An officer, a gentleman and their dog
IAF doesn't discriminate on Israel's Family Day
On the national day to celebrate families, the Jewish state's Air Force makes sure to show that its ranks include all kinds of families—one-parent, gay, Druze—and that they're all part of the IAF family. Blue and White Pride provides assistance to integrating LGBT soldiers in the IDF.
To celebrate Israel's Family Day on Sunday, the Israeli Air Force posted pictures and profiles on its Facebook page of select airmen and their families from diverse communities in Israel
The IAF put up five pictures of families: the first is of Druze NCO Master Sgt. Chochmat Chir alongside his wife and daughter. The following profile is of Capt. Yossi Boaron, a Haredi man who enlisted at the age of 25, with his wife and five children. The pictures also include Maj. Shiri Gal, a single mother with her daughter, and Maj. Bezazao Mengistu with his wife and two children, who are all members of the Ethiopian community.
The picture that has received the most attention, garnishing the most likes and positive reactions (well over 80 times more than any of the others at the time of publication) is the photograph of Capt. Adir Gabbai with his husband Dean, whom he recently married after eight years together, with their dog.
Capt. Adir Gabbai with husband and dog
Having met each other whilst serving in the same IAF unit, the post states that "the Air Force family will always be for them 'the place where I met my family.'"
The comments were overwhelmingly positive. "I salute the Air Force on their openness," reads one. "Such pride that the Air Force is putting up a post like this against all prejudices!!! Happy Family Day!!" reads another.
One less positive user whose Facebook profile alleges that she works for the city of Rehovot and studies at Bar Ilan University wrote that she didn't understand, apologized if she was offending anyone, but believed that "there are things that some decency is appropriate."
Shortly afterwards, the official IAF page responded and explained their reasoning: "In honor of Family Day, which takes place today, we decided to carry out a project that would present all the types of family that serve in the Air Force, including a same-sex family. In our view, everyone is equal, and we are all one big family.
"We wish you a happy Family Day and a wonderful week."
Blue and White Pride Conference
On Thursday night, dozens of soldiers, including officers and combat soldiers, took part, some of them in uniform, in a conference for the Blue and White Pride movement. The group was founded in response to calls from rabbis against women serving as combat soldiers and against the IDF's cooperation with the LGBT community.
Nahmany addresses the conference (Photo: Yuval Weitzen)
The founder of the movement, Capt. (res.) Omer Nahmany, said, "Most of our work will be less with the solders and more with the LGBT persons who are about to enter the army: accompanying them on the draft process and preparing for the army, especially those who have a lot of questions about serving as gay in a combat unit.
Blue and White Pride IDF preparatory courses will be organized in conjunction with the organizations Aharai! and IGY (Israeli Gay Youth). In recent years, the IDF has become one of the most advanced armies as regards to accepting LGBT soldiers.
When Brig. Gen. (res.) Rachel Tevet-Weisel, one of the most senior religious female officers in the IDF, was serving as the Chief of Staff's Advisor on Gender Issues (a position that she held from 2012 to 2016), the support provided to LGBT soldiers, in particular trans soldiers was increased. Indeed, Tevet-Weisel even gave presentations to foreign armies on how to better integrate LGBT soldiers into their ranks in the Israeli model.
