The initiator of the Pride Parade in the town of Efrat announced tonight (Sunday) after causing a storm that he is returning to it and does not intend to move forward with the initiative.
In a post he posted on Facebook he informed surfers that he had decided to go back on it.
Dear residents of Gush Etzion and specifically the LGBT community in the bloc, I am currently canceling the parade in Efrat.
Fear not, I have not left you nor forsaken you.
The struggle is long-term and bigger than a small protest in Efrat. "
This morning it was reported in "Israel Today" that there is an intention to hold a pride parade in Efrat for the first time, which is causing a stir in the religious community.
"On Friday, June 3, a protest march will be held for pride and equal rights in Efrat and Gush Etzion," wrote a surfer in some of the residents' groups of Gush Etzion and Efrat.
"The parade will pass from the northern gate in Efrat at 10:00 to the southern gate. Volunteers and ushers are needed. The parade is held with the approval of the Israel Police, and according to the right to demonstrate as part of freedom of expression."
It should be noted that as far as is known, this is a private initiative of one person, and it is not at all clear how many residents are behind it, let alone participate in the parade.
The initiative for the parade, which became the talk of the day in the urban locality, which has about 14,000 residents and is considered relatively liberal, comes after a survey published about a month ago by the locality's youth headquarters, in which residents were asked to express their views on various issues related to the LGBT community. The residents' position on the integration of same-sex families in the religious community, including in the synagogue, as well as the raising of LGBT flags.
Following the survey, a storm arose, and a letter was published signed by a significant number of the local rabbis in which they attacked the initiative and sharply criticized its initiators.
Residents see the same survey, published in early April, as a preliminary step towards a pride march, which if held will probably be the first of its kind in a religious locality.
Although Efrat is a community with a religious character that is considered religiously moderate and alongside the religious residents, there are also those who do not lead a religious lifestyle, but the survey and the parade provoke anger and allegations of deliberate provocation.
The Efrat local council rejected the initiative and clarified that it was a statement of intent of an individual.
This is a former resident of the locality, some of whose family members still live there.
"These days, a guy who has not lived in Efrat for several years now advertises that he intends to hold such a march, all on his own merits," it was stated in response to Israel Hayom's request.
The council added that, "The council is a compass in the ability to act for all its residents !! All this with sensitivity and no sense in the common life of the community in Efrat."
Finally, they reiterated that "the council is not part of the organization in any way."
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