Dear Dr. Oz-Salzberger: Than you so much for eloquently, logically, and sensatively explaining to the orthodox and religiously traditional community in israel what the real issue is here: the right of fellow Jews and Israeli citizens of all religions (or I dare say even none!) to express their democratic right to march in a peaceful parade in the capital city. From what one reads in the media, it seems that those who oppose the parade and gay rights in general do not even take the time to learn more about the issue. The Pride parade, which calls for those who are gay (and by, the way, one is BORN gay- a very important fact) to be allowed the same rights as other fellow citizens. No gay person wants to "impose" their sexuality on heterosexuals simply because it is not possible; just like heterosexuals CANNOT impose their sexuality on Gay people. We are each born with our unique sexual inclination- thanks to God! This is something that the religious constituency in Israel MUST understand or at least learn more about before threatening their Jewish brothers and sisters with violence!

Dr YOU ARE LAME AS LAME CAN GET No sources No quotations Just sickening interpretations Trully sickening ************************************************* Hey doc ! Join me in the pride march of pedophiles, I'm more liberal than you, and I hope you will dare not hurt my feelings, it will not be against the Torah you much seem to care about because you will come around with a beatifull self explantion I hope We 'll march in pride for the freedom of *loving* little kids. Nothing halachikly wrong with loving my neighbors'kids as my myself - correct? We're all for progress and openess of opinions, and sorry if it was your child the one I "molested" yesterday. I was only excersircing the rights of the seculars and the advanced. If those who claim that judaism is moral, throw some rotten tomatoes at us - forget ! they' ll march for the pride of tomatoes throwers the next month :-)

I'm not Gay hater or whatever I just dont like this march, much the less in Jerusalem.

I ask you to resolve the following dilemma between two neighbors. One neighbor likes to play loud music. The other likes quiet. In fact, he gets bad headaches from loud music and it disturbs him to no end. The loud neighbor says, "I want you to respect my rights. I am coming in your home tonight with my boombox playing its loudest. I do this to show you that you must respect my rights to blast my radio whenever and whereever I want. I love you. Please love me." Says the quiet neighbor, "Your music offends me. Your noise offends me. You are harming yourself and all those around you with your loud music. But, what can I do? I cannot make you turn your radio off. But, please, at the very least, don't come into MY house and play your radio. You have many places you can go play your music, but I only have one house where I can enjoy my peace and quiet." What do recommend be done?

you stupid whore. youve been murdered for thousands of years and tortured in kh for millions more. what makes you think we aren't gonna get you again now?

I ask in all seriousness, do you also advocate sexual orgies in the streets, and pedophilia and bestiality pride parades? Why should people whose sexual orientation is to have sex with animals or children be discriminated against? There is a time and place for everything and there are rules of modesty. The street is not the place for anything pertaining to sexual matters it goes against all society's more's and standards of chastity and morality..Do you propose that the R and X ratings be removed from movies and TV shows too?

When your liberal, secular senses are offended, you do not try to change the law, you go running to the Supremem Court. You know, most people, including Hareidim could care less about your lifestyle. But you insist on an "in yout face" parade, in a city where the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants do not want it. I also find it very funny that the author quotes selectively from the Torah, forgetting conveniently that the Torah refers to the homosexual lifestyle as an abomination. Dr. Fania is just another left-wing hypocrite.

The direction of history is : - gays enjoy sex - religious jews do foor children by familly - arab musulim do six children by familly - in twenty years no more openly gays... Secular solution : promote tel aviv as gay capital of the world... go to san francisco... prohibit religious to have children... let gays to adopt religious children to "reeducate" them... A piece of infomation in the muslim dominated suburbs of paris gays are hiding... Even in the secular france, the paradise of the israeli left things are slowly changing but not in the direction leftists think...

1]"what do you do when two Torah commands contradict each other?"-i ask someone who's well versed in the Torah to enlighten me as to what i misunderstood-i.e a Rabbi,not my lecturer in university-try it sometime,then you'll learn!

2]The hellenists over 2000 years ago preached similar drivel-and guess what-Orhodox judiasm is as strong as ever and hellenism is extinct. Now based on learning mistakes from history-who's fighting the losing battle?

"What do you do when 2 Torah commands contadict one another?"-i ask someone well versed in the Torah,i.e a Rabbi-not my university lecturer-try it sometime then maybe you'll learn!

Over 2000 years ago the Hellenists were spewing the similar drivel and guess what?-Orthodox Judiasim is still going strong while Hellenism is extinct. Now bases on historical evidence who would you say is fighting the losing battle?

march in Jerusalem. I don't believe gays are denied housing or jobs or entrance to public malls or restaurants in Jerusalem. The idea to march in Jerusalem was a choice to have a confrontation where there is no need for one. Legally you have a right to do many things that would upset the religious Jews in Jerusalem, but that would not be a thing a good neighbor would do. A face off has been created by some people who think that outraging the religious community is going to win friends and influence people or at least make them feel beaten down. Scheduling a gay pride parade in Jerusalem was simply a poorly thought out idea by people who wanted a fight. I think you have stabbed yourselves in the back when you could have simply gone about your business as gays do in the US. I think the vast majority of people have no intention to harm gays or deny them a full life, why do you need to spit in their face? Tel-Aviv welcomes you, why start a war that makes people hate you? Is is really that important to make enemies? It is your choice.

Some wise words I once heard from my Rabbi to our local community dentist (self made rabbi) "so long as I am not coming into your office and drilling teeth I don’t expect you to be coming into the synagogue and playing Rabbi”

Thank you.

You are in the Middle East! The clock is turning back in most Moslem surrounding nations. Being nice will not do the job. I hope that the charedim turn the world upside down to stop this shameful behaviour. How many young people have been corrupted when they could have led normal lives.

Our whole family, which is straight, will be on the march. We will not abandon our brothers and sisters and friends to the hysterical mob. Jerusalem belongs to us too, not just the violent hate filled people who are obviously scared stiff of their own sexuality. Today we can have homosexual couples leading a normal life style with their own children. These people and those who chose not to have children are active contributing members of our society. This is the wonder of the modern age. Deal with it, don't ignore it. Why should there be more anguish about homosexuals and their life style than the selfish heterosexual hedonists who do not give a flying fig for anyone but themselves and their comforts or the religious families with eight plus kids pleading poverty and sponging off the rest of us? We know where babies come from and what you’ve been up to  Grow up, get a life and start be having like mensches and stop being scared of your own sexuality. You know it makes sense.

We will breed you to extinction.

JERUSALEM IS A HOLY CITY. THE JEWS THAT LIVE THERE ARE VERY OBSERVANT. THERE ARE SIGNS IN MANY AREAS THAT ASK PEOPLE TO DRESS MODESTLY. THERE ARE RULES IN THE TORAH. THIS MARCH IS INTENDED TO OFFEND RATHER THAN PREACH 'LOVE'. THERE ARE MANY OTHER CITIES IN ISRAEL AVAILABLE FOR SUCH AN EVENT. IT IS APPARANT THAT THIS EVENT IS A MILITANT GAY PROTEST. THOSE IN THE 'GAY' COMMUNITY HAVE MUCH MORE DISPOSIBLE INCOME THAN THE POOR CHASIDIC FAMILIES OF JERUSALEM. THE MILITANT GAY PROTEST WILL BE CONFRONTED BECAUSE IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS A HOLY CITY.

With all due respect I must say this is an unique piece of work. However, you have also managed to shoot the Torah and Judiism in the head. A man sleeping with another man and "love thy friend..." are two separate rules that don't contadict each other. The Torah says to respect people because they are people, the creation of G-d, therefore we respect each person as an individual. However, it says nowhere that we must respect things that people do, especially if the Torah itself calls disgusting. We don't hate gay people for being people, we dislike the gay part. The same way you don't know if someone is homo or hetero unless he tells you, if you would keep your sexual prefs to yourself, people would respect more. About the parade itself, every mother is proud of their children. Do you have a mothers pride parade to celibrate it? Jews through the ages have even died because they are proud of being jewish, has there ever been a purely jewish pride parade with no underlying motives? Anybody who is proud of what he stands for doesn't need to parade that pride around. On the contrary, they feel fulfilled and don't care about what others have to say about them. Its the ones that don't feel secure that feel they need to ram their actions down everybody's throat.They don't have any confidence and self fulfillment in what they are doing and try making it lagit by parading it around. Thats what weak governments do to instill their agenda in their people. For a group of people who preach tolarance they should realize that it goes both ways. We don't parade our sexuality you shouldn't either. thank you

It's kind of strange to read of secular jews using Torah sources for a purpose which suit them, while rejecting the rest. Yet, they also criticiize those who uphold the sources in their entirety in order to justify the secular claim. Do they have the righ to use sources they reject in order to justify a "modern, pluralistic happening"? These people would do anything to achieve legitimacy even to abuse Talmudic sources to achieve their point. Israel has been destroyed in the past for things like this. Israel hasn't learned from history. What will have to happen to turn the modern Moabites-Midianites,Sodomites and Gemorrahites into the realization that they can never get legitimacy.Even responding to this is stupid on my part but the modernistic communication causes me to respond. Besides, I have nothing else to do.

It's not as complicated, as you make it out to be. You should love the sinner, but hate the sin. If you had a child who was on a self destructive path, such as drugs or alcohol, you wouldn't hate the child, rather you would want correct their self destructive ways.

And if you don't think this is the same mindset that shoved Jews into the ovens, you've got another thing coming. Gays are not the enemy of religious Jews, racists like the vermin who posted this comment are.

In the spirit of this thoughtful andrational article (which I applaud without reservation, a few comments: 1. to you who believe that gays do not procreate think again or read your local papers. But also know that 10% more or less of children of heterosexual couples (even among you haredim and even in Jerusalem) will likely turn out to have strong same sex attractions and as society opens up they will act on that which g-d put into their make-up. "Ask not for whom the haredi breeds - he breeds for us all" Pru urevu! 2. Pedophilia is a crime against children and the unconsenting. It is a practice of the dispicable -gay or straight. Gay rights is about consensual relations between adults. consider the case of haredi families who force their daughters into arranged marraiges at a too early age --- that too like all forms of pedophilia and forced sexual union is a crime against g-d. 3. to Reuven: my honest is go form a kibbutz (rishut hayachid) where members can set your anti-gay anti sexuality rules. In reshut harabim, the public sector, we must all tolerate the piccadillos and idiosyncracies of others. Am I not offended by the manner in which some halachically observant women (particular the orthodox settler wives) cover up their g-d given attractiveness with their silly uniform of hats... but I say nothing and treat them with kindness as my sisters which they are. 4. to Gabriela: Respectfully, you have a problem whose "talking cure" (to use Freud's phrase) is with a trained professional and not through y-net talkbacks

there is a famous midrash which tells of G-d allowing Moses to travel into the future and visit a mishnaic era yeshiva (or Rabbi Akiva's students if I recall). Observing the yeshiva and listening to the halachic rulings being taught , Moses expressed suprise and a bit of befuddlement. When he asked he was told, "This is the law taught by Moses at Sinai". the Jewish way(s) (halachot?) are an ever evolving lot and we should all have the humility not to claim an exclusive franchise on the interpretation of "Torah".

So much ignorance and hatered and bigotry in one talkback. Bravo! I counted 5 super offending points you brought up. A. homosexuality is not only about sex it is also about attraction and love and who you choose to share your life with ! The parade marches because gay people dont want to keep silent and scared of their family and friends and work colleagues all their life! B. The Torah does not refer to gay people at all . Because there was no awareness of different sexual orientation at those times..just as slavary was common on those days and not today. The Torah only forbit the gay act and I will not get into details here but the participants of worldpride are not all even sinners according to jewish law. C. I am happy you make the equivalnce of proud jews and proud gays. both are minorities who were hated just for being different and due to prejudice beliefs. There is defenitely underlying motives for gay people to march - descrimination in all life aspects being subject to hate and mocking is osme of it. But so many other minorities march in our world...how about Israeli parades in NY or european cities on Yom Haatzmaot? have you heard about the puertorican parade? D. What does weak governments has to do with that??!?!? E. You have no need to parade your sexuality because you never suffered anything becuase of your sexuality !! You never wanted to commit suicide as a youngster because you were made to think you are the only one firrenet in the world and you cannot even share your feelings with anyone! THANK YOU !

to let them indulge and flaunt their Bad habit in public only gives that habit(SIN) strength and incorages & reaffirms it for the sinner and others. to let your kid get even higher and all the more so in public will not help him correct his destructive ways.