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StandWithUs Leads ‘Pride for Israel’ LGBTQ+ Conference in Los Angeles Set for Nov. 9
Jews of Pride members are seen marching in the Pride parade 2025, part of LGBTQ+ community’s Midsumma Festival. Photo: Alexander Bogatyrev / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
StandWithUs, a leading pro-Israel student activism organization, has announced an all-day event set for next month bringing together members of the LGBTQ+ community who support the Jewish state.
Registration has opened for “Pride for Israel,” which will take place in West Los Angeles on Nov. 9. One of the keynote speakers at what StandWithUs (SWU) describes as a “first-ever” gathering will be Emily Damari, an Israeli former who survived Hamas captivity losing two fingers and hiding her LGBTQ+ identity from her captors.
Other announced attendees include prominent Substack writer Eve Barlow, journalist Luai Ahmed, speaker Tanya Tsikanovsky, model Bellamy Bellucci, game developer Brianna Wu, activist Matthew Nouriel, comedian Robin Tyler, Rabbi Denise Eger, former Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin, and representatives of The Aguda from Israel.
Co-sponsors of the event include A Wider Bridge, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles (JFED), the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Los Angeles, and the Israeli-American Council (IAC).
Tickets cost $249 and include three meals in the price. Participants will be able to choose from plenaries, panel discussions, and breakout sessions which will explore a variety of topics challenging the LGBTQ+ pro-Israel community.
“Growing up Jewish, you learn what antisemitism feels like. Growing up LGBTQ+, you learn what homophobia feels like. When those experiences overlap, the pain is magnified, but so too is the resilience,” Nouriel, who serves as director of community engagement at JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa), said in a statement.
Roz Rothstein, SWU’s CEO and co-founder, emphasized the group sought to build bridges between communities and develop partnerships with other groups.
“Ultimately, this is about more than a single event. It is about affirming Jewish identity, and values of solidarity and courage. We are hoping to build a future where having Jewish, pro-Israel, and LGBTQ+ identities can thrive together without compromise, where solidarity is rooted in truth rather than propaganda, and where no one has to stand alone,” Rothstein said. “This is why building supportive networks within all segments of our society is essential. We are indebted to our partners who recognize the urgency of this moment including A Wider Bridge, for playing a pivotal role in the planning.”
Arthur Slepian founded A Wider Bridge in 2010 with the goal of seeking “to build meaningful relationships with Israel and LGBTQ people in Israel.” The group states that it works “to advance LGBTQ rights in Israel, advocate for justice, counter LGBTQ phobia, and fight antisemitism and other forms of hatred.”
Daniel Hernandez, board chair for a Wider Bridge, said in a statement that Pride for Israel “is more than a conference — it is a declaration that love, unity, and truth are stronger than hate. As board chair of A Wider Bridge, I am inspired to see our community come together to celebrate courage and resilience, and to stand proudly with Israel and with one another. This moment reminds us that when we build bridges across identities and borders, we create a future where every person can live authentically and without fear.”
The conference’s organizers noted the influence of “Queers for Palestine” activist groups which have sometimes sought to demonize pro-Israel LGBTQ+ individuals. A report released in July from the Combat Antisemitism Movement identified multiple incidents of anti-Israel bigotry at the previous month’s Pride events.
A Wider Bridge also released a report over the summer titled “Unsafe Spaces: Addressing Antisemitism Against LGBTQ+ Jews and Ensuring Pride Safety.”
Eger, who serves as interim executive director of A Wider Bridge and former president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, spoke to The Algemeiner then and said, “What we have found since Oct. 7 and what the report points to is that the explosion of antisemitism that the whole Jewish community has experienced has in some ways grown even more exponentially in the LGBTQ community.”
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Herzog Says Wellbeing of Israelis His Only Concern in Deal With Netanyahu’s ‘Extraordinary’ Pardon Request
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
i24 News – In an interview with Politico published on Saturday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog remained tight-lipped on whether he intended to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extraordinary” pardon request, saying that his decision will be motivated by what’s best for Israel.
“There is a process which goes through the Justice Ministry and my legal adviser and so on. This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people,” Herzog said. “The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority.”
Asked specifically about President Donald Trump’s request, Herzog said “I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” adding, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country.”
Herzog addressed a wide range of topics in the interview, including the US-Israel ties and the shifts in public opinion on Israel.
“One has to remember that the fountains of America, of American life, are based on biblical values, just like ours. And therefore, I believe that the underlying fountain that we all drink from is the same,” he said. “However, I am following very closely the trends that I see in the American public eye and the attitude, especially of young people, on Israel.”
“It comes from TikTok,” he said of the torrent of hostility toward Israel that has engulf swathes of U.S. opinion since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, “from a very shallow discourse of the current situation, pictures or viewpoints, and doesn’t judge from the big picture, which is, is Israel a strategic ally? Yes. Is Israel contributing to American national interests, security interests? Absolutely yes. Is Israel a beacon of democracy in the Middle East? Absolutely yes.”
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Syria’s Sharaa Charges Israel ‘Exports Its Crises to Other Countries’
FILE PHOTO: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday escalated his messaging against Israel at the Doha forum.
“Israel is working to export its own crises to other countries and escape accountability for the massacres it committed in the Gaza Strip, justifying everything with security concerns,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Syria, since its liberation, has sent positive messages aimed at establishing the foundations of regional stability.
“Israel has responded to Syria with extreme violence, launching over 1,000 airstrikes and carrying out 400 incursions into its territory. The latest of these attacks was the massacre it perpetrated in the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, which claimed dozens of lives.
“We are working with influential countries worldwide to pressure Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2014, and all countries support this demand.
“Syria insists on Israel’s adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. The demand for a demilitarized zone raises many questions. Who will protect this zone if there is no Syrian army presence?
“Any agreement must guarantee Syria’s interests, as it is Syria that is subjected to Israeli attacks. So, who should be demanding a buffer zone and withdrawal?”
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Turkey’s Fidan: Gaza Governance Must Precede Hamas Disarmament in Ceasefire Deal
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, May 27, 2025. Photo: Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Saturday that not advancing the US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan to its next stage would be a “huge failure” for the world and Washington, noting that President Donald Trump had personally led the push.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Fidan said a credible Palestinian civil administration and a vetted, trained police force needed to be in place to allow Hamas to disarm, and that the group was prepared to hand over control of the enclave.
“First of all, we need to see that the Palestinian committee of technical people are taking over the administration of Gaza, then we need to see that the police force is being formed to police Gaza – again, by the Palestinians, not Hamas.”
NATO member Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza. It played a key role in brokering the ceasefire deal, signing the agreement as a guarantor. It has repeatedly expressed its willingness to join efforts to monitor the accord’s implementation, a move Israel strongly opposes.
Talks to advance the next phase of President Trump’s plan to end the two-year conflict in Gaza are continuing.
The plan envisages an interim technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave, overseen by an international “board of peace” and supported by a multinational security force. Negotiations over the composition and mandate of that force have proven particularly difficult.
Fidan said the Gaza police force would be backed by the international stabilisation force. He added that Washington was pressing Israel over Turkey’s bid to join the force, to which it has voiced readiness to deploy troops if needed.
FIDAN SAYS KURDISH SDF IN SYRIA NOT WILLING TO INTEGRATE
Asked about a landmark deal in March in which the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and Damascus agreed that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s state structures, Fidan said signals from the SDF showed it had “no intention” of honouring the accord, and was instead seeking to sidestep it.
Ankara, which considers the SDF a terrorist organisation, has threatened military action if it does not comply, setting a deadline of the end of the year.
“I think they (SDF) should understand that the command and control should come from one place,” Fidan added. “There can be no two armies in any given country. So there can only be one army, one command structure … But in local administration, they can reach a different settlement and different understandings.”
Almost a year after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, Fidan said some issues of minority rights were unresolved, insisting that Turkey’s backing of the new Syrian government was not a “blank cheque” to oppress any groups.
He said Damascus was taking steps toward national unity, but that Israeli “destabilisation policies” were the chief obstacle.
Israel has frequently struck southwestern Syria this year, citing threats from militant groups and the need to protect the Druze community near the frontier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he expected Syria to establish a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to the border.
TURKEY: U.S. COULD REMOVE SANCTIONS ‘VERY SOON’
Fidan also said Washington’s initial 28-point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war was just a “starting point,” and that it was now evolving in a new format. He said mediation by US officials was “on the right path.”
“I just hope that nobody leaves the table and the Americans are not frustrated, because sometimes the mediators can be frustrated if they don’t see enough encouragement from both sides.”
Asked about efforts to lift US sanctions imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, he said both sides were working on it, adding: “I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle.”