God Bless all those who are working on World Pride Jerusalem. Lord knows any city with a soul as hateful and intolerant as Jerusalem's is in desperate need of some tolerance and humanity. And to think that such filth is spewed from the mouth of people who like to portray themselves as 'religious'. Isn't it a marvel of ignorance that ultra-Orthodox Jews were able to reach out to Islamic extremists and bond with them in hatred? Perhaps these religious zealots would like to take their message to Mecca where I'm sure it will be well received. They were even able to make a pact with the Catholic Pope -- himself a rabid homophobe and former Nazi Youth member. This 'coalition of the religious' is a miracle of our times. And where is the Israeli Prime Minister to stand up and say that Israel is a civilised democracy where everyone has the right to march in peace and respect? Religious beliefs however strongly held cannot be used as a weapon to deny other groups their civil rights. This is a test for Jerusalem and for Israel. Thank you Rabbi Graetz. You are one of the very few rational voices I've heard throughout this debacle.

MAYBE HE THINKS HE IS. A RABBI. SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE. MAYBE ITS ME,, I AM THOROUGHLY CONFUSED. THIS "RABBi" WILL MARCH IN THE HOMOSEXUAL PARADE BECAUSE THE OTHER RABBIS REPEATING THE HOLY WORDS OF OUR TORAH WHERE "GD" HIMSELF SAID "ITS AN ABOMINATION... AND THIS "RABBI" IS UPSET AT UPHOLDING TORAH? AND THIS "RABBI" IS CALLING THOSE WHO DO FIGHT FOR "GDS" WORDS DESECRATING TORAH? I BE CONFUSED ? ME THINKS... LET ME THINK A MINUTE...... NO, THIS SO CALLED RABBI SHOULD HAND IN HIS SEMICHA AND WORK IN A FISH STORE. WHERE ARE THE RABBIS UPHOLDING TORAH WITH STRENGTH AND CONVICTION.. NOT BENDING TO THE SOCIAL LIBERAL TIMES.. STANDING ALONG SIDE "GD". HEY I THINK MOSES SAID THAT... THOSE WITH "GD" STAND ON THIS SIDE

The hate and venom in these talkbacks! Is that Jewish? If it is so, i am converting to something else. My guess is that the ones doing the most hating are those who dotn want to admit they are secretly gay, and terrified of that. WHy else feel threatened? I am not threatened. I am not Gay. I wish I could go to the march just to show my support. Your hate has motivated me. And many others.

YOU ARE CALLING DEFENDING TORAH =HATE TALK. WE ARE COMMANDED TO DEFEND TORAH: To sanctify His Name Lev. 22:32 Not to have homosexual relations Lev. 18:22 Not to follow the whims of your heart or what your eyes see Num. 15:39 THESE ARE SOME OF THE LAWS YOU HAVE TO LEARN

Actually I never really went into the substance of the hate, just the tone. Ask yourself, can you debate without disparaging? without Lashon Hara? Can you debate the halacha of the ACT of homosexuality, instead of labeling and lashing out against the PEOPLE? That is the way of the Torah I was brought up with. I can not comment on the method of the others.

Sorry it appears that my reply wasnt printed, but the gist of it was that I was noting the shocking and abhorent negativitity of the tone of the posts. Arguing the halacha about homosexual acts is one thing, but disparaging homosexuals as a people is a whole other thing. I was brought up with a torah that emphasized debate, not Lashon hora. That I questioned their motives probably wasnt fair either, but minor compared to the shocking comments i was reading.

Abdullah, that is the wisest thing I've heard anyone say in quite a while.

yossi shalet, I agree that more should be done to help "women who are beat by their wives." Domestic violence among gays and lesbians is something nobody wants to talk about, because they are afraid of being called "bigot" and "homophobe." Not everything in the gay community is rainbows and roses.

here in israil evry thing is spoild even the haredim

i know the song parsha parsha only

religions do not accept stealing .killing or homosexual ,,but people do ..it is the same in any place in jerusalem or in newdelhi in all religions ,but sure the people spoiled themselves but not the religion .why thieves do not make apride .A PRIDE WITHOUT ACTING BUT FOR THE SAKE OF PEACEOR FOR THE SAke of allah

I chuckled at your post. Nice try. I am sure some will find it offensive, and it probably is. But I liked the irony. However, anyone normal (i.e. anyone notw astign their time on these pages) knows it it isnt true. But you are from South park, nuh?

If there was a parade for murderers and thieves it would be full of heterosexuals and not homosexuals. You're desperately trying to connect homosexuality with these negative behaviours but the vast majority of law breakers are heterosexual. Why don't you just ban heterosexuality and get it over with.

The insistence on public parades to flaunt private personal habits is gross exhibitionism. Any individual with personal pride would not indulge in such vulgar display. So "pride" is no more the goal than "rights" -- that homosexuals already have in free societies. In NY there have been "gay pride" events that inflicted disgusting obscenities, sometimes shouted over loudspeakers, forced on the public. It is surely not "hate" as so many charge, to prefer that people follow their tastes in private and no inflict them on the public. If the parade goes on, I suggest that the rest of the public do to these arrogant exhibitionists what they deserve. IGNORE THEM. LET THEM MARCH THROUGH EMPTY STREETS. YOU HAPPEN TO BE ON THE STREET DO NOT LOOK AT THEM.

Toronto's Pride -- where I live -- gets well over one million people but in all my years I have never witnessed any obscenity at Pride that even approaches the level of vulgarity shown by these extremists religious groups. I am a student here and you lunatics are showing me something I've never seen before. Clearly, religious extremism is a serious problem in Jerusalem. It would seem that too many people are under the impression that if you call something a religion then it can be used as an excuse for inciting hatred and propagating violence. I think Jerusalem Pride is going to be a very interesting event and I look forward to meeting many of you hatemongers in person. I want to see what you filth look like with my own eyes and hear the feces that spews out of your so-called religious mouths with my own ears.

SALZBERGER...YOU ARE CONNING , NOT BAITING You do not recite torah. You recite the agenda of liberals to tear down thousands of years of sages and wisdom of TORAH given by MOSHE RABBEINU, WHICH WILL BE HERE LONG AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN OBLITERATED from this world and the next. TORAH gives many examples of those that have rebelled against 'GDS' laws with words of stupidity .They have been wiped out unless they repented. "GD" SAID CLEARLY THAT IT IS AN ABOMINATION IN "HIS" EYES. WE HATE THE EVIL ACT, NOT THE PERSON. Your argument is an intentional distortion and blurring of the person and the issues(laws of Torah). you are running a con game on the public. The person that acts intentionally against the torah in public and not privatly is even more evil. TORAH IS consistent always was and alway will be consistent. IT DEPENDS ON THE PERSON USING TORAH TO DISTORT FOR HIS AGENDA OR TORAH FOR HOLY KNOWLEDGE. WE LOVE ALL MANIND AS ALL OUR SAGES SAID. BUT FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY THERE ARE TIMES THAT WE MUST SEPERATE FROM THE EVIL DOERS.... Unless there is a sage that can guide this person who commits these acts of abominations and acts of an animal to repent to a moral standard of torah, we must seperate from them. Homosexuality is against TORAH .. You want to bring the world DOWN to those standards of perversions.. The world wants to bring you UP to the higher standards of TORAH and to a rich moral society to raise families and prosper. >TORAH IS CONSISTENT. distortions are consistent >HOMOSEXUALITY IS AN ABOMINATION >MANKIND IS ON A HIGHER PLATEAU THEN ANIMAL ACTS.. PEOPLE MUST SEPARATE FROM THOSE THAT PUBLICALLY MOCK TORAH AND THOSE THAT WOULD BRING US DOWN TO THE LOWEST LEVELS OF AN ANIMAL ACCORDING TO THE LAWS THAT MOSES BROUGHT DOWN TO US FROM "GD". DACON9 , EXPOSING THE DECEIT (07.09.06)

There is just as much, if not more, domestic violence among gays than there is among homosexuals. I suggest you Google "domestic violence among gay partners" to educate yourself. You can start here: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/glbt/dv.htm

What, you think you are going to hold a Gay pride parade in Jerusalem and not get all this garbage? This fight was started by the parade organizers, not the religious!

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There is just as much, if not more, domestic violence among gays than there is among HETEROSEXUALS.

Let me at once disqualify myself from being listened to. You see I am that abomination that you speak of. I am a homosexual man. And I am as my god made me, for his own purposes. I imagine he made the strident people here the way he made them for his purposes too. But he must weep for every inhuman utterance. Have a look at http://www.keshetrabbis.org and see what is in a part of your world. Have a look at http://www.bmv.org.il/ab/dd.asp too. Open your minds and learn. We gay people just want you to know we are not frightening, we want nothing from you except recognition of our right to peaceful co-existence. It is you who are strident who are the threat. Open your eyes, read and learn.

This acceptance of Hellinism, by tzvi gratz, (also a rejection of Judaism, started by the intolerant idol bashing Avraham Avinu )something decided against by the Macabees, thousands of years ago, is one MORE reason to realize that the term "conservative rabbi" is an Oxymoron. What next? a "jews for jesus" "rabbi"? a "palestinian terrorist "rights" supporter "rabbi"? a "suicide bomber" "rights" supporter? a Hellinist, "support the "right" to sacrifice a pig to greek dieties "rabbi" like the one Matisyahu killed in Modiim to start the revolt?

Are these the religious leaders who are supposed to teach tolerance and acceptance? "Woe unto those sheaphards who have lead my sheep astray" . Im 15, Im gay and I have to my knowledge never harmed anyone. Am I an abomination or a child of God? I hope that God, whoever or whatever he is, does not hold your hate and intolerance against you.

I read and I read and I read that Christians/Jews teach tolerance and "love" and that it is unchristian and un-Godly to rebuke SIN. I fully disagree. The Old Testament (Torah), and the New Testament teach that Homosexual Acts are wrong wrong wrong, actually an abomination to be exact. Definition: abomination n 1: a person who is loathsome or disgusting 2: hate coupled with disgust [syn: abhorrence, detestation, execration, loathing, odium] 3: an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorence; So God once hated/abhorred and was disgusted with homosexuality, and now he says its A-OK because someones feelings may get hurt? Give me a break. Is it love to let your child play in the street even though it may be fun for them? Or how about eating icecream all day every day because it tastes and feels good? Of course not, it is harmful and unhealthy even though it may feel ok. Part of love is to try and help others resist evil temptations, in this case homosexuality, and to try and stop it from spreading its poison to those close to you that they may not be tempted into the lifestyle of filth and degradation. (which is no different than promiscuity, porn, adultry, etc..) That is why there is opposition to this, and homosexual displays in general, I will admit there is hate for the individuals in some(which is wrong), but in others it is only hate of the act, which is fully justified. What honorable parents wants to see their children duped into the gay lifestyle? Or even a brother seeing another brother duped, or even just a friend, or even just a lost individual whom you dont even know? Add this to the fact that it is taking place on Holy ground, and you have a full blown display of arrogance, and pride of sin. This is something God, and Godly people truly detest, and you wonder why there is opposition. Thats my two cents...

... that fundamentalists of many religions - Jewish, Islamic, Christian - believe that they, and only they, have a hotline to God? I wonder why it is that they can feel comfortable while displaying the supreme arrogance of presuming that they, and only they, are capable of interpreting God's Word? I wonder why it is that they can only counter alternative viewpoints by infantile invective rather than rational argument? And I wonder why it is that these people seem to lack the simple humanity to understand WHY Gay Pride parades are held? Because it is patently obvious that the prime reason is to create an opportunity for gays to realise that they are not alone - despite the hatred which is continually directed against them. I can well understand why, in the historical context, gay acts were proscribed - but times have changed. If it's OK for Jews in the United States to eat shellfish - as many do - because the proscription, sensible though it once was, is no longer rational, why is it so hard to tolerate gays? God made them, and God is Love - though reading this talkback might tend to convince you otherwise!

This coming from a Canadian citizen, one of the few places that allow same sex unions and has laws against discrimination becasue of sexual orientation. You are obviously clueless and extrememly ignorant of the subject. First...not everybody is Jewish and not everybody is a christian or Muslim. In fact all of you are in the minority. they have proven over and over again that sexual orientation is not something one choses. Sence I didnt choose it, God must have made me this way. Does God hate what he created? If he does he is an unfair and unjust God. Like the old testiment says. those who put themselves in a possition of authority are the ones who will pay the price not the followers. Remember, Judge not lest ye be judged in the same maner ye have judged. Let God decide, he dont need your help.

if anything the gays are showing an intolerance. They want recognition, yet their approach is counter productive. They want ttolerance toward temselves,yet by having it Jerusalem they are showing their intolerance to religious people. Secondly,, your quoting midrashim clearly show you have no idea what you are taliking about .Furthermore, the sad thing is you don't even know you don't know. Like the Gay March in Jerusalem is a contradiction visa vi expressing tolerance. so too, is your title of Rabbi a contradiction as well.

It is so refreshing to find a rabbi that seems to understand Gods laws and not some narrow interpretation, which seems to be what the others are advocating.... peace to you Rabbi Graetz

I read the editorial concerning the gay parade and the lashing out against gays being hated. This is just a bunch of garbage. Just because you tell a sinner he is sinning and that society and God does not tolerate such, IS NOT hatred. Homosexuality is just as wrong as adulterers and whores. I will never tell a homosexual that there way of sexual perversion is okay no more than I would tell it to a heterosexual pervert such as a child molester or a whore monger. God Bless Isreal.

Sin. An intersting concept, made up by a priesthood that had a need to control the populace and preserve its position of power. You dare to class me as a pervert? You are welcome to attempt it. But, you see, you walk to a different drummer. You are as a sheep, herded by dogs. You obey because you are afraid of being bitten. Be a man, James. Open your eyes and learn that people who are different from you are simply different. Deities do not require blinded bigots. They do not even require worship. After all, they are deities. Why would they need people to behave like sheep? Open your eyes. Better yet, pray to your god that she opens them for you.