Religious Man Denies Accommodation to Gay Couple Before Shabbat

A gay religious couple has filed a lawsuit for approximately NIS 157,000 against Yigal Canaan, the owner of a Zimmer (guest accommodation) in the mixed religious and secular community of Nofei Prat. The couple claims Canaan refused to host them minutes before Shabbat began upon discovering they were a male couple. Canaan, a former senior official in the Noam party, did not deny the incident, stating he acted on ideological grounds. According to the lawsuit, the couple, one of whom is an officer in the IDF and the other an active reservist in a combat role, had booked a night at the 'Nof Kanaan' Zimmer for NIS 550, and had paid a NIS 100 deposit. They arrived on a Friday in January, shortly before Shabbat. They allege that upon arrival, Canaan exclaimed, 'Oh, you are two men.' When they responded, 'No problem, we are a couple,' Canaan replied, 'Even worse, I am a religious person. I cannot host you.' One of the men stated, 'We are also religious.' The lawsuit states Canaan left without responding, later returning their deposit. Due to Shabbat's onset, the couple could not return home and went to one of their parents' homes. They sent Canaan a message expressing their shock and hurt at his behavior, which they called 'face-whitening' based on their identity, and noted his refusal forced them to desecrate Shabbat. The lawsuit further alleges Canaan engaged in discriminatory behavior by refusing them service solely because they are a same-sex couple. This refusal, occurring just before Shabbat, was accompanied by direct statements based on their sexual orientation, causing them severe humiliation, damage to their dignity and autonomy, and significant distress, including forced Shabbat desecration. Their attorneys, Assaf Ben-Namach and Dan Korab, stated that Canaan's unlawful conduct deeply offended the couple's dignity and that such behavior must be eradicated. Canaan filed a counterclaim, accusing the couple of setting a trap, but provided no evidence. He stated his refusal was a stand against a progressive trend seeking to uproot moral and traditional foundations. He described his lawsuit as a cry from a religious individual defending his home and family against an aggressive ideological discourse that tramples religious values and the rights of believers. Canaan also claimed the court appointed a secular, single female judge with a 'dubious identity' to rule on matters of religion, partnership, family, and deviance. Canaan, a former fighter navigator in the Air Force, previously caused controversy in 2020 when he ran for the Noam party and spoke against the 'Wings of Eagles' youth movement for assisting individuals with disabilities, calling it a 'Christian post-modern stance that sanctifies the weak disabled.' He praised his own father, who had special needs, for choosing not to integrate into society. The article notes a previous court ruling where an event hall that refused to host a lesbian couple's wedding was ordered to pay them tens of thousands of shekels for violating anti-discrimination laws.