World renowned Israeli choreographer faces harassment for being gay

Tadmor and the members of the LGBT community stand accused of being the stimulus for wars in Israel.

By ALLON HACHMON
Updated: AUGUST 21, 2015 05:41
An activist waves an LGBT flag near Israel's Knesset building (photo credit: REUTERS)
An activist waves an LGBT flag near Israel's Knesset building
(photo credit: REUTERS)
“I need to make sure to kill all of you and I will make sure that you get stabbed,” Shay Navian threatened choreographer Ido Tadmor, according to a complaint filed on Thursday in Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.
Tadmor, a world-renowned dance choreographer and lead judge on the Israeli version of So You Think You Can Dance, was one of the first public figures to speak openly about his sexuality and the challenges of the LGBT community in Israel.
On August 12, Tadmor and his friends were sitting in a cafe in Tel Aviv when Navian allegedly began shouting at Tadmor that there is no place for homosexuals in Israel and that homosexuals are to blame for the decay of Israeli society and therefore should all be forced to leave the country.
Navian asserted that Tadmor and the members of the LGBT community are the stimulus for wars in Israel, according to the complaint. Navian allegedly shouted at Tadmor, demanding a response to his comments, but Tadmor felt there was no need to respond.
Because Tadmor refused to react, Navian got increasingly frustrated and turned violent, threatening to stab Tadmor several times, and warned him to watch his back as he walks down the street in case someone is sent to stab him, according to the complaint.