June is a busy month for Dror Israel. Our schools are wrapping up their years, our youth movement is sending kids off to summer camps... but it is also a busy month for a different reason- June is Pride month. Dror Israel’s participation in Pride events across the country ranges from being active and vocal participants at some parades, and even to even being the central organizers of the events in some places.
At the larger Pride events, such as those in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, we bring busloads of participants from throughout the country to the marches and rallies with colorful support.
All of our schools and after-school programs also address the issue over the course of Pride month in an educational manner appropriate for their students, with the goal of providing a safe space for queer children and teens, as well as educating tomorrow’s leaders to fight homophobia and discrimination in all its forms.
This year in Mitzpe Ramon in the south, our local Educators’ Kibbutz organized the city’s first ever Pride event. We are proud of our members who made sure this important event took place and that people across the South knew that Mitzpe Ramon was an accepting place.
There was also a large event in the northern city of Tiberias organized with the help of many members of Dror’s Educators’ Kibbutz in the city. Dror Israel, in cooperation with “Dona” - the Gay and Lesbian organization in Tiberias, and several other organizations hosted the pride event in this small picturesque city. The event occurred on Tiberias’ main shopping strip near the Kinneret on July 1st. There were hundreds of participants in the event which consisted of a march and a performance of several drag queens and kings, as well as speeches by LGBT activists and representatives of the municipality.
Participants were largely youth from Tiberias and the surrounding area, as well as gay and lesbian couples with children, and local residents who want it to be an accepting and open place.
We wish everyone across the world a happy Pride month and are proud of all of our members’ hard work to make Israel a more accepting and proud place to live.
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