When I was growing up, as a little girl in the Orthodox Jewish community, I would stare longingly over the mechitza (the dividing wall between men and women in the synagogue), feeling betrayed by God for giving me a body that didn't feel congruent with my soul. I never imagined that one day I would feel right in my body, accepted in my community, and able to walk freely in the world as a Jewish man.
Every year, Jewish organizations join together to keep broadening and deepening that acceptance by observing Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed annually on November 20th - a day when transgender people and allies gather around the world to memorialize and remember the victims of transphobic violence killed in the last year.
It is sometimes hard for us to make the leap between thinking about people being murdered and what that has to do with our community or with us. We think, "No one I know would ever murder a transgender person!" While that may be true, I challenge us all to ask ourselves: What else can we take away from this day?
Keshet has compiled resources for the Jewish community to observe Transgender Day of Remembrance, including:
- "A Jewish Guide for Marking Transgender Day of Remembrance": This guide contains readings, personal stories from transgender people, quotes from rabbinic leaders, and suggested concrete action steps.
- "We Remember and Honor Through Action": Seth M. Marnin and Rabbi Mike Moskowitz share ways that we all can honor the lives of those we remember on Transgender Day of Remembrance.
- "Prayer for Transgender Day of Remembrance": This prayer in English by Rabbi Reuben Zellman marks the occasion of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
- Transgender Shabbat Liturgy: This Shabbat services handout includes liturgy, poems, and others readings from Occupy Washington D.C.’s Transgender Remembrance Shabbat.
You can visit KeshetOnline.org for liturgy, divrei Torah, blog posts, and other Jewish resources for observing Transgender Day of Remembrance. ReformJudaism.org provides the words of the Mourner's Kaddish - in Hebrew, in English, and transliterated, in printable format.
Many transgender people spend years hiding and fearing "coming out" because they do not have a community where they know they will be accepted. And many transgender people, like myself, have used drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of being "different," and even contemplate suicide to escape from making the heart-wrenching choice between family and being true to themselves. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different if I could have known as a child that I could be myself and also be a part of my community...
I hope this day inspires us to ask ourselves:
- How can we make our community the type of community where a transgender child or adult will feel that they can safely express who they are and not only will we not shun them, we will love and embrace them, and encourage them down their chosen path?
- How can we use this day to bring an end to the silence around gender expression that might be allowing bullying in our Hebrew schools?
- How might we bring awareness to the issue of bathroom safety for gender non-conforming individuals in our institutions?
- How can we widen the arms of our communities' embrace so that it can enfold the most stigmatized and ostracized individuals and bring them closer to G-d, to Judaism, and to themselves?
I ask you to take a moment to think about how you might use November 20th, Transgender Day of Remembrance, to find a way to make a difference.
