Community

Remembering Victims

Jewish Gay Network memorializes Israelis slain at Tel Aviv youth center.

Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor

W

hen a lone gunmen took the
lives of Nir Katz, 26, and Liz
Trubeshi, 16, and wounded
10 others in a Tel Aviv center for gay
youth on Aug. 1, his shots were heard
`round the world here in Detroit.
To memorialize the victims and show
their solidarity against the hate crime
that remains unsolved, more than 60
people gathered Aug. 10 at the Jewish
Community Center in West Bloomfield.
Organized by the Jewish Gay Network
of Michigan (JGN), the program began
with the lighting of a rainbow-colored
candle — the rainbow being a symbol
of gay pride and solidarity. Speaker after
speaker denounced the crime as well as
all forms of hatred and bigotry.
"We at the Jewish Gay Network, an
organization of straight folks and gay
folks who work to provide community,
information, empowerment and educa-
tion in an environment of respect, could
not let this horrific incident go unno-
ticed in our Metro Detroit community,"
said Gail Katz, JGN board member.
"We, as Jews, have an obligation to
repair our world, tikkun olam, and there-
fore we have come together to build bridg-
es of love because, as we have all seen,
homophobia is alive and well within many
countries and within many religions.
"How tragic that, as a support group
for gay and lesbian youth, a place where
they can let down their guard and be
validated as human beings, this horrific
act of violence took place," she said.
Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation
Shaarev Zedek of Oakland County turned
to two biblical passages to emphasis the
need for inclusion of all people.
"'Love your neighbor as yourself,"' he
quoted. "There is no asterisk next to that
commandment in the Torah. It doesn't
[exclude] LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender)... And in 'Justice,
justice shall you pursue,' there are no
footnotes saying LGBT are exempt from
receiving fairness."
Dan Levy of the Michigan Department
of Civil Rights and an Anti-Defamation
League board member spoke about
how the state's hate crime legislation

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August 20 • 2009

"is being held hostage by a few anti-
gay extremists in the Michigan Senate,
with the silent nod of the leaders of the
Michigan Senate."

"Homophobia is alive and
well . . ."

Though the law passed the House in a
Dan Levy
Gail Katz
straight partisan vote, "the Senate would
not take it up because they are embar-
rassed to vote against it:' he said.
Levy then spoke of the power of
words and lashon hara, the evil tongue.
"You can't take the words back; you
can't stop the effects:' he said. "We
are responsible for what we say... We
should collectively watch our language
and be sure our leaders do the same
— and recognize the consequences of
words set free."
Levy criticized some religious leaders
in Israel for setting free words of intol-
Right: Beth
erance toward homosexuals.
Greenapple of
Rabbi Michael Moskowitz of Temple
Southfield and
Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, mean-
Steve Klaper
while, praised Israel for taking action and
of Oak Park
seeking out the gunman.
The rabbi's overriding
message was to make our
homes, synagogues and
community safe for all — "a
place where people can feel
good about who they are and
feel blessed."
Stressing the need for
inclusion, JCC executive
director Mark Lit reiterated
the question: "How differ-
ent does a person have to be
before it's permissible to hurt
them?"
Tiffany Green, cantorial
soloist at Temple Kol Ami in
West Bloomfield, chanted El
Malei Rachamim, as the audi-
ence stood reverently, then
musicians Beth Applebaum,
Steve Klaper and Cantor Darcy
Sharlein of Temple Emanu-El
in Oak Park led the group in
singing Debbie Friedman's
Peggy Frank, Linda Lee and Sheila Kasselman, all of West Bloomfield; Judy Lewis of Southfield;
"Those Who Sow."
and Edwina Davis, West Bloomfield