Chief Rabbi Claims Jerusalem ‘Disgusted’ by Gays
Image by Getty Images
Only months after an Israeli teen was murdered by an ultra-Orthodox man during the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade, the city’s chief rabbi Shlomo Amar has lashed out at the LGBT community, saying “I believe that this phenomenon will wane and disappear, because most of the public is disgusted by it and detest it.”
Amar, who was chief rabbi of Israel until two years ago and remains a member of the High Rabbinical Council, was speaking in an interview with the ultra-Orthodox website Behadrey Haredim.
“The level of shame has been breached and trampled these days,” he said. “There’s almost nothing left. And since then, we’ve seen impudence and brazenness which previously no one would have even thought of. People do them publicly and we need to find ways of dealing with it.”
But Amar voiced disapproval of the murder of Shira Banki, which was committed by Yishai Schlissel, an ultra-Orthodox man.
“Sometimes, when we fight with force, we achieve the opposite of what we intended, like the one who committed that unthinkable act,” the rabbi said. “He’s not a court and he doesn’t know what is forbidden and there is no justification for what he did.
“It was a terrible act of blood-letting and nothing can justify it. He did unimaginable damage to all ultra-Orthodox Jews, who now have to see themselves in that act. Action requires a lot of forethought.”
Referring to the gay community in Jerusalem, Amar said: “When all is said and done, Jerusalem is in a relatively good situation compared to other cities in Israel… They’re trying to legitimize [homosexuality] in the legislature and the courts, but it’s not natural, not normal. The Torah called it an abomination and we certainly need to find more considered ways of fighting it.”
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
