Assistance for gay Aliyah
The World Zionist Organization is setting up a unit to work with the LGBT Jewish community.
Photo: Avigail Givon
In a brand-new initiative within the framework of the Pride Month, the World Zionist Organization has established a Unit for Activities with the LGBT community that will operate in three spheres.
The main one will be to assist members of the LGBT community to make aliyah and strengthen the connection with them. This unit will be part of the Department for Zionist Enterprises of the World Zionist Organization, headed by a member of the WZO Executive, Dror Morag from Meretz.
This new unit will assist gay immigrants from the LGBT community, in cooperation with the Association for the LGBT Community. This unit was established in order to give answers to the special needs and interests of those interested in Aliyah, new immigrants and those who have already made Aliyah in the past. This is to ease their transition and integration into the Israeli society and the LGBT community, in order to give them services through the Department for Zionist Enterprises of the World Zionist Organization, the Association for the LGBT Community and other LGBT organizations in Israel.
The purpose of the project is to bring down barriers for the LGBT community that are interested in making aliyah by setting up a database of easily accessible information and a platform for questions and answers, accessibility to Hebrew language courses (Ulpanim) of the World Zionist Organization throughout the world, lectures on various subjects relating to Aliyah and setting up various services that will ensure a soft landing for these new immigrants when they arrive in Israel.
Another project Is Zionist pride. Within its framework, the World Zionist Organization issued a call for action to LGBT youth organizations and community organizations throughout Israel to submit unique and special projects. These projects dealt with the issue of Jewish Peoplehood, establishing an exemplary society, tolerance and pluralism in a diverse Israeli society. The projects chosen will receive a special grant to carry out these activities.
Three initiatives that were chosen within the project are.
1. The Transball Soccer Team of the Gay Sports Club.A soccer team that is geared towards youth on the transgender spectrum in order to give them a secure and professional place for their activity.
2. The history of the LGBT movement- An innovative New Media project that will establish a digital archive that will include all LGBT Jewish stories, Israeli, Zionist and from the diaspora. This digital database will be written In Hebrew.
3. IGY International Live, that will establish joint leadership groups of Israeli gay youth and gay youth from the Zionist Youth Movements for Zionist fulfilment in the diaspora.
Dror Morag, Head of the Department for Zionist Enterprises in the World Zionist Organization said: “Gay pride month will be especially remembered this year by the fact that the World Zionist Organization set up a unit for Zionist activities among the gay Jewish communities in Israel and in the diaspora. This pioneering activity strengthens the organization as a pluralistic and up to date one.I am proud of the activity that we have initiated and especially promoting the values of an exemplary society as proposed by Theodor Herzl-equality, pluralism and prevention of discrimination. They are central themes in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.”
LGBT Olim has been providing services for LGBT new olim and prospective olim since 2013. They answer LGBTQ-related questions about aliyah for people considering aliyah and run social events and free LGBT-friendly Hebrew-language classes. Currently all events are online due to the pandemic, but under normal circumstances, events and classes take place in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Be’er Sheva too.
More information can be found on LGBT Olim’s website at https://lgbtolim.org and on the LGBT Olim Facebook page: https://facebook.com/LGBTOlim