ByTZVI JOFFRE

Efrat is a "pioneer" on the discourse concerning LGBTQ+ issues among religious Zionist Israelis, Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi wrote in an op-ed in the Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday.

"While there are those who choose to condemn members of the [LGBTQ+] community and those who choose to ignore them in silence, we in the Efrat Local Council have chosen to act responsibly, to have an open dialogue, to give them and their families tools so that they will continue to feel loved," wrote Revivi.

The mayor quoted poet Maya Angelo's poem reading: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"As an elected official I am committed that each and every one of the community of which I am a leader will feel wanted and accepted, [and] belong to it," wrote Revivi in Haaretz.

Revivi explained that he is responsible for giving those who come out of the closet and their family members the appropriate tools. The mayor added that he has met with residents who have come out and discussed their fears and difficulties.

"From these, we determined for ourselves in Efrat that we should act responsibly, not close our eyes and acknowledge that, even among us, there are those who have chosen to join the LGBT community," wrote the mayor.

Revivi insisted that opponents of the LGBTQ+ community in the religious Zionist community have begun to accept the fact that there are LGBTQ+ people in the religious community. He stressed that "even they understood" that this is a process and that tools must be provided in order not to put families and children at risk of splitting apart or even coming to harm.

The mayor added that even conversion therapy are no longer part of the discussion in most of religious Zionism.

The Efrat mayor stressed that the municipality was not accepting or supporting or encouraging LGBTQ+ people, but was simply relating to the issue as a matter of life and death.

"Without accepting, without including, without agreeing, without supporting and without encouraging - we realized that we are dealing with life or death. We need to see how we can give those people the circle of support and assistance in paying attention to the day-to-day and halakhic complexity that I am well aware of and understand, and even share to some extent," wrote Revivi in Haaretz.

Revivi ended the article by encouraging more awareness and more tools for LGBTQ+ people in the religious Zionist community.

"Religious Zionism will benefit that even those who choose to join the proud community will not be cut off from the spark, will not be cut off from their families and will not feel disconnected from where they grew up," wrote Revivi.

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, has also expressed support for more acceptance for LGBTQ+ Jews, saying in 2009 that he did not object to same-sex parents raising children. He has stressed on multiple occasions that LGBTQ+ Jews should avoid breaking Jewish law, while encouraging more tolerance from the religious community.

Riskin raised controversy in 2017 after he was quoted by Makor Rishon stating that homosexuals were considered "forced" by halacha, a status which exempts one from punishment in Jewish law.