Recommended Reading: Learn More About Judaism
UPDATED: Supreme Court Opinions Raise Important Criminal Justice Questions
When the Holy Act of Kneeling Becomes a Weapon
This Shabbat, recite these 15 words of this ancient and powerful b’racha. Take a knee to show your vulnerability. Take a knee in protest and offer this blessing with the hopes of truly bringing a sense of peace and wholeness at a time when it is so deeply needed.
Interfaith Community Expresses Support for LGBT Student Non-Discrimination Protections
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Jordan Dashow
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Shattered Glass from Carolina to Boston
The sound of glass shattering. Smiles and cheers. That was on Saturday night as Dan and Lauren officially became husband and wife.
18+ Ways to Make LGBT Members Feel Welcome in Your Congregation
June is here, and in honor of LGBT Pride Month, we're sharing suggestions for welcoming LGBTQ members into your congregation and community. Do you have ideas to add to this list? Leave them in the comments below!
- Celebrate Gay Pride Month (June) with a special Shabbat service. Invite LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning/Queer) members to participate and include readings that speak to the experience of being both Jewish and LGBTQ. Consider having a guest speaker deliver a sermon or have a panel of congregants at the oneg to discuss how LGBTQ issues affect their congregational and personal lives.
- Phrase your congregational publicity in a way that is inviting to all people. In your congregational advertising, make sure that the LGBTQ population is specifically welcomed at all congregational events.
- Review your temple website to make sure that it is welcoming to LGBTQ Jews. Rather than using terms such as “alternative lifestyles” or “non-traditional families,” use language such as, “We proudly welcome members of the LGBTQ community,” or “We welcome LGBTQ Jews and their families.”
Faith Organizations Urge Lawmakers to Take a Stand on LGBT Discrimination
Coming Out in a Jewish Community: How Our Congregation Embraces LGBTQ Teenagers
On the bimah during his confirmation, twelfth grader Sean Cooper recounted his coming out experience:
When I came out as a homosexual, I posted a picture to Facebook with my father, with the caption “….”. While some may have previously inferred my sexual orientation, that post was my first official public coming out. The next day, I came to my temple, Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, CA, for a meeting of our youth group. I was greeted at the door by Cantor Doug Cotler, the man I have known my whole life, with a warm hug and friendly “I’m proud of you,” and by Rabbi Julia Weisz with a smile and great warmth. Rabbi Paul Kipnes was even more accepting than anyone. His kind and heartfelt acceptance expressed not only his embracing personal views, but also the wide-open arms of the Jewish community.
LGBT Pride Month: Do What’s Right and Don’t Make a Fuss
I did not know that June is LGBT Pride Month. I'm not gay, which may or may not be a valid excuse. That being said, gay rights is one of the critical issues in these beginning years of the 21st century.