A Different Kind of Terror

Something happened in Tel-Aviv tonight, a milestone in the delicate relationship between minority and majority, left and right, and whatever other classifications you may wish to use here. Tonight a man, and I use this word in its broader sense, walked into a basement room in Nahmani street in Tel-Aviv, a years-old location for meetings of the Israeli GLBT organization, in the middle of a youth support group meeting. This man did not wish to participate in this meeting. He did not wish to ‘out’ the members of this group, or disturb them. He wished something much more sinister – to murder them, and I lament to say he succeeded.

The latest update from this ongoing story speaks of 3 dead, 15 injured. A 17 years old girl and a 24 years old man are the first two victims, while details are still missing as to the third. The man was a counselor for this group – a man whose job was to speak to these youngsters, assist them with their troubles dealing with their sexual orientation. His job was to help them find order in their world, find themselves, whichever self that may be. It is sometimes claimed amongst conservatives or homophobic circles, that these meetings were meant to convince these children that they are, indeed, gay; That these groups were akin to missionaries, proselytizing, trying to lure children into the pleasures of gay sex. To those narrow minded men, I can give the story of my own experience. At 16 I was, just like these kids, confused about my sexual identity. I went to these sessions wondering what is it that I really wanted, and how to tell the world – my family, my friends – about it. After 6 months of sessions with one of these angels, I grew stronger, and more sure of myself. I date men, and that was entirely OK with my counselor, as long as it made me happy. I was never reproached for not ‘converting’. I was congratulated for supporting my friends in their choices. I was accepted for who I am, no matter what. Can you really say that about every youth movement?

And this justified, in the mind of this “man”, a death penalty.

The shooter is still at large. He was possibly seen unsuccessfully trying to continue this bloodbath in a gay club nearby, the Evita, but he fled the scene. Reports of how he looks vary, and his motives are as of yet unknown. Most agree this appears to be a hate crime, and some claim this must be a result of religious anti-gay propaganda. Israeli Rabbis have been known to blame anything from earthquakes to swine flu on on the Israeli GLBT community and on major cities holding Gay Pride Parades. They’ve voiced their opinions loud and clear on this subject, and the gay community did not forget. A spontaneous demonstration going on in Tel Aviv at the time this post is written carries signs saying “SHAS¹, this blood is on your hands” and the gay community rages and weeps, for how bad things and gotten, and for the fallen.

I do not presume to be all-knowing regarding the future. The killer hasn’t yet been apprehended and for all we know, he could be an escaped mental patient from the nearest hospital. But those who know the place of the attack point out that it is an underground basement, that one must know where he’s heading to find it, that this was no random shooting. The gay community, along with most of the “gay friendly” community, is in a state of shock. The sentiment is that today, a line has been crossed, a line that should not have been crossed. This event feels like, and has been covered by the media as a terror attack. If this was indeed performed not by an Arab, as we are “used” to in terror attacks (and as almost no one considers probable), but by a Jew, one of our own, perhaps a religious one, certainly an anti-gay one – this is akin to a declaration of war. This is not something the sane Israeli public can pass by in silence. This is not something we can just forget about tomorrow and go on with our lives.

If I were a religious person, I’d pray now, that God please, please make the shooter be an escaped mental patient. Because I honestly don’t know how I can sleep peacefully knowing this is the country I live in, if not.

May the wounded quickly regain their health and the martyrs rest in peace.

1. An Israeli ultra-orthodox conservative party [↩]