Roy Freeman: Building a comfortable community for LGBT olim in Israel

Roy Freeman, a British immigrant to Israel, is working to establish a supportive community for LGBT+ individuals making aliyah. Freeman, who grew up in Luton, England, and later lived in Sydney, Australia, found that joining LGBT+ Jewish community groups in those cities helped him feel more comfortable.

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I made aliyah so that we could stay together.

His own aliyah journey was influenced by personal relationships and a desire to be with his partner. However, upon arriving in Israel, he encountered difficulties finding an inclusive community. Freeman noted that many existing LGBT+ organizations seemed to expect fluency in Hebrew, leaving him and other olim feeling excluded.

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It was fun, but after 11 years participating in Mardi Gras parades in Sydney, it felt unorganized and unstructured.

Freeman's experience with Tel Aviv's Pride Parade in 2012, which he found unorganized compared to Sydney's Mardi Gras, highlighted what he saw as a gap in structured, inclusive events. He aims to create a space where LGBT+ immigrants can connect and feel a sense of belonging, addressing the challenges of settling in a new country while navigating their identity.

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I found nothing else that was inclusive of non-Hebrew-speakers. It became obvious that we olim were expected to be fluent in Hebrew as we touched down at Ben-Gurion Airport.