Each and every Jew has within them the “fine threads of fabric that weave us together as a nation” President Shimon Peres said in his inaugural speech.

Year in, year out the same debate goes on about the rights of Jews who are gay and living in Israel? Do they have the right to parade in their capital city?

Weeks before each annual march, there are always protests about their right to exist, to have families, civil union and the right of adoption.

The Pride march or rally directs the eyes of Israel to look to the streets of Mea Shearim as riot unleashes (as they do periodically over any issue that religious Jews disagree with).

The rioters set fire to their own front door steps, their high street and a harsh retaliation by the Israeli Police follows who attack anything that moves, Jew beats Jew in the shadow of fire that lights the dark streets of Mea Shearim – this is no DC comic book – or Nazi Germany – this is the part of Israel’s holy city, where the voice of the local leading Rebbes is followed to the letter!

Tali Farkash, a columnist for YNET may be correct when she states that the majority of residents in Jerusalem are religious. The fact still remains there are Gay Jews living in Jerusalem who are religious.

Farkash should visit any Gay club in Jerusalem and she would soon realise that gay Jerusalem is not just for the secular Jews – but Charedi, modern orthodox and others!

Gay Jews have a right to march and yes, defending the rights of a minority is correct. Farkash should take the focus off whether the gays are a minority, because they are Jews and Israelis living in their homeland where they should be treated as equals. If they are not treated as equals barriers are created!

The constant battles of groups such as United Torah Judaism who neglect to realise one key issue – the general gay population in Israel are Jews, Jews who should be supported by their own people whatever their sexuality.

Religious parts of Jerusalem have rules regarding clothing and these rules are respected; in the same breath respect for other Jewish lifestyles should be accepted – whether they are conventional or traditional – the people are Jews nonetheless.

The past couple of years have been a success for Gay Jews in Israel. November 2006 saw the High Court of Justice ordering the Ministry of Interior to register same-sex couples who were legally married abroad, paving the way for civil unions in Israel as seen in Britain and elsewhere.

The Torah should not be used as an excuse for homophobic attitudes.

The ’sin’ of homosexuality is equal to the sin of breaking Shabat, both issues are addressed in the Torah but when do you see such powerful responses from the religious in Mea Shearim and the wider world about the ‘wider sin’ of the non-religious Shabat observance – a throwing of stones at cars being driven on Shabat can not compare to the cries of yeshiva students “Kill all gay Jews”, the chant that was shouted at the riots of Mea Shearim. When was the last time in London you heard ‘Death to Jewish non-Shabat observers”?

The secular majority in Israel supports freedom of choice for gays Jews. The right wing religious community are a growing minority who do not.

A religious Israel could develop and would need to decide whether its going to match the ideology of an Islamic nation state where religious rules force people to submit to religious law or whether, the Jewish version of a religious state enforces Jewish law but accepts that Jews come with many ideologies and if that is the case – Gay Jews should be respected and treated as part of the family, will full rights.

Jews will need to compromise and co-exist; the issue of homosexuality in Judaism along with a long list of modern day anomalies need to be debated.

It can no longer be the Orthodox versus the secular.

Today, it has to be simply the Jewish people – with differences but united. We should be thankful for the secular and less religious Jews returning home to Israel to simply remain Jewish and be amongst their own people.

We all know that religious and secular Jews live happily together – just look at London, New York, in-fact any Jewish community where Shabbat lifestyles of the religious exist while, Modern Orthodox, Reform etc, along with secular Jews go about their lives.

The non-orthodox will need to accept restrictions in religious districts (as is demonstrated in many neighbourhoods of Israel) and the orthodox will need to accept more liberal laws such as laws governing gay adoption and marriage.

The Welfare Ministry in summer 2007 granted some 30 lesbian couples permission to adopt their partner’s child.

Further developments followed a review by a committee founded by Isaac Herzog that will see gays and singles being able to adopt children in Israel following a routine test that would evaluate the parenting abilities of applicants – regardless of their sexual orientation.

There is a need for the legal framework to be fully set up to aid the growth of Gay Jewry.

The Jewish people are based upon the idea of a nation, a family, the acceptance of Gay Jews needs to start in the home and recent polls held in Israel demonstrate that the acceptance of a Gay Jewish population is being welcomed.

A Ynet-Gesher poll showed that 73% of respondents would accept a gay child with only 27% believing that the “coming out of the closet” would have an impact on their relationships.

The Orthodox community would do well to follow in the footsteps of those of its leaders who want to open doors, not slam them shut.

Judaism is our religion, our race and it belongs to all of us. It is time for equal rights and opportunities for all across the Jewish world.

GAY JEWS ARE JEWISH!

(added on behalf of Simon Williams)