Next week, leaders from Israel’s national LGBT youth organization will come to Philadelphia to start a conversation on how the United States can help young LGBTs in Israel, especially those who live outside the gay “mecca” of Tel Aviv.
The public is invited to join Israel Gay Youth executive director Mandy Michaeli and creative director Zachary Cohen 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at the John C. Anderson Apartments, 251 S. 13th St. Michaeli and Cohen will share their personal stories with the hope that LGBTs in the United States and Israel can learn from each other and create more positive experiences for LGBT youth in both countries.
The event is coordinated by A Wider Bridge, a San Francisco-based pro-Israel organization that builds connections among LGBT communities of Israel and North America. While the event will make stops in other U.S. cities, it marks the first time that IGY has come to Philly.
The event will center on two core issues: the challenges of young Israeli LGBTs in rural, conservative communities; and the heightened rate of LGBT-youth suicide.
“Many LGBT youth face greater challenges in Israel’s smaller communities outside the central and southern regions, as well as minority communities,” said Tyler Gregory, director of programs and development for A Wider Bridge. “And just like in the United States, suicide rates among LGBT youth are higher than the rest of the population, so we are focusing on suicide prevention as well.”
IGY is also pressing to stop “homo” from being used as a derogatory term in schools and end discrimination, exclusion and violence against young Israeli LGBTs.
Gregory pointed to the disconnect between these smaller communities and mainstream Israel as a factor compounding the challenges for some LGBT Israelis.
“A lot of these orthodox religious communities are segregated from the rest of society, which is more accepting,” said Gregory. “How do kids come out to their families in these communities that don’t have any support system, no role models?”
That is a problem that IGY and A Wider Bridge hope to solve. Their mission: to empower LGBT youth and young adults to lead the LGBT community in social change, thereby creating a more tolerant society. To do so, they need to change the way some LGBT communities think about Israel, said Gregory.
“Israel is a complicated country,” he said. “We think the LGBT community at large in the United States has some misconceptions about what Israel is all about, that and/or they simply don’t talk about the issues it does have. By engaging in a constructive dialogue, talking about our shared experiences, we can build a better relationship.”
IGY operates 40 social and support groups that meet weekly in 20 communities throughout Israel, exploring everything from personal thoughts on sexual orientation and gender identity to issues regarding military service, academic studies and establishing independence.
Gregory said he hopes that by bringing the event to Philly, Israel and IGY can learn from great local organizations like The Attic Youth Center, Mazzoni Center and LGBT Jewish groups in the area, as well as individual LGBT leaders in the community.
RSVP for the presentation to Gregory at [email protected]. To learn more about A Wider Bridge, visit www.awiderbridge.org.
