Out of the closet and into the center: Tel Aviv's first Gay community center opens its doors

A new mezuzah was affixed to the entrance to a building on the campus of the "Dov Hoz" school in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, one covered in the rainbow flag of the Gay Pride movement.

After decades as the home of the "Workers' children's school" serving the children of the Labor Party elite, and later a local high school, the building is now home to Tel Aviv's first-ever Gay and Lesbian community center.

"The image of God can be seen in every person, and therefore, this building is not only a community center, but a house of God" said Rabbi David Lazar at a ceremony to bless the affixing of the building's mezuzah. The initiative to build the center was started five years ago by leaders of the local Gay, Lesbian, Transsexual, and Bisexual community, and its opening represents the first time the city has officially sanctioned such a project.

The center has already hosted events for a teen gay pride group, as well as one to prepare new Israel Defense Forces recruits for their enlistment.  Out of the closet and into the center: Tel Aviv's first Gay ...
Ha'aretz, Israel