A pink sunset descends over central Paris.
Curly lanterns light up slowly.
The LED light illuminates and awakens the hour of wonder between the suns.
Lights begin to climb along the iron ribs designed by engineer Eiffel.
A fashionable couple asks a passerby to photograph them together.
"But let them see the whole tower behind us," the woman demands, and her partner looks at her with adoring eyes.
The casual photographer urges them, "Come on come on, get closer."
Some ultra-Orthodox girls walk by, smile and be careful not to enter the loving frame.
The couple embrace.
A few quiet clicks and the photographer returns the phone to the couple.
"Didn't it turn out great?", They smile at him.
How beautiful love is when it is right for the time and place.
In a few more years this photo will probably hang in the living room next to the Birkat HaBayit, a souvenir from central Paris, the Ricky Center, the city of lovers, Netivot.
"Beware of poor people from whom Torah will emerge," the Gemara taught us, and in Netivot they took the sage concept to the other side of Las Vegas. Instead of going to Paris, real estate mogul Oded Shrikki brought Paris to Netivot.
A French clock and a chess floor welcome visitors to the "Shrique Paris Center", inside restaurants with stylish curtains, a makeup shop from Milan and a deli where a croissant with truffle butter from France is served.
All these and many other indulgences surround the "small" Eiffel Tower of Netivot.
If the attractions are not enough for you, the sign on the other side of the street announces an oriental and Mediterranean bar called "Mozart".
A few minutes drive will take you to a parking lot in the center of which stands the Statue of Liberty "in the small", in the heart of the shopping center under the "Manhattan Project" towers;
A residential project that is an atomic explosion to the astonished consciousness of a commercial center with "pie" pizzas from Be'er Sheva, and an Americano-Moroccan diner where the hamburger is served with Moroccan prana bread.
"Peripherals, Provincials" would filter out the over-updated on the take-off board, but if it was a city from a remote "quality" movie, the palate benefactors would already be flying over the charming-hallucinatory combination of lanes.
Lifestyle in SD
From the main road it may look the same.
Some housing, nice wing trees and "Welcome to…", but beyond the sides of the jar - a celebration.
The city of Baba in the desert, the former development town, has become the future city of the religious continuum.
From the ultra-Orthodox to whatever it is, "here even the secular - religious," chuckles one of the saleswomen.
"But lite."
Work the name happily - with glitter and cheers.
Netivot from above, Photo: Kobi Gideon
Forget Jerusalem and push its hundred gates, onwards Bnei Brak and its black grace.
In Netivot, the name is happily worked on with glitter, cheers and full of style.
"This Manchego cheese, N-H-D-R-T, are you sure it's Israeli milk?"
A tourist from the Negev capital wonders.
"All our cheeses, from all over the world, all Israeli milk," reassures the cheese seller.
"No, there is nothing about our country," the tourist exclaims.
Live (in secret) and let live
But the lifestyle atmosphere in SD was severely violated last week. A pride parade that sought to organize members of the local LGBT community - was canceled, revealing something of the place's hidden complexity.
"The media talked about 'Pride Parade', but you see, everything you see in the parade in Tel Aviv? Just the opposite! We planned a really unprovoking three-kilometer walk. All participants were instructed to come with jeans and a shirt. No trucks and no parties, really we "Not such people! And most importantly, at the end of the march we wanted to get to the municipality area and place round tables of discourse. The most Bnei Akiva activity you can imagine."
These are the words of Nofar Zohar, a 44-year-old grandmother, an activist of the LGBT community and a resident of Netivot. Zohar is the kind of miraculous combination that distant places create. Affiliated with this gentleman or another rabbi, exposure is not a trivial matter.
"We asked to meet with the mayor, Yehiel Zohar, only after the windows of the cars were smashed and our lives were threatened. He met us, and straight away told us: You will not receive support, I am against. We understood, okay, at least we got an answer. But that did not stop us "We continued to organize the meeting, and especially the conversation we wanted to have, but the next morning a bullet was already waiting at the entrance to the office where the mother of one of the organizers works. It was already one step too many for us, so we decided to cancel."
Some women with headscarves sit in the cafe and discuss the amount of protein needed for physical exercise.
The center of Paris is filled with evening marchers - domes, tunics and headgear.
In the city of holy pastimes, one should also atone for the sins of flour and the iniquities of honey.
I try to strike up a conversation, most of them do not want to slow down, smile and say, "Love of Israel, do not speak slander."
But surprisingly, from the young to the old, everyone is aware of the other community within them, and at the street level no one seems to mind.
"Live in an open secret and let live" Netivot version.
Two young mothers with toddlers come to eat dinner, and agree to talk - "But without names, yes?"
Nofar Zohar, Photo: David Peretz
Why is everyone here so shy, I wonder.
"Because it's paths and everyone knows everyone, everyone in their own world with their secrets."
So what is your position regarding the Pride Parade?
"What does it matter if I am for or against? What happened is a shocking act to me. A woman, a single parent, whose whole 'sin' is that her son is from the community, and spit on in the street, put a bullet in her office, threatened with murder, and none of the influencers And the leaders in this city stood up and said - you exaggerated! Come, if a parade does not go well in your throat, then a threat of murder, yes? What situation did we get to? Absolute? Where are all the righteous rabbis of Netivot? Did you forget that there is also this little commandment in the Torah - "Thou shalt not kill"? "
How do you explain that?
"There's an extremism here. Everyone wants to stand out more and more, a real 'righteous born' reality, and the quickest way is to fall for a group and blame it on all the trouble in the world. But the worst thing is that you can no longer say anything moderate, because moderate is not noticeable."
Do you expect rabbis to accept the LGBT community? For them, this is a prohibition from the Torah.
"Really? And tattoos are not against religion? 80 percent of this city is tattooed, and I have not heard of anyone the rabbis did not mention in the Torah because he has a tattoo, so what's the point? Only straight offenses know how to contain here? They themselves are mediators of God, they are not saints, they are the problem. "
The people of the city tell us that Netivot is after all a city with a religious character, one that does not suit a parade, but on the other hand - they describe life in the city as quite harmonious.
Zohar also agrees that the members of the community are not really harassed on a daily basis.
"I will not lie, do not do us any harm, everyone in his life, there are no bad people in Netivot, there are good people and I am dying for Netivot. We are not extroverted people, and we did not come to do provocations, all in all we asked a social worker to take care of everything related to passion "In a place that can give support to young people, someone in the municipality with whom it will be possible to communicate about activities for the community, we really did not ask for too much."
A matter of authority.
Zohar, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
So how does it end with bullet threats?
"As soon as Rabbi Chaim Yosef Abergil posted the videos calling for a real physical injury to us, the mess began. You see, we were with him before in a personal meeting, we came to talk and explain that we did not intend to go naked, we are normal people for everything. At the second meeting, he rejected our claims, and in the end he just spat at us. "
Metaphorical spitting?
"No! Literally, he spat at us. In the videos, he claimed that because of us and because of this parade, including the existence of the LGBT, there will be terrorist attacks and there will be missiles.
Do you understand?
It is our love, not Hamas, that brings missiles and terrorist attacks.
He called on all his followers to oppose it clearly, and the truth is that it's really sad in my eyes.
And you know why?
Because his father Rabbi Yoram, truly a righteous male for blessing, was one of the people who cared about every person, every person!
I'm telling you this and I'm excited.
"You know, rabbis are in favor of Shalom Beit. When I wanted to divorce my husband, Rabbi Yoram called me personally because my husband was from his yard and we donated a lot to him, and when I answered the phone and he said, 'Listen, Rabbi Yoram is talking,' I said to him - 'But Your Honor, "You don't talk to women," and he replied, "Yes, but I chose to talk to you, because I want you to come and talk about peace at home." I met him. He was different. He accepted me. "
Did he know you were from the community?
"I am a man who lives in full transparency and does not hide who I am from anyone, and he told me Nufar, I love you, because you are the daughter of God."
Zohar shows me the videos of Rabbi Abergil.
On the one hand, the rabbi seems to be speaking from the pains of his heart and the concern of Israel.
But the content of things is hard to hear.
I asked to meet with the rabbi to get his view on the complexity of paths and the issue of spitting.
His associates conveyed the following response: "The encounter began with a hug and a kiss on the head ... and did not end with spitting but with disagreement."
"Why should one be ashamed?"
In the Paris Center, the tourist from Mabash does not understand at all why a pride parade is needed. "Tell me, where in the world have you heard of someone marching for something he already has?
Fulfilled if they were discriminated against and not given rights.
So sure I would come to march with them, why not, that they get their rights, but what are they marching for now?
What pride is there in being like everyone else?
Members of the Knesset for LGBT people? Is there a Minister for LGBT people?
There are officers?
Actors, singers, everything is there, thank God.
"Today there is no problem in being a LGBT in Israel. So what is a parade for? And why in places like Netivot or Be'er Sheva? Yes, you should not in Be'er Sheva either. Sorry, what is it if not a parade to annoy and attract attention?"
The tourist and the shopping subject leave, the next customer in line listens to the conversation and feels the need to share me.
"I really do not agree with her. It is a pity that they canceled the parade, if there was, I would actually go out to march with them."
Honestly, you surprised me.
"Why? Because if I'm from Netivot then I'm some dark abel from the periphery?"
God forbid, because you're standing next to your teenage son.
"Obviously, what is this nonsense? Everyone should live as they please, why should they be ashamed of who and what they are? Why hide it? Why what happened? What is it, we are stuck in the 19th century? Today everyone has a place, and should accept the "Everyone, and respect them, and with all due respect to the rabbis, I prefer that they come here to live full of such guys, just so that 'cousins' do not come to live here."
When he finishes his shopping and pays, the cheese seller notices my puzzlement.
"Do not get excited, I know him. That's how he is, good guy."
"4,000 LGBTs in Netivot"
I return to Zohar, who will help with my wandering insights in Netivot.
I did not really find any opposition to LGBT people in principle, but with the parade they had a problem. Some said that the parade is organized by people outside Netivot, because there is not really an active LGBT community in Netivot.
"No? Really? There are 4,000 LGBTs in Netivot, and just so you understand how important it is, at the beginning of last week a 16-year-old ultra-Orthodox boy committed suicide who was afraid to come out of the closet in front of his family, and here you go, this is what happens when you say Alone deep in the water, "Zohar is horrified by the harsh reality that takes us straight from the laws of marches, to the laws of souls.
Instead of the parade that was not, the community members organized a series of meetings to be held in the private homes of supportive families for the community, “Pride in the Living Room,” if you will.
I meet one of the hosts, who like many in this city, prefers to do it in secret.
Her words reinforce Zohar's words.
"I work with teenagers, and a lot of them come to share their traumas, and quite a few also came out of the closet in front of me for the first time. If their parents understood what bad places this felt leads their children. There are so many wolves out there just lurking and waiting for these children, Just last night I met a boy who tried to come out of the closet in front of religious parents three years ago. He's only 15 and he told me he was sexually assaulted six times.
"I know that in ultra-Orthodox society this is a difficult social problem, if you have a son who even a little came out in question, then the family went, they will not marry you, will not accept your children to the wanted schools. Do you understand how serious homosexuality is? On the other hand, all these concealments do Bad and terrible damage.
"Parents do not always understand the consequences of not accepting the child, do not understand that they condemn him to be a victim of the scum waiting to prey. In the end, Yitzhak did not follow the altar either. So your children yes? Your son or your daughter. "
***
Midweek, after midnight in Netivot.
Along the lighted street, blazers with a dome and without it are rushing.
I stop for coffee at one of the open shops.
The seller's haircut amazes me.
At the front is a rapper with a path on the side, on sides as smooth as German cyber-punk, and on the back a new wave triangle adorned with lines ending in a mini braid, and in the midst of all this impossible encounter - a black cap and two huge wigs.
I'm thrilled by this one-time combination, wanting to photograph it, but he kindly refuses.
Just before I get in the car and leave the city, under divine supervision from somewhere on Blaine Street, the voice of Edith Piaf singing about "Life in Pink" emanates.
I smile, drive into the night and reflect on the city of complexity and luxury vehicles, a city of wonders and open secrets, a city that Francia branded as a promise of the south, and perhaps of all Israel - because somewhere in the heart of Netivot's microcosm, between luxury towers and synagogue , Lies the road to the Israeli future.
But only time will tell whether this will be life in pink, or very dark.
The response of the mayor of Netivot, Yehiel Zohar:
"I responded to a request from two people (one from Netivot and one from Sdot Negev) to meet with them immediately with returnees from abroad to discuss their request to hold a march in Netivot.
It should be emphasized that this issue concerning the fundamental rights of freedom of association, freedom of expression and other rights relating to freedom to demonstrate has been decided in the High Court, so the municipality has no authority to approve or postpone the event and is handed over to law enforcement (police, court).
"However, and given the need to find a way to balance freedom of expression with harming public sentiment (since this event poses a danger to public order in the face of potential counter-demonstrations - which are also sponsored by fundamental rights), I intend to persuade both initiators to give up the idea. .
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