Orthodox Cantor Sings at Tel Aviv Pride, Says He Felt He Was Doing a Mitzvah

Yosef Swisa, a singer, paytan and cantor, drew attention at the Tel Aviv Pride parade when he appeared wearing a white kippah and tzitzit and chanted the traditional Priestly Blessing. The scene around him reflected the parade itself, with women kissing on one side of the stage and men embracing on the other. Swisa later wrote on social media that he felt blessed to be a “shaliach tzibur” singing and chanting “for His glory in the right place at the right time.”

Swisa, who is identified with the LGBTQ community and serves as vice president of the organization Havruta, which supports religious LGBTQ people, said most responses to his post were positive. He said he ignores hostile comments accusing him of “desecrating God’s name” and similar criticism from conservative users. His Instagram profile describes him as “the partner of Moshe” and says he keeps Shabbat.

In an interview with Ynet Studio, Swisa said he grew up in Kiryat Gat and first got into piyut through the Moroccan synagogue he attended. He said his work with Havruta and the Center for the Fight Against Conversion Therapy includes social groups across Israel, a treatment clinic, a support network and a listening line for religious LGBTQ people. He also called on LGBTQ people with a connection to God, from religious to ultra-Orthodox, to join the community.

Swisa said that after coming out as gay, he stopped wearing a kippah and effectively hid his religious identity, even though he continued keeping kosher, Shabbat and tefillin. He said this was like “going into the closet” on religion, and that showing religious identity publicly is important. He added that he feels “the LGBTQ religious community should be in the front,” and said conversion therapy still exists and can be “terrible,” while some religious LGBTQ people are harmed by the conflict. Describing his performance as a mitzvah, he said, “We live with ourselves as we are, and we believe that the Creator is with us. In God’s name, we will do and succeed.”