Fighting our inner racist

The most tempting explanation for the hate crime at Jerusalem's Gay Pride Parade last week was that this could only happen in Jerusalem. After all, the perpetrator was an ultra-Orthodox man in a city that has a large number of extremely devout people who hold very conservative views. But that explanation is just the easy way out. It ignores the fact that a similar attack happened in Tel Aviv almost exactly six years ago: the August 1, 2009 shooting at an LGBT youth club in Tel Aviv. Two people were killed in that incident and more than 10 were injured. The case has yet to be solved.

Those two hate crimes managed to put an end to the myth that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are worlds apart. They proved that homophobia and xenophobia run deep all over Israel.

Fighting such ideology must begin with each and every one of us. To borrow what an Israeli champion of human rights once said, every person must fight their small inner racist when they wake up in the morning. The personal struggle against racism, homophobia and xenophobia is Sisyphean, it never ends. But waging this inner battle is crucial if we were to enjoy normalcy and lead proper lives. Every community is duty-bound to go through this process. Even the LGBT community, my community, has occasional manifestations of bigotry. (Transgenders, for example, are maligned and discriminated against.)

Having said that, those who must spearhead this battle are the prime minister and other top officials, including educators, health care professionals. It must also include the Israel Defense Forces, the police and the judiciary. They must all be determined and unrelenting. As part of this effort, the government must draft a national plan of action that would involve all ministries. If these steps are followed, we will once again be proud of (and in) our country.

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