The Jerusalem Open House (JOH), also called the Open House for Pride and Tolerance is Jerusalem's LGBTQ Community Center, advancing the cause of social tolerance. The Open House is a grassroots activist organization of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and allies. Since 1997, the JOH has worked to make Jerusalem a place where all people are free to seek self-fulfillment. The JOH faces the challenge of a tradition of conformist heterosexism that continues to be enforced by almost all social institutions in Israel, including the family, the school, the state, and the religious establishment. This challenge is especially formidable in Jerusalem, a city of traditional values and deeply rooted religious commitments. The JOH provides direct services designed to build the Jerusalem LGBTQ community, catalyzing the development of LGBTQ fellowship and culture and advocates for social change on issues of concern to its constituents, taking action to promote the values of tolerance and pluralism in Jerusalem.
When the Jerusalem Open House was founded in 1997, few even knew there were LGBTQ people in Jerusalem. Since then, the JOH has been the driving force behind "Jerusalem Pride – Love Without Borders," the signature event and celebration of LGBTQ pride in the city. For the past seven years, Jerusalem Pride has proven to be a model social intervention, increasing LGBTQ visibility. In reporting on Jerusalem Pride, the Los Angeles Times was impressed by how many people "undeterred by the outrage of ultra-Orthodox Jews or fear of terrorist attack," came together for "a chance... to express their hope and say that they want to live together in Jerusalem." CNN reported the presence of "a spark of love and hope."
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Jerusalem Pride
Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance 2007
The highly controversial Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance 2007 took place on June 21, 2007. The march and organizers were criticized for being intolerant of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian residents of the city and around the world who view the participants as blasphemous.
