LGBTQ+ Jewish Life

During Pride Month, I participated in a leaders' trip to Israel through A Wider Bridge, an organization dedicated to connecting LGBTQ+ people in North America and Israel. Around Israel, pride events this year focused on calls to free the hostages, support the hundreds of thousands of displaced people, and reach a meaningful ceasefire.

For many LGBTQ+ Jews in the United States, LGBTQ+ synagogues and organizations offer that sustenance.

Every June in the U.S., we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month. While Pride is often seen as a flaw or a vice to be tempered, we flip that notion on its head every June, as we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with a sense of pride that's not just acceptable, but essential.

I took the Commandments seriously. However, one of the Commandments deeply resonated above all others: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," meaning "You shall not lie" (Exodus 20:13). This affected me most because I was lying to others and myself about a core aspect of my identity: my bisexuality.