By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
Following pressure from possible protestors, a professional workshop scheduled for Thursday between LGBTQ groups in Tacoma and a delegation of representatives from similar groups in Israel was cancelled.
A letter posted on Facebook by one protestor suggested the Israeli government was engaging in a “pinkwashing” public relations campaign, in which progressive communities in Israel are used to divert attention from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Four representatives of the Alliance of Israeli LGBT Organizations, said they came to the U.S. representing their own organizations, not the Israeli government. They expressed disappointment about the cancellation by the Rainbow Center and the Oasis Youth Center.
“Israel has many faces,” said Irit Zviely, CEO of the Israeli LGBTQ advocacy group Hoshen, at a panel discussion on Wednesday.
Zviely said she spoke with the organizers and had assured them that she and her colleagues had plenty of experience with conflict and could handle any issues that arose.
“It’s a poor message to the youth in Tacoma,” she said.
In addition, a Thursday evening event scheduled in Olympia at Kitzel’s Delicatessen was cancelled after owner Hava Aviv said she has been losing customers due to her hosting of Israel-focused events.
“We’ve gotten several warnings from friends that there are people who are beginning to boycott our business,” Aviv told JTNews.
The speakers will now appear at Temple Beth Hatfiloh.
Though the deli has been open for a few months — Aviv opened it in response to the boycott of Israeli products at the Olympia Food Co-op — she said she has been forced to lay off staff due to what she called intimidation within the community.
“I’m not this rock-solid Zionist,” Aviv said. “But that’s what Olympia has turned me into.”
Note: This article was corrected to remove a reference to who was intimidating Kitzel’s Delicatessen. Owner Hava Aviv tells JTNews that she believes it is individuals in Olympia who are unaffiliated with any specific group or organization. JTNews regrets the error.