Dan Goldberg with his twin children, Itai and Liron
Judge Philip Marcus. Red tape
Photo: Bochocho
Jerusalem protest: Twins in India want to come home
On backdrop of continued red tape in granting legal status of Dan Goldberg's twin babies, his friends and supporters of gay community protest outside Prime Minister's Office. Protester: Even Yigal Amir was granted right to have children, basic right being denied us'
Some thirty people protested Sunday afternoon outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem to allow Dan Goldberg to return to Israel from India immediately along with his newborn twins, Itai and Liron.
The protesters carried signs saying "Return from India – Itai and Liron want to come home."
One of the protesters said, "Even Yigal Amir was allowed to have children, but we are not granted this basic right."
Tzahi Shaked, Goldberg's brother, said in a conversation with Ynet that his brother's continued forced stay in India has become increasingly difficult for him.
Protest in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"I spoke with him yesterday, and it was terrible. It is hard for him. He has received a lot of support from the people of Israel, but, in reality, nothing is happening. Liron cried in the background because she didn't feel well. She has an eye infection, and he had to beg the hospital to treat her because he doesn't have any money," said Shaked.
Shaked placed blame directly on Jerusalem Family Court Judge Philip Marcus, who has not allowed a paternity test to be taken so that Goldberg and his children can return to Israel.
"He says that he feels like if a judge from Tel Aviv had made the decision, the whole story would have a different ending. A lot of couples receive a stamp there, almost immediately. Unlike our case, the feeling is that there is an intentional attempt to create red tape," explained Shaked.
Representing the babies in front of the PMO (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association Chairman Mike Hamel said, "The community is not willing to quietly accept anymore slaps across the face. We plan on responding until things change. It cannot be that those holding all kinds of view points make decisions according to a whim and rule against precedents. Bureaucratic hurdles are being created in places in which they no longer exist in order to undermine things that are an existing fact in Israel.
"It is simply a tragedy that dozens of young couples need to travel abroad and cannot exercise their basic right of starting a family in Israel," said Hamel.
Among those participating in the protest was author Yossi Avni-Levy, who said that he came to the event "in order to show silent solidarity, that I do know Tzahi and his family and am convinced that this human absurdity must be solved, not within days, but in a matter of hours."
Executive Director of The Jerusalem Open House, Yonatan Gher, accused Judge Marcus of "homophobia and racism." He said that a complaint will be filed against Judge Marcus for claiming that there are murderers and pedophiles within the gay community, according to Gher.
