Community leaders held a memorial service marking the fourth anniversary of a brutal attack on a Tel Aviv gay youth center.

The memorial was held in Tel Aviv’s Meir Park to honor the deaths of 26-year-old Nir Katz and 17-year-old Liz Trubeshi, who were shot and killed in 2009 when a masked gunman entered Tel Aviv’s Bar Noar gay youth center and unleashed rounds of gunfire onto children and counsellors.

A dozen others were seriously injured in an attack Israel Channel 10 TV called a ‘bloodbath’.

This weekend activists and politicians from both sides of the aisle were present to encourage further action against homophobic violence, reports Ynet News.

Speaking at the memorial, Health Minister Yael German said: ‘At least once a year educational institutions should discuss the matter [violence against gays] in order to eradicate this pus that exists within homophobia.

‘This is the only way we will be able to create tolerance within society,’ she said.

Mayor Ron Huldai said Tel Aviv would ‘continue to serve as a home for every minority.’

Michael Sher, a volunteer with an LGBT helpline, said: ‘Despite common perception, the attitude towards the members of the community has not improved.’

‘Since the murder we have all felt that something deep has gone wrong and we mustn’t project a business-as-usual attitude,’ said Nitzan Horowitz, who will be Huldai’s opponent in the next mayoral elections.

Horowitz added: ‘The murderer was certain of only one thing: They [people at Bar Noar] are homosexuals and lesbians. He acted purely out of hatred and blindness.’

Early last month, authorities revealed they had made several arrests in connection with the attack, and eventually identified the shooter.

On 10 July 2013, Hagai Felician was indicated on two counts of murder.

Tel Aviv district prosecution said in the indictment: ‘Felician, motivated by feelings of anger and revenge, killed and tried to kill innocent young people… solely because they happened to be at the Bar Noar club.

‘This despicable and criminal act caused the death of two people as well as grave damage to the minds and bodies of everyone who was in the club on the night of the murder.’

Felician allegedly attacked the Bar Noan after his teenage relative told him he was sexually assaulted by the center’s founder Shaul Ganon.

Felician also said he carried out the brutal attacks ‘because of the biblical edict to attack homosexuals.’



