Jerusalem’s Gay Bar
If grinding to Top 40 American music in a smoke-filled, tiny bar is your idea of fun, than Shushan - Jerusalem’s sole gay bar - might just do it for you. Fortunately for those of us who don’t like smoke and all things small, Shushan boasts a nice array of Jewish, Arab and visiting international boys eager to meet and greet.
The name “Shushan” (also the street the bar is on) comes from the Jewish holiday Purim, where the Jews of ancient Persia’s Shushan are saved from the genocidal plot of an anti-Semitic mad-man (sound familiar?). The holiday includes elements of disguise, double-speak and girl power, so Shushan is a more than appropriate name for a gay bar.
The bar sits not far from City Hall and the venerable walls of the Old City, in addition to being close to the East/West Jerusalem informal border. This makes it easy for Arab hotties to come in any night of the week, including for Monday’s infamous drag night.
Shushan’s crude exterior - including warehouse door, no windows, and no rainbow anything - conceals the steamy nature of what’s inside. Because it’s the only gay bar in town, its often packed with more than 100 gay men, lesbians, fag hags and assorted groupies. The bartenders - ranging from muscle-bound Ethiopian Israelis to scruffy, recently released soldiers - are friendly, and so are most of the patrons, but keep in mind there’s little room for “action” is this space no larger than big one-bedroom apartment.
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