LGBTQ Community in Jerusalem Mourn Death of Shira Banki

On Thursday, July 30 an ultra-Orthodox man went on a stabbing rampage at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade. One of the victims was 16-year-old Shira Banki. On August 2, Banki succumbed to her injuries at the Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital.

Banki was a high-school student from Jerusalem. She took part in Thursday’s parade to show solidarity with her LGBTQ friends.

Jerusalem Open House released this statement:

The LGBTQ community in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Open House mourn her death at the hands of a fanatic, consumed with hatred and fear. The knife that fatally injured Shira was sharpened by years of incitement. That knife targeted all those who believe in a just society, where every woman and man can live freely, without fear of violence and persecution. That knife has wounded all those who believe in life and in God’s creation.

Ignorance and fear will not discourage our uncompromising demand to live our lives as we are. Knives will not stop us. With pride and pain, with broken hearts and tearful eyes, with Shira’s memory and our unanswered prayers, we will continue to march in Jerusalem.

​​May the Lord comfort Shira’s family among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. May her memory be for a blessing.

Currently, two of those wounded in the attack alongside Banki are still in serious condition and remain hospitalized. Two others have already been released.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Habayit Hayehudi) said in a statement: “It’s a dark day for Israel… in which a high school girl is murdered for her opinions and positions. “There is no principle in the world worth the life of a young girl,” said Bennett.