Thousands Rally In Israel Backing Adoption Rights For Same-Sex Couples
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv to show their support for same-sex couples who want to adopt children.
The demonstrators held signs reading “We are not second class citizens” and “Bibi go home” at the rally Wednesday evening. Television anchor Nadav Borenstein and singer Harel Skaat, who are both gay, hosted the rally near the Kiriya military headquarters.
Clashes between protesters and police led to the arrest of five demonstrators., Ynet reported.
Several days earlier, the Israeli government said it remains opposed to allowing same-sex couples to adopt in the country in response to a Supreme Court petition.
Same-sex couples can be approved for adoption, but they can only adopt children for whom a heterosexual couple cannot be found. Consequently the same-sex couples are generally offered special needs or at-risk children, or older children who cannot be placed. Many same-sex couples adopt babies from other countries.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
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