Israel’s New Education Minister Under Fire for Supporting Gay Conversion Therapy
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s new education minister Rafi Peretz said in a television interview that he supports gay conversion therapy and that he has used the practice to help homosexual youth.
The comments from Peretz, who was appointed to the position last month, is the second controversial statement he has made in two weeks. Last week it was revealed that Peretz during a Cabinet meeting on July 1 called intermarriage a “Second Holocaust.”
The new comments spurred calls for his resignation from politicians, educators and people who work with gay youth.
The interview was aired on Channel 12 news on Saturday night. During the interview Peretz was asked about his attitude toward LGBT people and about his opinion of so-called conversion therapy.
“I think that it is possible to convert (someone’s sexual orientation),” Peretz responded. “I can tell you that I have deep familiarity on the issue of education, and I have also done it (practiced conversion therapy).”
Peretz said that for someone who is gay, the goal is “that first of all he gets to know himself better and then he can decide.”
“The remarks by the education minister regarding the gay community are unacceptable to me and do not reflect the position of the government under my leadership,” Netanyahu said in a statement Saturday night. “I spoke this evening with Rabbi Rafi Peretz, and made it clear to him that the Israeli educational system will continue to accept all Jewish children whoever they are and without any difference based on sexual orientation.”
Peretz later attempted to clarify his comments. “During my years as an educator, I met with students who felt terribly distressed over their sexual orientation and chose to turn to professionals to change their [sexual] orientation. What I said in the interview was from my personal acquaintance with similar cases,” he said a couple hours after the interview. He also noted that he did not claim that a child must be sent for conversion therapy.
Conversion therapy is legal in Israel and is practiced by both licensed and unlicensed therapists.
Ohad Chizki, director of The Aguda – The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, told the Jerusalem Post that conversion therapy is a “hate crime.” He called on Netanyahu to fire Peretz.
Justice Minister Amir Ohana, who last month was appointed to his position and became the first openly gay Israeli government minister, condemned Peretz’ remarks. “The Likud government, the national-liberal movement won’t give her hand to conversion therapy. The serious studies in the world of psychology are united around the position that not only can they not ‘convert’ the sexual orientation – it’s dangerous and can cause pain and suffering to youth and even lead them to suicide,” he said.
Peretz is head of the Religious-Zionist Jewish Home Party. He served as the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces from 2010 to 2016.
JJ Inside The Print
I have a friend who hates President Donald Trump. But when he looks at the policies of some Democratic candidates — like open borders, abolishing...
The best recipes are those that come with stories, or at least, context. Persian food has variations of “peasant food,” as well as more intricate...
President Donald Trump’s reactions to the recent massacre by a white nationalist in El Paso came to mind the other night at my local minyan....
It’s hard to be a human, especially right now. During a time like this, we need to touch base with core spiritual principles. Here are...
“You know, a lot of sexual harassment stuff is in the news of late,” said “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator Larry David during his 2017 “Saturday...
This week, the Jewish calendar presents us with a powerful emotional contrast from which I hope we can all find deep meaning and renewed inspiration. ...
The more exotic the better. That was my philosophy about traveling. Anything that might sound the least bit familiar wasn’t on my list of destinations....
On the night of Aug. 11, 2017, hundreds of white supremacists descended on the streets of Charlottesville, Va., for a torchlit rally at the University...
On the Temple Mount sits the foundation stone — the navel of the world — a hunk of rock from which the universe spilled forth...
Maya Orabi’s voice raises an octave as she describes the wedding gowns she will wear for her upcoming nuptials. “The first is a very modest dress...
Mid-August is a bad time for politics. Mid-August is a bad time for work. And yet, here we are, working and thinking about politics. To...
I love to take taxis in Israel. I love to move from city to city, through the hills, across the plains, stuck in snarling traffic or...
We ask Eikhah? We ask how and why and by whom? For the children who cannot understand why their parents won’t come in the night...
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, Accidental Talmudist What is Tu b’Av and how do we make it meaningful? Leah Abergel Hebrew Discovery Center...
Have you noticed that the fancier the restaurant, the larger the plates and the smaller the food? In recent years, if the lighting is subtle...
Jewish summer camp is intended to be a space of Jewish and personal exploration. Many of today’s Jewish adults fell in love or had their...
Hundreds of Jewish community members convened on Aug. 11 outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in downtown Los Angeles for a Tisha b’Av prayer service...
At USC’s Keck School of Medicine’s HEAL (Humanities, Ethics/Economics, Arts and the Law) program, Director Pam Schaff and artist-in-residence Ted Meyer are forging a quiet...
Manning Haskal is an experienced swimmer but even he might have a hard time treading water while gripping all his medals from the Pan American...
The Santa Clarita Aquatic Center, GlowZone, Sky High, Scooter’s Jungle, Boomers and Knott’s Berry Farm. These were just some of the locations 45 local Jewish...
When Carolyn Kangavari was 13 and visiting the senior home where she regularly volunteered, one of the residents started having difficulty breathing. Kangavari immediately called...
When Matthew Nouriel was 15, he would hang out at a club in Hollywood that was open to all ages and had a drag show...
His prolific musical output has won awards and spanned every conceivable genre. He has produced orchestral compositions, chamber and choral works, collaborated with film composers...
The evocative title of “At the Narrow Waist of the World: A Memoir” by Marlena Maduro Baraf (She Writes Press) is a reference to a familiar...
Helen gail Katz, a fixture in the Los Angeles volunteer community, died on Aug. 5 at the age of 79. Katz spent every day committed...
David Meyer Appelbaum died Dec. 27 at 70. Survived by daughter Shoshawnah; son Aaron (Sasha); 3 grandchildren; sister Debra Manlove. Chevra Kadisha Alan Barbakow died July...
Clothespins are so handy to have around, and it seems like they’re used for practically everything except hanging clothes out to dry. Now that it’s...
You can find Olivia Cohen-Cutler most Wednesdays at the Van Nuys County Courthouse. There, clad in her law school graduation robe, she serves the state...
The Guardians of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, which provides financial support for elderly and needy members of the L.A. Jewish community, has named Zane...
FRI AUG 16 “Kidz, Kibbitz & Cocktailz Join families at Mishkon Tephilo’s child-friendly “Kidz, Kibbitz and Cocktailz,” held every third Friday at the Santa Monica...
