keren Peles
-Music career:Peles graduated from the Rimon music school. In 2005 she became famous for her songwiriting for Miri Mesika and Shiri Maimon.Her debut album, If This Is Life was released in July 2006 and was certified gold after selling 20,000 copies. Peles wrote all of the songs on the album...

, Korin Alal, Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider is an Israeli pop rock singer-songwriter. He is one of the biggest-selling contemporary artists in Israeli music, and has won the Male Singer of the Year honor from major Israeli national and local radio stations since entering the Israeli music scene in the late 1990s...

 and Margalit Tzan'ani
Margalit Tzan'ani
Margalit Tzan'ani , also known as Margol, is an Israeli singer and television personality. Tzan'ani is famous for her repertoire of Israeli oriental music style with soul influences, as well as jazz, blues, rock, pop and Arab music.-Biography :...

.

In Jerusalem, members of the LGBT community lit candles at Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....

 in a tribute to the victims in a vigil organized by Gal Uchovsky.

Brand Israel

Notwithstanding that the perpetrator of this 2009 shooting has still not been apprehended more than two years after the murders, Israel nonetheless continues to use its treatment of gays as part of its "Brand Israel" public relations campaign designed to improve its image abroad. Some critics refer to this use of Israel's gays as "pinkwashing": a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians’ human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life.
The 2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shooting resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to at least fifteen others at the Tel Aviv branch of the Israeli GLBT Association, at the "Bar-Noar" , on Nahmani Street in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, on 1 August 2009. A 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were killed. Three deaths were mentioned in earlier reports of the incident but one has since been discounted. Most of the injured were minors. Six of those injured were in serious condition. Tel Aviv was subject to a citywide "clampdown" after the attacks as several hundred police launched a manhunt to locate the killer. As of November 2011, the crime remains unsolved.

The shooting united critics and supporters alike in condemnation of the crime, with one lawmaker calling it the worst attack against the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...

 in Israel's history. The location of the attack—at the heart of what is seen as Israel's most liberal city— has resulted in protests by the gay community.

Shooting

On the evening of August 1 at around 23:00, an unknown person with firearms entered the "Aguda" building in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, and opened fire on the crowd attending an Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
Israel Gay Youth was founded in 2002 in Israel as a non-profit NGO, branching off from the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association.-Overview:Israel Gay Youth is a voluntary Israeli NGO for lesbian, gay, bisexual and...

 event, and immediately escaped thereafter. Two people were killed, and fifteen were wounded. The police had launched a search campaign to find the shooter, and in addition immediately closed most of the entertainment places for the gay community that operated during the same time of the shooting event, for fear of additional shooting.

The gunman entered the building where a weekly event was being held (in the basement), shot in several directions and then fled on foot. The building was frequented by gay teenagers who engage in social activities and listen to music. The centre was small with one terrace; thus preventing anyone from escaping. They instead hid under a bed and tables as shots were fired. Israeli television said the crime scene was a "bloodbath". Five of the injured were treated at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, while five were treated at Wolfson Medical Center
Wolfson Medical Center
Wolfson Medical Center is a hospital in Holon, Israel.Wolfson Hospital is located in southern Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, Tel Aviv district of Israel in a vicinity abounded by a population of nearly half a million inhabitants...

 in Holon.

The shooter was masked, dressed in black and used a pistol to carry out his attack. It is not believed his motive was related to nationalist terror but the exact motive is currently unclear. The city's gay community stated the killer had a homophobic motive while police have cautioned people that the attack may not have been a hate crime and that the motive remains unknown.http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105047.html

Manhunt

A manhunt was immediately launched in an attempt to locate the gunman. Roadblocks were set up in the city. Police shut down all other gay clubs and buildings that had homosexual connections near the crime scene immediately after the shooting in case there were further attacks. Hundreds of police officers were conducting street and door-to-door searches in the city.

Police had discarded the possibility that the shooting was a terror attack.

Reenactment

Police in Tel Aviv accompanied a teenaged survivor of the attack to the basement to conduct a reenactment on 3 August 2009.

Victims

The dead were named as 26-year-old Nir Katz from Givatayim and 17-year-old Liz Troubishi from Holon.

One 16-year-old victim spoke of his fear that the shooting would cause an effect of enforced outing
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 as parents find out their children are gay for the first time.

Reaction

Political reaction

The murderous event was broadly covered by the Israeli media, and was widely condemned by many public figures. The President of Israel
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...

, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...

, reacted to the murder, stating that: "The horrifying murder that was carried out yesterday in Tel Aviv, against teenagers and young people, is a murder that civilized and enlightened people cannot accept. Murder and hatred are the two most serious crimes in society. The police must exert great efforts in order to catch the despicable murderer, and the entire nation must unite in condemning this abominable act." Peres: Enlightened nation cannot accept TA shooting, Yediot Ahronot, August 2, 2009 Peres called the culprit a "lowly criminal" and urged the police to apprehend him quickly. Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

 Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...

 also condemned the murder at the opening of his Cabinet meeting Netanyahu: Israel a country of tolerance, Yediot Ahronot, August 2, 2009 He expressed his "shock and dismay", condemning the "shocking murder" and reminding Israeli citizens that "we are a democratic and tolerant country and we must respect every person as he is"..

Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan Horowitz is an Israeli journalist and politician. He was the Foreign Affairs commentator and head of the International desk at News 10, the news division of Channel 10, before being elected to the Knesset on the New Movement-Meretz list in 2009....

, currently the only openly gay member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

, condemned it as "the worst attack ever against the gay community in Israel [...] a blind attack against innocent youths.

The Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...

 party said they were "shocked and bereaved, and denounce without reservation the murderous incident".

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich
Yitzhak Aharonovich
-External links:...

, head of Israel's police force, called it "a serious and grave incident". Aharonovitch spoke of going to the crime scene, saying "it was a difficult sight".

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni
Tzipi Livni
Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...

, a gay and lesbian community contact in Israel, called it a "grave incident", saying "even if all the details surrounding the event are not yet clear, the hatred exists and must be dealt with". She said it should "awaken society to rid itself of prejudice" and "shake up society, and all the circles inherent in it, including the political establishment and the education system, and on this day deliver an unequivocal message against intolerance, incitement and violence, and to act against any manifestation of these".

The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai is an Israeli politician, academic administrator, former fighter pilot and current mayor of Tel Aviv. He was born in 1944 in Hulda to Polish parents from Łódź. He is a history graduate of Tel Aviv University, Auburn University Montgomery , the U.S...

, said his city would still welcome members of the gay and lesbian community, saying they would fight for their rights to live.

The Tel Aviv head of police Shachar Ayalon did not say the shooting was a hate crime.

On August 8, days after the event, the Prime Minister came to the crime scene at "Bar-Noar" in order to show support for the community and the deadly attack on it.Netanyahu visits Tel Aviv gay center, Yediot Ahronot, August 8, 2009. Accessed 2009-08-06. Archived 2009-08-16.

Protest rally

A protest rally was held in Tel Aviv following the shooting, including lit candles. A few hours after this event occurred, a demonstration of few hundred people took place on Rothschild Boulevard
Rothschild Boulevard
Rothschild Boulevard is one of the principal streets in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, beginning in Neve Tzedek at its southwestern edge and running north to Habima Theatre. It is one of the busiest and most expensive streets in the city, being one of the city's main tourist attractions...

 in Tel Aviv, and the protesters marched towards Allenby Street
Allenby Street
Allenby Street is a major street in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was named in honor of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby.Allenby Street stretches from the Mediterranean sea in the northwest to HaAliya Street in the southeast. It was first paved with concrete in 1914. During the day, it is a commercial street...

, and King George Street
King George Street (Tel Aviv)
King George Street is a street in Tel Aviv. The street extends from Masaryk Square in the north to Magen David Square in the south, where it meets with Allenby Street, the Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin Street, and Simta Plonit...

 until they reached The Municipal Center for the Gay Community, in Meir Park, and on the way chanted "Inciting homophobes, children's blood is on your hands" (", "homofobim mesitim, al yedeichem dam yeladim"בעקבות הרצח באירוע נוער של הקהילה ההומו-לסבית: מאות הומואים ולסביות צעדו בתל אביב, Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...

, עפרי אילני .נועה קושרק, August 2, 2009
). The next day, at 17:00 pm, an additional demonstration took place on Rothschild Boulevard, and in addition a protest watch was held in Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...

's range, in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

 City in the north, a known entertainment place as well, and also in Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....

 in Jerusalem and in the government complex in Beer-Sheba city in the south.

International reaction

On 3 August 2009, more than 150 Jewish and LGBT people held a candlelight vigil
Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. In the latter case, the...

 in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

s and Jewish community leaders representing Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

, Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...

, and Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...

 congregations were among those in attendance. On 3 August 2009, more than 100 people held a memorial http://sfjcf.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/lgbt-shooting-vigil/ at the San Francisco LGBT Center organized by the LGBT Alliance of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin & Sonoma Counties and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay. Rabbi Camille Shira Angel from Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, among others, offered words of meaning. Other rallies were held in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...



On 31 August 2009, a cousin of Nir Katz — together with the Vancouver Hillel Foundation — organized a candlelight vigil in honour of the victims at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The evening's service drew about 100 people and served as a rally against hate crime. This vigil also served to mark Shloshim, which in the Jewish tradition is a service to mark the end of the 30-day mourning period following the death. A video recording of this vigil can be found on youtube.com under the title "Vancouver Vigil — In Memory of Nir Katz (1983-2009) Parts 1 through 5". A separate vigil was held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

.

A rally to condemn the shootings was held in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.Berlin: Demonstration following the Shooting in Tel-Aviv gay center, Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...

, 05-08-09

Solidarity rally

A week after the murder, on August 8, a solidarity rally was held in Rabin Square
Rabin Square
Rabin Square , formerly Kings of Israel Square , is the largest open public city square in central Tel Aviv, Israel. Over the years it has been the site of numerous political rallies, parades, and other public events...

 in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

. Twenty thousand demonstrators or more gathered to show solidarity with Israel's gay community, including the victims shot at the center. President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...

 addressed the crowd, saying the shots fired at the gay and lesbian community "hurt all of us — as people, as Jews, as Israelis." Huge crowd shows solidarity with Tel Aviv gays, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...

, August 8, 2009
Also attending the rally were Minister of Education Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Education.-Biography:...

, Minister of Culture Limor Livnat
Limor Livnat
is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Culture & Sport.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Livnat is the only member of Knesset not to have a secondary education...

, Minister of Welfare & Social Services Isaac Herzog, various Knesset members, and Israeli singers such as Rita, Dana International
Dana International
Sharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...

, Ninet Tayeb, Amir Fay Guttman, Keren Peles
Keren Peles
-Music career:Peles graduated from the Rimon music school. In 2005 she became famous for her songwiriting for Miri Mesika and Shiri Maimon.Her debut album, If This Is Life was released in July 2006 and was certified gold after selling 20,000 copies. Peles wrote all of the songs on the album...

, Korin Alal, Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider is an Israeli pop rock singer-songwriter. He is one of the biggest-selling contemporary artists in Israeli music, and has won the Male Singer of the Year honor from major Israeli national and local radio stations since entering the Israeli music scene in the late 1990s...

 and Margalit Tzan'ani
Margalit Tzan'ani
Margalit Tzan'ani , also known as Margol, is an Israeli singer and television personality. Tzan'ani is famous for her repertoire of Israeli oriental music style with soul influences, as well as jazz, blues, rock, pop and Arab music.-Biography :...

.

In Jerusalem, members of the LGBT community lit candles at Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....

 in a tribute to the victims in a vigil organized by Gal Uchovsky.

Brand Israel

Notwithstanding that the perpetrator of this 2009 shooting has still not been apprehended more than two years after the murders, Israel nonetheless continues to use its treatment of gays as part of its "Brand Israel" public relations campaign designed to improve its image abroad.Israel and 'Pinkwashing', The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, November 22, 2011
Some critics refer to this use of Israel's gays as "pinkwashing": a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians’ human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life.
The 2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shooting resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to at least fifteen others at the Tel Aviv branch of the Israeli GLBT Association, at the "Bar-Noar" , on Nahmani Street in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, on 1 August 2009. A 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were killed. Three deaths were mentioned in earlier reports of the incident but one has since been discounted. Most of the injured were minors. Six of those injured were in serious condition. Tel Aviv was subject to a citywide "clampdown" after the attacks as several hundred police launched a manhunt to locate the killer. As of November 2011, the crime remains unsolved.

The shooting united critics and supporters alike in condemnation of the crime, with one lawmaker calling it the worst attack against the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...

 in Israel's history. The location of the attack—at the heart of what is seen as Israel's most liberal city— has resulted in protests by the gay community.

Shooting

On the evening of August 1 at around 23:00, an unknown person with firearms entered the "Aguda" building in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, and opened fire on the crowd attending an Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
Israel Gay Youth was founded in 2002 in Israel as a non-profit NGO, branching off from the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association.-Overview:Israel Gay Youth is a voluntary Israeli NGO for lesbian, gay, bisexual and...

 event, and immediately escaped thereafter. Two people were killed, and fifteen were wounded. The police had launched a search campaign to find the shooter, and in addition immediately closed most of the entertainment places for the gay community that operated during the same time of the shooting event, for fear of additional shooting.

The gunman entered the building where a weekly event was being held (in the basement), shot in several directions and then fled on foot. The building was frequented by gay teenagers who engage in social activities and listen to music. The centre was small with one terrace; thus preventing anyone from escaping. They instead hid under a bed and tables as shots were fired. Israeli television said the crime scene was a "bloodbath". Five of the injured were treated at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, while five were treated at Wolfson Medical Center
Wolfson Medical Center
Wolfson Medical Center is a hospital in Holon, Israel.Wolfson Hospital is located in southern Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, Tel Aviv district of Israel in a vicinity abounded by a population of nearly half a million inhabitants...

 in Holon.

The shooter was masked, dressed in black and used a pistol to carry out his attack. It is not believed his motive was related to nationalist terror but the exact motive is currently unclear. The city's gay community stated the killer had a homophobic motive while police have cautioned people that the attack may not have been a hate crime and that the motive remains unknown.http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105047.html

Manhunt

A manhunt was immediately launched in an attempt to locate the gunman. Roadblocks were set up in the city. Police shut down all other gay clubs and buildings that had homosexual connections near the crime scene immediately after the shooting in case there were further attacks. Hundreds of police officers were conducting street and door-to-door searches in the city.

Police had discarded the possibility that the shooting was a terror attack.

Reenactment

Police in Tel Aviv accompanied a teenaged survivor of the attack to the basement to conduct a reenactment on 3 August 2009.

Victims

The dead were named as 26-year-old Nir Katz from Givatayim and 17-year-old Liz Troubishi from Holon.

One 16-year-old victim spoke of his fear that the shooting would cause an effect of enforced outing
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 as parents find out their children are gay for the first time.

Reaction

Political reaction

The murderous event was broadly covered by the Israeli media, and was widely condemned by many public figures. The President of Israel
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...

, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...

, reacted to the murder, stating that: "The horrifying murder that was carried out yesterday in Tel Aviv, against teenagers and young people, is a murder that civilized and enlightened people cannot accept. Murder and hatred are the two most serious crimes in society. The police must exert great efforts in order to catch the despicable murderer, and the entire nation must unite in condemning this abominable act." Peres: Enlightened nation cannot accept TA shooting, Yediot Ahronot, August 2, 2009 Peres called the culprit a "lowly criminal" and urged the police to apprehend him quickly. Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

 Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...

 also condemned the murder at the opening of his Cabinet meeting Netanyahu: Israel a country of tolerance, Yediot Ahronot, August 2, 2009 He expressed his "shock and dismay", condemning the "shocking murder" and reminding Israeli citizens that "we are a democratic and tolerant country and we must respect every person as he is"..

Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan Horowitz
Nitzan Horowitz is an Israeli journalist and politician. He was the Foreign Affairs commentator and head of the International desk at News 10, the news division of Channel 10, before being elected to the Knesset on the New Movement-Meretz list in 2009....

, currently the only openly gay member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

, condemned it as "the worst attack ever against the gay community in Israel [...] a blind attack against innocent youths.

The Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...

 party said they were "shocked and bereaved, and denounce without reservation the murderous incident".

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich
Yitzhak Aharonovich
-External links:...

, head of Israel's police force, called it "a serious and grave incident". Aharonovitch spoke of going to the crime scene, saying "it was a difficult sight".

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni
Tzipi Livni
Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...

, a gay and lesbian community contact in Israel, called it a "grave incident", saying "even if all the details surrounding the event are not yet clear, the hatred exists and must be dealt with". She said it should "awaken society to rid itself of prejudice" and "shake up society, and all the circles inherent in it, including the political establishment and the education system, and on this day deliver an unequivocal message against intolerance, incitement and violence, and to act against any manifestation of these".

The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai is an Israeli politician, academic administrator, former fighter pilot and current mayor of Tel Aviv. He was born in 1944 in Hulda to Polish parents from Łódź. He is a history graduate of Tel Aviv University, Auburn University Montgomery , the U.S...

, said his city would still welcome members of the gay and lesbian community, saying they would fight for their rights to live.

The Tel Aviv head of police Shachar Ayalon did not say the shooting was a hate crime.

On August 8, days after the event, the Prime Minister came to the crime scene at "Bar-Noar" in order to show support for the community and the deadly attack on it.Netanyahu visits Tel Aviv gay center, Yediot Ahronot, August 8, 2009. Accessed 2009-08-06. Archived 2009-08-16.

Protest rally

A protest rally was held in Tel Aviv following the shooting, including lit candles. A few hours after this event occurred, a demonstration of few hundred people took place on Rothschild Boulevard
Rothschild Boulevard
Rothschild Boulevard is one of the principal streets in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, beginning in Neve Tzedek at its southwestern edge and running north to Habima Theatre. It is one of the busiest and most expensive streets in the city, being one of the city's main tourist attractions...

 in Tel Aviv, and the protesters marched towards Allenby Street
Allenby Street
Allenby Street is a major street in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was named in honor of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby.Allenby Street stretches from the Mediterranean sea in the northwest to HaAliya Street in the southeast. It was first paved with concrete in 1914. During the day, it is a commercial street...

, and King George Street
King George Street (Tel Aviv)
King George Street is a street in Tel Aviv. The street extends from Masaryk Square in the north to Magen David Square in the south, where it meets with Allenby Street, the Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin Street, and Simta Plonit...

 until they reached The Municipal Center for the Gay Community, in Meir Park, and on the way chanted "Inciting homophobes, children's blood is on your hands" (", "homofobim mesitim, al yedeichem dam yeladim"בעקבות הרצח באירוע נוער של הקהילה ההומו-לסבית: מאות הומואים ולסביות צעדו בתל אביב, Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...

, עפרי אילני .נועה קושרק, August 2, 2009
). The next day, at 17:00 pm, an additional demonstration took place on Rothschild Boulevard, and in addition a protest watch was held in Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...

's range, in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

 City in the north, a known entertainment place as well, and also in Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....

 in Jerusalem and in the government complex in Beer-Sheba city in the south.

International reaction

On 3 August 2009, more than 150 Jewish and LGBT people held a candlelight vigil
Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. In the latter case, the...

 in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

s and Jewish community leaders representing Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

, Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...

, and Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...

 congregations were among those in attendance. On 3 August 2009, more than 100 people held a memorial http://sfjcf.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/lgbt-shooting-vigil/ at the San Francisco LGBT Center organized by the LGBT Alliance of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin & Sonoma Counties and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay. Rabbi Camille Shira Angel from Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, among others, offered words of meaning. Other rallies were held in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...



On 31 August 2009, a cousin of Nir Katz — together with the Vancouver Hillel Foundation — organized a candlelight vigil in honour of the victims at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The evening's service drew about 100 people and served as a rally against hate crime. This vigil also served to mark Shloshim, which in the Jewish tradition is a service to mark the end of the 30-day mourning period following the death. A video recording of this vigil can be found on youtube.com under the title "Vancouver Vigil — In Memory of Nir Katz (1983-2009) Parts 1 through 5". A separate vigil was held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

.

A rally to condemn the shootings was held in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.Berlin: Demonstration following the Shooting in Tel-Aviv gay center, Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...

, 05-08-09

Solidarity rally

A week after the murder, on August 8, a solidarity rally was held in Rabin Square
Rabin Square
Rabin Square , formerly Kings of Israel Square , is the largest open public city square in central Tel Aviv, Israel. Over the years it has been the site of numerous political rallies, parades, and other public events...

 in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

. Twenty thousand demonstrators or more gathered to show solidarity with Israel's gay community, including the victims shot at the center. President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...

 addressed the crowd, saying the shots fired at the gay and lesbian community "hurt all of us — as people, as Jews, as Israelis." Huge crowd shows solidarity with Tel Aviv gays, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...

, August 8, 2009
Also attending the rally were Minister of Education Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'ar is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Education.-Biography:...

, Minister of Culture Limor Livnat
Limor Livnat
is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Culture & Sport.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Livnat is the only member of Knesset not to have a secondary education...

, Minister of Welfare & Social Services Isaac Herzog, various Knesset members, and Israeli singers such as Rita, Dana International
Dana International
Sharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...

, Ninet Tayeb, Amir Fay Guttman, Keren Peles
Keren Peles
-Music career:Peles graduated from the Rimon music school. In 2005 she became famous for her songwiriting for Miri Mesika and Shiri Maimon.Her debut album, If This Is Life was released in July 2006 and was certified gold after selling 20,000 copies. Peles wrote all of the songs on the album...

, Korin Alal, Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider is an Israeli pop rock singer-songwriter. He is one of the biggest-selling contemporary artists in Israeli music, and has won the Male Singer of the Year honor from major Israeli national and local radio stations since entering the Israeli music scene in the late 1990s...

 and Margalit Tzan'ani
Margalit Tzan'ani
Margalit Tzan'ani , also known as Margol, is an Israeli singer and television personality. Tzan'ani is famous for her repertoire of Israeli oriental music style with soul influences, as well as jazz, blues, rock, pop and Arab music.-Biography :...

.

In Jerusalem, members of the LGBT community lit candles at Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....

 in a tribute to the victims in a vigil organized by Gal Uchovsky.

Brand Israel

Notwithstanding that the perpetrator of this 2009 shooting has still not been apprehended more than two years after the murders, Israel nonetheless continues to use its treatment of gays as part of its "Brand Israel" public relations campaign designed to improve its image abroad.Israel and 'Pinkwashing', The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, November 22, 2011
Some critics refer to this use of Israel's gays as "pinkwashing": a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians’ human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life.A documentary guide to ‘Brand Israel’ and the art of pinkwashing, Mondoweiss
Mondoweiss
Mondoweiss is a news website devoted to covering American foreign policy in the Middle East, chiefly from a progressive Jewish perspective. It was founded in 2006 by journalist and author Philip Weiss and is currently co-edited by Weiss and author/activist Adam Horowitz...

, November 30, 2011

See also

  • LGBT rights in Israel
  • Violence against LGBT people

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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