Activist Chen Arieli describes the Aguda, the Israeli LGBT organization that she co-chairs, as sometimes being "like a Jewish motherall the kids left home and we were angry."
Those "kids" are actually other organizations that have over the years been born within the Aguda and split off to achieve other, focused goals, such as working on behalf of LGBT youth or HIV/AIDS prevention. Now, Arieli and Co-Chair Imri Kalmann, who both spoke at Temple Sholom Sept. 28, are trying to ensure that they are working alongside those other organizations and competing less over the same resources.
"We need to release the power that comes from the center," said Arieli. "We need to build platforms for other activists to do their work and give them what they need."
The Aguda was formed in 1975 and has branches in Tel Aviv, Be'er Sheva, Kiryat Shmona and Eilat.
Many young LGBT Israelis are drawn to Tel Aviv once they grow old enough to leave home, especially if they come from a particularly anti-LGBT environment, Kalmann said. But the city is extremely expensive, so it's difficult for many young people to make ends meet once they arrive. So the Aguda is putting resources behind disseminating a message of equality that spans the entire country, not just its cities.
"We think [the Aguda has] the power to change not only the LGBT community, but going back and changing the places we came from," Kalmann added.
Marriage equality has not yet been achieved in Israel, but Arieli and Kalmann explained that the matter was mainly tied up as part of arguments over whether marriage is a civil matter or should be determined by rabbinical courts. Arieli noted that there are about a million Israelis who were unable to be married in their country.
"The system in Israel is religious," added Kalmann. "Maybe we will have same-sex marriage before we have civil marriage."
He further noted that the LGBT Israeli community was a "microcosm" of the country as a whole. When asked whether there had been efforts to give LGBT Palestinians a larger role in the work, Kalmann said that the Aguda had made overtures to two queer Palestinian organizations, but those did not want to affiliate with the Aguda since it accepted funding from the Israeli government.
In the meantime, Arieli and Kalmann want to see the Aguda function as a "gateway" organization, one that opens the door for work on causes besides those of the LGBT community.
"We have to stop talking about what we need and start talking about what we can give back," said Kalmann.
A Wider Bridge, Temple Sholom and Or Chadash sponsored Arieli and Kalmann's talk.