US gay Jews rally in solidarity with Tel Aviv shooting victims

Members of Washington, D.C.'s gay Jewish community gathered in the city on Monday to express solidarity with the victims of the Tel Aviv gay center shooting last Saturday. The protesters carried banners that read "homophobia is not part of the Torah," "Jewish, out & proud," "prejudice against one is prejudice against all." They lit memory candles and sang songs in Hebrew. Gay rabbis addressed the crowd and shared their experience of being homosexual and religious. Josh Rosenthal, a gay Jewish activist who organized the rally, said the response from Jewish institutions was immediate. "I just hope that this kind of energy makes it to Israel," he said. "It was particularly harmful that a Jew is shooting another Jews in Israel for the simple reason that they are gay." Andy Marcus, a Washington lawyer, was wearing a T-shirt bearing a big Star of David. He said that he was devastated by the news of the shooting.