My sister called me up this morning from her ultra-left enclave called Seattle.  She wanted to respond to colleagues that were supporting McCain because of their religious views on Abortion and Marriage.  Here is my response.  It got a good response, so I figured I’d post it here as well.  Perhaps in these last hours before the election this may help some people with their voting decision.

To live a religious life in this country requires that we vote along with our beliefs.  But our elections aren’t that clean.  Our politicians don’t represent a single moral standard through all of the relevant issues.  What they represent is a model of thinking that we choose to vote for, an approach to creating and managing public policy.  The question before us is whether a single answer on a single issue represents hope for our country forming morally acceptable policies.  Does John McCain represent the kind of thinking that will encourage peace among our citizenship, renewed respect for faith in our country, and a moral fortitude that leaves room for all people to practice their beliefs, respect each other’s decisions, and debate these difficult issues?

(more…)

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There is not really much news here, but we thought this article was nice.  Congregation Bet Haverim in Atlanta got some coverage in Southern Voice, Atlanata’s LGBTQ Magazine, for its upcoming high holiday services. 

Shana Tova everyone!

If you’re in Atlanta for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, perhaps you’ll visit…

Erev Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 29 — 8 p.m.

Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 30 — 10 a.m.

Rosh Hashanah, second day, Oct. 1— 10 a.m.

Kol Nidre, Oct. 8 — 8 p.m.

Yom Kippur, Oct. 9 —10 a.m.



While High Holy Day services at Congregation Bet Haverim are free to
attend, the congregation asks visitors and members to RSVP to cbhevents@gmail.com so leaders can plan accordingly.

See the article here.

Atlanta, Gay, Shuls, High Holidays, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur

The Jewish Daily Forward published an article two weeks ago about the Conservative Movement’s new Heksher Tzedek, a new kashrut initiative that adds labor and environmental standards to traditional kashrut standards.  The article portrays this new initiative as an antidote to the divisive debate on same-sex ordination that the movement went through in 2006. 

While I can understand how this new kashrut standard can be unifying (it’s the first thing in a long time that I’ve really admired from the Conservative Movement), it is bizzarre to say, as the author does,

“The most striking element of the support has been that it has come from both sides of the earlier debate about sexuality. Rabbi Loel Weiss of Temple Beth Am in Randolph, Mass., had opposed the liberalization of the movement’s strictures on homosexuality, but he has spoken out in favor of the new movement.” 

Really?  It’s striking that feelings about homosexuality in the Jewish world and halakha have no relationship to feelings on environmentalism and human rights?

But this connection was not invented by the author.  Apparently lots of people see the link.

“Shafran went on in the article to accuse the Conservative movement of
using Hekhsher Tzedek as “a bald attempt to portray itself as something
other than dwindling and desperate,” citing the recent divisions over
sexuality issues.”

Anyway, read the article for yourself…

Unique program features Rabbi Dawn Rose, Professor David Brodsky; takes place May 30-June 1, 2008

New York, NY, May 6, 2008. Nehirim, a national organization that provides spiritual and cultural community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) Jews, partners, and allies, will host over 120 GLBT Jews for a unique spiritual weekend retreat, to be held May 30-June 1, 2008.

Nehirim’s executive director, Jay Michaelson, an outspoken advocate for inclusion of GLBT people within the Jewish community, says the weekend, now in its fifth year, is “less about politics than about creating a distinctive spiritual community for Jews who are members of sexual or gender minorities.”

Added Michaelson, “we’re not waiting for straight people to decide whether we can have a personal relationship with God. What Nehirim is about is building that relationship for ourselves, in our own distinctive ways.”

This year, the keynote speaker at the Nehirim retreat will be Rabbi Dawn Rose, who holds a Ph.D. in Jewish philosophy and was one of the first in the Conservative movement to teach feminist theology. Other featured educators include Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Professor David Brodsky, founder of Storahtelling Amichai Lau-Lavie, and Rabbi Jill Hammer, director of the Tel Shemesh institute.

Founded in 2003, Nehirim is a nondenominational, independent organization under the fiscal sponsorship of the Jewish Funds for Justice, and supported by the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.

Said Michaelson, “many of us have been told that because of who we are, God hates us. The Nehirim retreat is about experiencing God’s love instead.”

Nehirim, the LGBTQ Jewish Spiritual Initiative, has announced a new youth mentoring program.  Connecting older LGBTQ Jews with younger ones is apparently a first of its kind.

Below is the press release sent out about the new program.  Interestingly, I often find myself (still on the youth side of this equation I suspect) mentoring older folks who grew up and came out (or didn’t) in a time when being out in High School or Shul just wasn’t an option.  While I certainly had my struggles, I was able to have them because the world was ready for it (because of those that came before me.)

So, once again, kudos to Nehirim for another promising program.  I look forward to seeing how it all works out.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gay/Lesbian Group Launches Dramatic New Mentoring Program
First of its kind program, directed by Rabbi Jacob Staub, will
“give GLBT  youth the gay Jewish families they never had”

New York, NY, April 14, 2008.  Nehirim, a national organization that creates spiritual and cultural
community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) Jews, partners, and allies, announced
today that is has launched a first-of-its-kind mentoring program for GLBT Jews in their late teens and
twenties.  Called Shalshelet (which means “chain”), the program is designed, in the words of Nehirim
Executive Director Jay Michaelson, “to give GLBT youth the gay Jewish families they never had.”

“Jews are very good about providing role models and guides to leading a Jewish life,” said Michaelson.
“But gay and lesbian youth often have to find their own way.”  Michaelson added that while many GLBT
youth may seek elders, they are often justifiably fearful of sexual predation.

Shalshelet will be directed by Rabbi Jacob J. Staub, a professor at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College in Philadelphia, where he served as academic vice president for seventeen years,  At RRC, Rabbi
Staub founded and directs the first program in Jewish Spiritual Direction ever established at a rabbinical
seminary.

Said Rabbi Staub, “Both elders and youth benefit from this relationship.  Just as many GLBT youth are
looking for guides, so many older GLBT people, especially those without children, are eager to share their
wisdom with a younger generation.”

All participants are thoroughly screened by Rabbi Staub and Zvi Bellin, Nehirim’s Director of Outreach,
to ensure safety and compliance with the program’s rules.  Mentors commit to a monthly conference call
with Rabbi Staub, and at least one monthly phone call plus email contact with their mentees.

Founded in 2003, Nehirim is a nondenominational, independent organization under the fiscal sponsorship
of the Jewish Funds for Justice, and supported by the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.  For more information, visit www.nehirim.org/shalshelet.

MORE INFORMATION:  Sasha T. Goldberg, Assistant Director
stg@nehirim.org, 415-871-7113
www.nehirim.org

Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture and Spirituality (www.nehirim.org) creates
authentic spiritual and cultural community for GLBT Jews, partners, and allies.  .
Nehirim is supported by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family
Foundation, and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and is under the fiscal
sponsorship of the Jewish Funds for Justice.

Author Jay Michaelson has started a movement for Jewish solidarity with Tibet this Passover. It’s called An Unlit Candle and they’re asking everyone to add an unlit candle to their seder plate and recognize the situation in Tibet in their seders.

We like the idea, though for some muchse may be an issue.

You can find out more at http://unlitcandle.org/

For years now people have been adding an Orange to their seder plates to recognize Feminist and GLBTQ issues. There’s some information by Jewish Leader Tamara Cohen here.

Technorati Tags: Passover, Tibet, Jews, Feminism

For years my husband and I didn’t go to our local LGBTQ Synagogue. We wanted to be Gay in a Jewish community. Then we went. And we were hooked. Simply put, we don’t just feel we belong, we really like the shul. And that seems to be the case around the country as LGBTQ synagogues find themselves with lots of non-LGBTQ congregants.

This was bound to happen as these shuls are expert at creating relevant Jewish experiences (something Jews all over seem to be seeking and having trouble finding) and the family members and friends of the LGBTQ members start coming. My mother and step dad recently joined our shul, and our son is a member, and we have no idea what his sexual identity will be.

Here’s a recent article sent to us by a reader. Thanks MH.

http://www.forward.com/articles/12994/

The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday that the Schechter Rabbinical School in Jerusalem, the Israeli seminary of the Conservative Movement, opposes the American Conservative movement’s decision to ordain Gay and Lesbian Rabbis and Cantors. This week, 35 American Rabbinical students wanted to celebrate the one year anniversary of the movement’s decision. But Machon Schechter wouldn’t allow it unless they also discussed the opposing view, the other teshuva that maintained the status quo.

I had the pleasure of speaking at Machon Schechter about 8 years ago, and though the students brought me, they weren’t allowed to make it an official event, or even use the space. We did it on their lunch hour outside on the lawn. It was a beautiful day, but that’s not the point.

So things have come a long way, and there’s still a long way to go.

This week also saw an official day of celebration and learning at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. It was the work of some dedicated students, most notably Aaron Weininger, one of the first 2 Queer students to enter the seminary for rabbinical school. I’ll try to get some photos and video to post about that great event.

Here’s the original article on the Jerusalem Post and the post on Queerty

Let’s start by getting something straight: It’s about Marriage equality, not some special same-sex marriage.

Now, on to the story:

The Jewish Daly Forward is reporting that more than a dozen Conservative Rabbis that previously would not sign a statement supporting equal rights for LGBTQ civil marriages, have now signed. The change is reportedly due to the movement’s recent decision to allow for Gay and Lesbian clergy and same-sex marriage.

This is, of course, a good thing. But the sad part is in this statement by Rabbi Denise Eger, of the reform Gay and Lesbian shul in West Hollywood, Kol Ami:

“Conservative rabbis might have been privately supportive of same-sex marriage, but they hadn’t been willing to step out.”

It’s unfortunate enough that these rabbi’s didn’t see the light before the decision, but such is the process of learning and growth. But the idea that they DID see the light, but didn’t speak up because of the Conservative Movement, is just sad. To be a leader is to step up - and all we’re talking about is signing a letter.

Read the article in the forward here.

If your Rabbi or Cantor did sign the agreement. Thank them. Whether they just signed now or in 2005, show them your support for their leadership. And if they didn’t sign, ask them why not - and then convince them otherwise.

Our friend D’ror over at the Columbia / Barnard Hillel decided it was time people in Hillel knew what being LGBTQ and Jewish was really about (we don’t all want to sit around reading leviticus over and over and over again… and we’re not “just like straight people… you know, but gay”!)

Anyhow, so D’ror decided it was time to put together a resource guide. And so he did. It’s officially Hillel and will be distributed in just a few days. So, Mazal Tov to D’ror and thanks for all of your hard work!

Here’s an article in The Advocate about it!

Hillel Reaches Out to LGBTQ Students | News | Advocate.com:

“There exists a common belief that religious groups are not open to the LGBTQ community,” D’ror Chankin-Gould, editor of the resource guide and Jewish Campus Service Corps senior fellow at Columbia University and Barnard College, said in a press release. “This guide is helping Hillel break down barriers and cultivate an inclusive, welcoming home for all Jewish students.”

Other Articles:

• New Article in the Washington Jewish Week
• Article in The Forward

The Resource Guide for LGBT Jewish students and programming is Available Here: http://www.hillel.org/lgbtq