Chen Arieli

Chen Arieli (Hebrew: חן אריאלי) is a Deputy Mayor at Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, In charge of the welfare and public health administration in the city. Arieli is the first openly Lesbian person to hold the Deputy Mayor position in Tel Aviv-Yafo[1][2] . She joined politics after 20 years of working in civil society. Arieli defines herself as a feminist and promotes far-left wing political policies.

Chen Arieli
Chen Arieli
Deputy Mayor at Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality
Assumed office
April ,2019
Personal details
Born (1976-07-09) 9 July 1976
haifa, Israel,
Political partyLabor

Chen Arieli was born on July 9, 1976, and raised in Haifa to Dan and Leah, a sister to Orly Zarfati and Ran Arieli.[3]

Activism

LGBTQ rights

Arieli has been active in the LGBTQIA+ rights. Prior to becoming Deputy Mayor, Arieli was Chair of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force.[4]

Arieli helped produced TLVFest, an annual film festival held in Tel Aviv, focusing on LGBT themed film from around the world.[5][6][7] Arieli also helped produce Lethal Lesbian, Israel's only lesbian film festival.[8]

In 2013, Arieli was a partner in the “Gay Literature” project which added a dedicated shelf of LGBT literature to libraries in the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.[9]

Arieli served as Chair of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force[4] for two terms between 2015 and 2019.[10] Arieli served as Joint Chair of the Task Force from 2015 to 2016 together with Omri Calman.[11][12] In June 2016, Arieli and Calman threatened to cancel the annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade over inequity in fiscal support for LGBT causes from the Israeli Government.[13] As a result, the Israeli Government increased the budget for LGBTQ community organizations to a record 10 million NIS.[14][15]

In July 2017, Arieli led a protest against discrimination of same-sex couples in the adoption process opposite the Tel Aviv Government Complex with thousands of participants.[16][17]

In July 2018, Arieli led street protests against Israel's anti-gay surrogacy laws, among other issues.[18][19][20] The protests ended with a rally in Rabin Square with the participation of over 100,000 people.[21][1]

In October 2018, Arieli initiated the "Pride Platform," a project training member of the LGBT community to run in local elections and encouraging Israeli political parties to increase LGBT representation.[21]

Women's rights

She is also one of the founders of the Committee for the Advancement of Women in the Community at the Gay Urban Center.[22]

Arieli is a member of the Public Council of the Itach-Maaki Women Lawyers for Social Justice[23] and a member of the Executive Committee of Matzmichim - The Israeli Violence Reduction Organization.[24] She represents the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality on the Board of Directors of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and of “Ahuzot Hahof," a municipal company owned by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa the municipality, which has been operating parking lots throughout Tel Aviv-Jaffa.[25]

Political work

Arieli is the first openly gay Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, responsible for the social services portfolio. The role addresses LGBTQ issues, including challenges faced by transgender people and other issues raised by the 2018 protest.[26][27]

During the 19th Knesset (2013-2015), Arieli served as a Spokesperson and Political Advisor to Merav Michaeli of the Labor Party, in the liberal democratic wing.[25][28]

Personal life

Arieli is in a relationship with Halit Levy, a female documentary filmmaker. The two live in Jaffa.[29][1][30]

References
  1. "Meet the New Lesbian Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv". www.advocate.com. 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  2. Masters, Jeffrey (August 15, 2019). "Meet the New Lesbian Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv". Advocate. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. ארי, אורית פרץ (2015-11-10). "יש בית לקהילה הגאה". חיפה טיימס haifa-times (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  4. Wakefield, Lily (2020-03-08). "20 influential queer women to celebrate on International Women's Day 2020". PinkNews. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  5. "גאים בהם: 40 הלהט"בים המשפיעים של 2016". mako. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  6. "Staff and Acknowledgements | TLVFest". Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  7. "Guttman X 5 | TLVFest". Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  8. "לסביות קטלניות: בין המסך למציאות". הטלוויזיה החברתית (in Hebrew). 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  9. "פרסום ראשון: יוקם מדף ספרות גאה בספריות בתל אביב". Mako. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  10. "ISRAELI LGBTQ LEADER CHEN ARIELI RUNS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE". A Wider Bridge. 3 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  11. Stoffel, Derek (2 June 2016). "Israeli Tourism Ministry drops gay pride plane promotion after activists protest". CBC News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  12. "Israeli LGBT activists angered by focus on tourism". I24News. April 17, 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  13. Baume, Matt (20 September 2017). "LGBTQ Activists Are Choosing Anger over Pride". Vice. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  14. "LGBTQ Activists Are Choosing Anger over Pride". www.vice.com. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  15. Dekel, Yanir (2016-10-10). "Israeli government allocates $5 million to address needs of LGBT community". A Wider Bridge. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  16. "אלפי בני אדם הפגינו בת"א במחאה על אפליית הומואים ולסביות באימוץ". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  17. "יום האישה 2019: חן אריאלי מובילה את מאבק הקהילה הלהט"בית לשוויון". www.maariv.co.il. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  18. Stutman, Gabe (2019-12-18). "Bay Area rabbis recount 'nuanced' trip that showed many sides of Israel". J. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  19. "LGBT community lays out demands from government for 'full equality'". Times of Israel. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  20. "Thousands of Israelis Protest Anti-LGBT Surrogacy Legislation". www.advocate.com. 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  21. "גאים להתמודד: חברי קהילת הלהט"ב בבחירות המקומיות". Ynet. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  22. "גאים בהם: 40 הלהט"בים המשפיעים של 2016". mako. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  23. "Public Council". איתך. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  24. admin (2014-11-09). "Executive Committee". מרכז מצמיחים. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  25. "2019-2020". THE ALLIANCE FELLOWSHIP. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  26. Wakefield, Lily (2019-08-17). "Lesbian deputy mayor of Tel Aviv says Israel's treatment of trans people is an 'urgent problem'". PinkNews. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  27. "Meet Chen Arieli". www.schusterman.org. 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  28. "זה המסר שלנו: אנחנו כאן ובכל מקום". Ynet. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  29. "זה ניסיון לפרק את המשקל השלילי שיש לעודף משקל". Ynet. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  30. Dekel, Yanir (2016-06-13). "Israeli LGBT People Unite With Orlando". A Wider Bridge. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2021-06-28.


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