Lithuanian Jewish community teams up with other minority groups

[King_David]

By Alex Weisler · September 19, 2011

VILNIUS, Lithuania (JTA) -- Faina Kukliansky entered the theater alone, waved at a few friends and sat down to watch "I Shot My Love," the Israeli documentary film that kicked off Lithuania's first gay film festival.

Some other Lithuanian Jews, she said, have told her to avoid such events for fear of being too closely associated with the gay community.

But Kukliansky, the vice president of Lithuania’s Jewish community, was attending for that very reason: to cement a new partnership between the Jewish community and seven other groups focused on human rights and minority rights.

"Even those who are smart in our community do not want to be involved," said Kukliansky, a restitution lawyer. "People do not understand, really, that we are not playing with gays, but we are together against attacks on human rights."

Believed to be the first of its kind in the Baltic states, the new collaboration -- dubbed simply the Human Rights Coalition -- was established officially in late June but has been in the works for more than a year.

It brings together groups with highly specialized agendas -- including the official body representing the Jewish community, the Lithuanian Gay League and the Roma Community Centre -- and broader human rights-focused organizations.

Simon Gurevicius, executive director of Lithuania's Jewish community, said those who told Kukliansky to avoid gay events don't speak for the Jewish community as a whole.

"Those who spoke expressed their personal opinion -- in a community you can find a whole spectrum of thoughts," he said. "I am sure you could find many who would also oppose these people from our community as well."

Kukliansky said the fight against homophobia and xenophobia is a universal cause, so joining the coalition was a simple decision.



http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/09/19/3089216/lithuanian-jewish-community-teams-up-with-other-minority-groups

[King_David]

1. Would not have expected any different nt