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Tens of thousands attend toned-down Tel Aviv Pride, with spotlight on hostages
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Tens of thousands attend toned-down Tel Aviv Pride, with spotlight on hostages
Tens of thousands attend toned-down Tel Aviv Pride rally, with spotlight on hostages
https://www.timesofisrael.com/tens-of-thousands-attend-toned-down-tel-aviv-pride-rally-with-spotlight-on-hostagesPartner of slain IDF officer receives medal
Noa Kirel sings ‘Unicorn’ next to hostage familyTens of thousands gathered to mark a toned-down Pride event in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, in lieu of the annual parade, with the event focusing on a call for the return of the hostages being held in Gaza and the contributions to the ongoing war effort of many soldiers and reservists who are part of the LGBTQ community.
With a tone starkly different to the usual raucous party, the gathering was coordinated with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The yellow stripe of LGBTQ rainbow flags flown around the city was enlarged to highlight the plight of the hostages (whose sign in Israel is a yellow ribbon).
At the rally, popstar Noa Kirel sang her 2023 Eurovision Song Contest entry “Unicorn” alongside the family of hostage Eden Yerushalmi, and hostages’ relatives and LGBTQ activists gave speeches.
Additionally, medals were handed out to members of the LGBTQ community who have made contributions to society since October 7, including Omer Ohana, whose partner Maj. Sagi Golan was killed on October 7 while fighting Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri; Maayan Gross, a transgender woman who fought as a reservist in Gaza; and Eliav Batito, head of the Israeli Spirit advocacy body.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai cast Thursday’s event as an “evening of freedom,” and called the return of hostages “the most important mission facing Israel today.”
Nadav Rudaeff, whose father Lior’s body is held by Hamas after being murdered on October 7, told the crowd how he came out to his parents as gay 20 years ago, to which he said his father replied: “I don’t understand it, I grew up in a different culture, but it doesn’t matter, you are my son and I’ll love you forever.”
The municipality said last month it was scrapping the normally exuberant celebration of LGBTQ life in the famously open city out of deference to the hostages.
It is believed that 120 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 41 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
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2 Replies
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You reap what you sow
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Meaning that 10/7, 7/7 and 9/11 are all legitimate “blowback”?
Or that hamas has sowed and reaped the current war?
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