Temple Israel Miami holds the 18th Annual LGBTQ Ru’ach Pride Seder on Wednesday, June 13, 5:30pm. The event is co-sponsored by A Wider Bridge

Every year at Temple Israel Miami’s LGBTQ Pride Seder, we come together to tell the story of our liberation from oppression, to celebrate our freedom, and to commemorate the Jewish LGBTQ community in South Florida. Just as we recall that Children of Israel strove to be liberated from bondage, we also remember that the LGBTQ community has had struggles as well as triumphs.

This year’s theme is celebrating Israel at 70.  “It is important to remind people that we are connected to  LGBTQ communities all over the world and especially  our brothers and sister in Israel,” says co-host Marc Lamb.

In keeping with this theme, A Wider Bridge’s Quentin Hill will discuss the work the organization does building bridges between North Americans and the Israeli LGBTQ community. Through video you will get to hear from two Israelis who are on the forefront of organizing the LGBTQ communities there: Ofer Erez, the first openly trans officer in the Israel Defense Forces and now CEO of Jerusalem’s LGBTQ Center, and Zehorit Sorek, of the Israeli Education NGO Hoshen.

Delicious Middle Eastern food will also be served in honor of Israel’s fine cuisine!

The event is hosted by Marc Lamb and Mark Nedlin.

Be prepared to let your pride soar! Please RSVP here.

A Wider Bridge’s 9th Annual LGBTQ Leadership Mission to Israel has begun! Twenty-six LGBTQ community leaders and personalities join A Wider Bridge staff on a 10-day mission to Israel to experience the country through an LGBTQ lens.

Ready to guide: #AWBPride. A Wider Bridge staff member Sheridan Bahar in Israel!

A Wider Bridge engages LGBTQ leaders in politics, entertainment, government, and advocacy to participate in 10-day missions to Israel to experience the country through an LGBTQ lens. Through shared experience, the trip connects modern Israeli and LGBTQ life with the ancient roots of its people. The 10-night journey starts in Tel Aviv, and continues through Haifa, Nazareth, the Galilee, the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and then back to Tel Aviv for the all-famous Pride parade.

The Israel Mission is also an opportunity to connect and bond with an accomplished and diverse group of LGBTQ leaders from all backgrounds across North America, and with the leadership of Israel’s most significant LGBTQ organizations, each at the forefront of change in Israeli society.

Prominent figures taking part in our trip this year include lawmakers Daniel Hernandez, a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, Scott Dibble, a State Senator from Minnesota, and Elizabeth Bennet, an Iowa State Senator. Additionally, there LGBT musician Veronica Savage will be joining the trip, as will visual artist and activist Niki Lopez.

Trip participants and partners Niki Lopez and Ghenete Wright discuss the reasons for attending the trip on their Facebook show Niki Lopez Creative

Niki Lopez  says that she’s especially interested in being on the trip as a person of color and learning more about how people of color are treated in Israel. “We love that we’re representing another layer of diversity in the trip,” she says in reference to herself and partner Ghenete.

“I have always been interested in Jewish culture and Israel,” says Tanya Walker, a queer trans woman who is not Jewish, but whose great, great, great, great grandfather was an Irish Jew. “I manage the Trans Advocacy Group in New York City, and I am looking forward to connecting with similar activists in Israel. I would like to learn and mostly listen, and see how the community manages over there.”

Michael Sonberg and Andy Austin are a gay couple that has just celebrated their 38th anniversary together! They haven’t been in Israel since 1992.  Andy says, “It’s been 25-years since we’ve been back to Israel, and I’m very curious to see how things have developed. It wasn’t easy to find a LGBTQ presence in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. I know it’s quite different now.”

Together with other participants from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Fort Lauderdale, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Phoenix, the participants of this journey will relive Israel’s history – from the ancient walls of Jerusalem to the modern State of Israel. They will also meet organizations and people building the future of modern Israel – those fueling the country’s growth as a diverse and urban high-tech and research powerhouse, as well as those working to address the country’s many domestic and foreign challenges and contradictions.

And no LGBTQ mission would be complete without savoring the culture and nightlife of Tel Aviv, consistently rated one of the leading LGBTQ cities of the world!

Stay up-to-date with our many communities: Here’s what’s been happening this month in the intersecting worlds of pro-Israel and the LGBTQ community!

TOP NEWS

Outside the Tel Aviv LGBTQ Center in Gan Meir Park

A Wider Bridge’s 9th Annual LGBTQ Leadership Mission to Israel has begun! Twenty-six LGBTQ community leaders and personalities have joined A Wider Bridge staff on a 10-day mission to Israel to experience the country through an LGBTQ lens.

ISRAEL NEWS

Netta wins Eurovision! Israel’s Netta Barzilai clucked her way to the top of the international song contest with the women’s #MeToo empowerment anthem “Toy”. Times of Israel

LGBTQ youth organizers in Kfar Saba won the right to hold a pride parade without having to shoulder the prohibitive financial costs of paying for a fence, as required by the police. A Wider Bridge

Openly Gay IDF Officer Sharon Afek Promoted to Major General. A Wider Bridge

A blood donation campaign targets the LGBT Community for the first time in Israel, thanks to changes in donation rules. Channel 10 News

A precedent-setting Israeli Supreme Court decision ruled that a lesbian mother must let her former partner forge a relationship with her son. Ha’aretz

 NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

CHICAGO — AWB held its first-ever LGBTQ Campus Summit, where participants learned skills to engage their peers in discussions about Israel. “Today was a rare opportunity to talk about Israel in a nuanced way, especially in a LGBTQ sense,” Finn Rinder, participant A Wider Bridge.

NEW YORK — “Why I’m marching in the Celebrate Israel Parade and why you should too.” A Wider Bridge’s Young Professionals Network member Peter Fox leads the AWB contingent in the upcoming parade. A Wider Bridge

VIEWS

Being bullied at school inspired Lee Arnan, who identifies as non-binary, to become a teacher. Yediot

“Viva La Diva!” How Israeli singer Dana International made trans identity mainstream. The Guardian

Israeli Drag artist Gil Naveh (AKA Galina for de Bra) reflects on Wigstock 1998, Israel’s own Stonewall moment, and how far things have progressed 20-years later. “In Wigstock 2018, we will continue to stand up for ourselves, to flip the finger to all those who think we have something to be ashamed of, and lead with sparkle and colors to equality, pride, love and safe sex.” Mako

Gay Israeli singer’s mom is his biggest LGBTQ Advocate. Laisha

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Partners Ghenete Wright and Niki Lopez and arrive in Israel for the 2018 LGBTQ Leadership Mission

The Tel Aviv Pride Parade took place TODAY under the theme: LGBTQ Pioneers. Check out some photos from this extraordinary day.

Look who we ran into at #TelAviv #Pride! It’s @bravoandy!!!! with @jboygb #AWBPride … #Pridemonth #gayboyselfie #gaystagram #gayguy #gay #andycohen #LGBTQ #israel #prideweek

A post shared by A Wider Bridge (@awiderbridge) on Jun 7, 2018 at 4:26pm PDT

International Ambassador for Tel Aviv pride 2018, TV Host and TV Superstar, Andy Cohen: “Celebrating Pride in Tel Aviv is a beautiful celebration of gay rights and visibility in a region where many of the neighbors cannot live as their true selves or be who they were born to be, which makes it all the more special for this massive coming together in support of equality to be taking place in Tel Aviv.”

A Wider Bridge attend Tel Aviv pride with our 2018 LGBTQ Leadership Mission to Israel group. Our contingent joined over a quarter of a million people in Tel Aviv to march in the largest ever pride parade in the Middle East.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the 18th Annual Pride Seder at Temple Israel of Greater Miami, co-sponsored by A Wider Bridge. Over 200 people filled the room for the largest gathering yet of LGBTQ Jews and allies coming together to celebrate both Pride and Israel at 70. Having just landed a few days prior from another successful AWB Mission to Israel, my emotions were still running high. As I took to the podium and looked out into the crowd, I was overrun with emotion and a deep sense of pride.

We have a lot to be proud of this year. We are nearing almost 50 years of pride since the Stonewall Riots. Israel has just celebrated her 70th birthday. Tel Aviv just celebrated 20 years of their pride. This was the 18th year of the Pride Seder at Temple Israel, and it was the largest gathering yet of this event. As I started to speak, I couldn’t help but think of how amazing this community is. The theme of the night, similar to the Passover Seder, was about remembering our story as LGBTQ people and renewing a sense of commitment to our tikkun olam. That we in particular as LGBTQ Jews and allies, have a unique part to play in shaping a better, brighter, and more inclusive future. This couldn’t have resonated more with me after just spending 10 amazing days with 30 outstanding LGBTQ leaders from all across the country, engaging with the LGBTQ Israelis who are on the forefront of advancing equality in Israel.

Photo credit: Rom Ozeri

I was deeply moved as we remembered pioneers in our community who are no longer with us, called out for full inclusion and justice, and committed ourselves to ensuring that the next generation will be able to grow up in a more open and welcoming environment. The contributions that LGBTQ Jews have made to equality in this country are absolutely remarkable; Harvey Milk, Roberta Kaplan, Edie Windsor, Evan Wolfson, just to name a few. The LGBTQ Jewish community has been on the forefront of advancing equality in this country since the night of the Stonewall Riots. We take this responsibility of repairing the world and being a light (a bright, beautiful, colorful light) unto other communities seriously. To have an evening dedicated to celebrating that, embracing our unique role, and being together as one community was a very moving experience for me.

Zehorit Sorek 

The pride seder also included video greetings from two Israeli LGBTQ activists:  Ofer Erez of the Jerusalem Open House and   Zehorit Sorek , who works for Hoshen – a LGBTQ educational.

Photo credit: Steve Rothaus

As we continue to move forward this pride season, we should be filled with a renewed sense of hope and resilience. LGBTQ Jews from North America to Israel are at the forefront of the fights for equality, not only standing up for our community, but working to create a brighter future for all marginalized communities. We should embrace our unique role in these fights for social justice and continue to move both our country and Israel forward. Last night, I remembered, celebrated, and embraced this role. Today, I continue to fulfill it. Thank you to Temple Israel for inviting me to such an amazing and empowering celebration. Together, as one community, we will move forward. Happy Pride!

—

Quentin Hill is A Wider Bridge’s Eastern States Manager of Programs and Development

Twenty-six LGBTQ community leaders and personalities joined A Wider Bridge staff on a 10-day mission to Israel to experience the country through an LGBTQ lens. This powerful trip changes lives, allowing them to go beyond the news headlines and soundbites, and embrace the nuances of this complex country.

The trip took participants to the north of Israel, where they visited the Golan Heights and peered over to Syria. They toured LGBTQ centers in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where they met with LGBTQ leaders working for equality. Participants journeyed to the West Bank, where they visited “The Roots,” center committed to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. A trip to Ramallah took the group behind the separation border. At the Knesset, the tour met with elected officials from different political parties, all committed to LGBTQ issues. They also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, and learned about the Holocaust from a LGBTQ lens. The trip concluded with Tel Aviv Pride, this year drawing 250,000 participants, the largest pride parade ever in Israel, and the only one in the Middle East.

During this whirlwind tour, space was opened up for participants to think, feel, and engage with the issues in a complex and nuanced way.

“I think it’s a beautiful trip. There’s a space for everyone’s opinion. I leave with the tools to investigate the issues on my own.” – Niki Lopez

Niki Lopez (right) with Ghenete Wright

“A highlight for me was the Knessset, it was so exciting walking through those doors and meeting with elected officials from different political parties all committed to LGBTQ issues.” – Fred Karger, Politician, Gay Rights Advocate

“When we were here 25 years ago, whatever LGBTQ culture there was, was very underground.  Now there are so many visible LGBTQ groups and in Tel Aviv, rainbow flags everywhere.” – Andy Austin with Michael Sonberg

“No matter one’s view on the Israel/Palestine question, LGBTQ people exist in Israel and they deserve human rights and equality, just as we in the U.S. do.”  – Liz Bennett, Iowa State Representative

John Becker (left) with Michael Bare

“I left with a better picture of both issues facing the Israeli LGBTQ community, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more equipped with resources to continue to investigate the issues on my own.” – Michael Bare

“Tel Aviv Pride was an amazing, incredible, exhilarating experience. What a joy it was to be able to celebrate Pride with 250,000 beautiful, smiling, proud, joyful, love-filled members of my LGBTQA family from across the region and around the world!” – John Becker

“The continued theme I kept hearing from everybody was hope.” – Juan Camacho

It started with an innocuous question. A friend asked if I was going to attend the upcoming Chicago Dyke March. This gave me pause. I have attended virtually every Chicago Dyke March for the past 20 years. I was regretfully out of town last year when my friend Laurie Grauer was asked to leave for carrying a pride flag emblazoned with the Star of David.

I own the same Jewish pride flag as Laurie. Mine was a gift for volunteering at the Jerusalem Open House LGBTQ Center. It reminds me of the LGBTQ communities in Israel who are fighting against intense, sometimes deadly homophobia. The flag also symbolizes a proud merging of my queer, Jewish and Israeli identities. In the past, I have brought my flag to Chicago Pride, refusing to hide any one of my identities – not even thinking that I needed to, especially at Pride, a time when we celebrate our whole selves. So last year, I was stunned when the Dyke March organizers told Laurie and two other Jewish lesbians to leave, to essentially crawl back into the closet.

I support the intersectional goals of the Dyke March. I agree with the choice to hold the march again in Little Village, and think it is immensely important to highlight the struggles of brown, black and indigenous peoples. I believe that addressing issues of police brutality, immigration, and the displacement of people of color from city centers is equally as important as marriage equality. But, for intersections to truly be meaningful, no one should be asked to hide part of their identity, whether Palestinian, pro-Israel or any other piece of themselves.

I echo the sentiments of Dahlia St. Knives, a black Jewish trans woman who wrote of last year’s controversy, “this event shone a light on a very troubling trend within leftist circles. Jewish people are more or less required to be subjected to a purity test with regard to their stance on the Occupation in Palestine…We must openly, loudly, and continuously disavow Israel, or we will be forcibly removed from any space that we share with progressives.”

I am increasingly disturbed by the polarization on the left, the categorizing of “good” anti-Zionist Jews vs. “bad” Zionist Jews. Many LGBTQ Jews are terrified to voice support for Israel, for fear they’ll be shut down, shamed and relegated to this “bad Jew” status.

Many of us, myself included, support a two-state solution and are at times critical of the Israeli government. At the same time, we believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. But we cannot safely state this in public without being vilified. As the organizers have demonstrated, the Chicago Dyke March and other progressive spaces are no longer safe for the entire breadth of our communities. Perhaps the organizers see this as a victory. I say, at what cost? What is the ultimate price for exclusion?

I work for an organization called A Wider Bridge, whose mission is to build bridges between LGBTQ communities in Israel and North America. We believe that full equality and inclusion of LGBTQ people is only possible if everyone is at the table. It is our hope that there can be room to come together and dialogue. We may not all agree, but there is power in finding commonalities and learning from our differences.

So, will I be marching this year? This remains to be seen. I certainly don’t feel welcome. But I know the importance of making my voice heard, especially considering the many Jews and allies who feel silenced. I want our voices, like the voices of all others, to be included as we stand against oppression and celebrate our whole selves.

Ronit Bezalel is Communications Director of A Wider Bridge. She is also an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and journalist.  

A Wider Bridge celebrates Pride across the USA! While our official delegation marched with the Zioness Movement and the Israeli Consulate General in NYC, we also proudly represented from coast to coast, and in between.

NEW YORK

New York Pride

Chen Arieli (Chair, The Aguda LGBTQ National Task Force) with Israeli Actor Yuval David (middle) and AWB Staff Quentin Hill (right), NYC Pride

Consul General of Israel in NY, Danyi Dayan (left), the first Consul General from Israel to march in NYC Pride, with Israeli Actor Yuval David (right), NYC Pride. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld 

Pro-Israel Delegation, A Wider Bridge marches with Zioness and the Israeli Consulate General, NYC Pride

AWB Leadership Mission Alumnus Shlomo Ashkenazi, NYC Pride

AWB Leadership Mission Alumnus Shlomo Ashkenazi, NYC Pride

AWB Leadership Mission Alumnus Andy Austin, NYC Pride

Pride Reception at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of the City of New York

A Wider Bridge joins Israel Gay Youth, the Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, and JCRC-NY for an in-depth discussion of Jewish and Arab LGBTQ realities in Israel 

Reception at the home of the Consul General of Israel in New York co-sponsored by AWB. “While I am extremely proud of the huge achievements of Israel, the goal of full equality has not yet been achieved,” Dani Dayan, Consul General of Israel (center).

WASHINGTON DC

Ambassador Ron Dermer, Pride at the Israeli Embassy, Washington DC

Pride at the Israeli Embassy, Washington DC

Pride at the Israeli Embassy, Washington DC (Left to right: Rom Ozeri, Quentin Hill, Stewart Milk, Sheridan Bahar)

SAN FRANCISCO

AWB Staff Jeroen Vahrmeijer with the Israeli Consulate Booth, SF Pride

AWB Staff Jeroen Vahrmeijer with the Israeli Consulate Booth, SF Pride

CHICAGO

AWB Leadership Mission Alumnus Gabriel Gomez with The Legacy Project LGBTQ History, Chicago Pride

Jewish Pride Flags! Ronit Bezalel and Laurie Grauer, Chicago Pride

TWIN CITIES

AWB Leadership Mission Alumnus Scott Dibble at Twin Cities Pride

FLORIDA

AWB Leadership Mission Alumni Niki Lopez and Ghenete Wright

Stay up-to-date with our many communities: Here’s what’s been happening this month in the intersecting worlds of pro-Israel and the LGBTQ community!

TOP NEWS

A Wider Bridge marches with Zioness and the Israeli Consulate during the annual Pride Parade in New York City. Photo source: https://www.alexipix.com/Events/IsraelPrideNYC2018/n-M2nZC5 

ISRAEL NEWS

Israel’s wrestling champion Nir Rotenberg comes out of the closet as gay and reminds us, “don’t be afraid to be who you are!” WDG

Our LGBTQ Leadership Mission just completed an 11-day trip to Israel, including joining Tel Aviv‘s largest gay pride parade ever. A Wider Bridge

A few weeks after Tel Aviv Pride, the city of Haifa also held its largest-ever gay pride parade. Ha’aretz

Israel’s LGBTQ community received an advocacy boost with the appointment of  Oded Frid as Knesset lobbyist.  A Wider Bridge

Israel recognized lesbian couples as mothers. Now the High Court says this was a mistake. Ha’aretz

Hundreds rallied against homophobia in Holon, following comments made by Deputy Mayor Yoel Yeshurun. WDG

The Knesset has been busy this month with some good news for LGBTQ issues, and some not so good news.

Good news:
The Knesset advanced a bill banning discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity. The Times of Israel
Lesbian couple in Israel wins court case in appeal for parental recognition. Jerusalem Online

Not so good news:
On Pride Week, the Knesset rejected the Marriage Equality Bill. A Wider Bridge
A Knesset panel okays anti-gay surrogacy law. Ha’aretz.

NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

USA — Pride 2018: A Wider Bridge celebrates coast to coast, and in-between! A Wider Bridge

CHICAGO  —  “I am increasingly disturbed by the polarization on the left, the categorizing of “good” anti-Zionist Jews vs. “bad” Zionist Jews. Many LGBTQ Jews are terrified to voice support for Israel, for fear they’ll be shut down, shamed and relegated to this “bad Jew” status.” A Wider Bridge’s Ronit Bezalel take on the Chicago Dyke March. A Wider Bridge

FLORIDA  —  “As we continue to move forward this pride season, we should be filled with a renewed sense of hope and resilience.” A Wider Bridge’s Quentin Hill remarks on the 18th Annual Pride Seder at Temple Israel of Greater Miami, co-sponsored by A Wider Bridge. A Wider Bridge

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Jewish Drag Queen Alexis Michelle with Consul General Dani Dayan at NYC Pride. Photo source: https://www.alexipix.com/Events/IsraelPrideNYC2018/n-M2nZC5 

Join A Wider Bridge supporters and communities in New York City, Washington DC, and South Florida, to meet our newest grantee, the Israel LGBTQ Refugee Program. August 15-23!

LGBTQ asylum seekers and refugees in Israel and across the Middle East face a myriad of challenges in search of a better life, including exposure to intense homophobia and transphobia, domestic violence and abuse, loneliness, national language barriers, and uncertain legal statuses. Meet Eyal Migdalovich, founder of the LGBTQ Refugee Program, and Ohad Hizki, CEO of the Aguda, (the initiative’s sponsoring organization), to discuss their groundbreaking work assisting these marginalized populations. Eyal and Ohad will share their ongoing outreach and trust-building with Arab and African refugees and asylum seekers, within Israel and beyond.

The Israeli LGBTQ Refugee Program, an AWB Impact grant recipient, provides LGBTQ Arabs, Palestinians, Africans, and other marginalized minority groups with legal, psychological and financial services, and access to health care, housing and employment. Thanks to the LGBTQ Refugees Program and the AWB Impact grant provided by A Wider Bridge, more of these individuals today have the resources to lead more certain lives — out of the shadows.

EVENT DETAILS AND RSVP

NEW YORK CITY
Community Fundraiser Home of  Jimmy Steindecker (Address provided upon RSVP) Wednesday, August 15 6:30pm
FLORIDA
Fort Lauderdale Sunday, August 19 Congregation Etz Chayim, 2038 N Dixie Highway (Wilton Manors Pride Center) 4 pm
Miami The Offices of SAVE Tuesday, August 21 1951 NW 7th Ave, Suite 600 Miami, FL, 33136 6:30 pm
WASHINGTON DC
HIAS Event Thursday, August 23 1300 Spring Street, Suite 500 Silver Spring, MD, 20910 6:30 pm

Watch our short video to learn more about the program!

A Wider Bridge’s Executive Director Tyler Gregory penned this response to the anti-gay surrogacy bill that just passed the Knesset today.

I’m sad to say that we lost at the Knesset today, despite fierce opposition and broad public support for LGBTQ families. Ultra-orthodox parties within the government forced a vote on an anti-gay amendment to the surrogacy bill, which grants single women the right to surrogacy, but leaves out men and gay couples. Under the law, gay Israelis and single men who pursue surrogacy in Israel face up to three years in prison for trying to start a family, forcing them to leave the country if they choose surrogacy.

This morning, our grantee and partner, the Aguda – Israel’s LGBTQ National Task Force, called for a nationwide strike in Israel on Sunday, a first for Israel’s LGBTQ community.  We applaud the Aguda for their advocacy efforts to stop the bill, and for organizing last weekend’s rally for LGBTQ families, attended by five thousand people. The community is galvanized, energized and united in the pursuit of equality. And it is inspiring.

After four decades of LGBTQ advancements, it’s developments like these that are part of a new and worrying trend in Israel — not dissimilar to our reality in the United States.

While we are not an Israeli organization, we believe that rights aren’t dictated by zip code or borders. That’s why we advance LGBTQ rights in Israel through our AWB Impact Grants, helping NGOs build the capacity they need to foster lasting social change. Here are just a few examples of the investments we’er making:

• The Aguda works in the halls of the Knesset to build relationships with members of Knesset across partisan divides. They also have a new candidate training forum, helping more LGBTQ people in Israel run for office.
• The LGBTQ Religious Community in Israel is changing attitudes toward LGBTQ identity within the Orthodox community, softening opposition to LGBTQ rights where change is needed most.
• And the Haifa Communities’ Home is helping LGBTQ individuals find community in the periphery of Israel, outside the LGBTQ-friendly bubble of Tel Aviv.

As a newlywed likely to pursue surrogacy with my husband someday, I’m taking this news personally, and I hope you will too. We may have lost last night, but the struggle for equality is far from over. We hope you’ll support A Wider Bridge as we build a stronger, more inclusive Israel. History is on our side.

–Tye

Tyler Gregory
Executive Director, A Wider Bridge
Tyler@awiderbridge.org

On Sunday, Israel’s LGBTQ community is going on strike. A Wider Bridge and the Israeli LGBTQ community need our international support. Please help us build momentum for the LGBTQ Strike Across Israel by signing and sharing this online campaign. Thank you! #YesLGBTQ

On Sunday, July 22, tens of thousands of LGBTQ Israelis and allies will stay home from work and close their businesses as a part of a nationwide strike organized by the Aguda —Israeli LGBTQ Task Force. The City of Tel Aviv, along with more than 20 companies, including Microsoft, Apple, and IBM, have voiced support for the strike.

And now we, the global LGBTQ community and allies, across zip codes and borders, supporters of Israel and the Jewish people, stand in solidarity with the Israeli LGBTQ community as they strike for their equal rights in their democracy.

Thanks to community activism, for decades, Israel has stood as a global leader on LGBTQ rights, serving as pioneers in decriminalizing homosexuality, allowing open military service, passing workplace protections, and hosting the largest annual pride parade in Asia (Tel Aviv). The current government of the State of Israel has publicly paid lip service to these achievements abroad, while at the same time undermining LGBTQ protections at home.

This week, the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) passed anti-gay surrogacy legislation, excluding single men and gay couples from this path it affords others to start families of their own.

For LGBTQ orthodox youth facing conversion therapy, for transgender Israelis at high risk of suicide and abuse, for LGBTQ Arabs and Ethiopians with long roads to community acceptance, and for LGBTQ families looking for a fair shake, we object.

Our concerns are rooted in a love for Israel, its democracy, and its people. Yet the hypocrisy of this coalition government on LGBTQ rights can no longer go unchallenged.

A Wider Bridge and the global LGBTQ community call on the Prime Minister and the governing coalition to build a stronger, more inclusive Israel that is reflective of our values of equality for all.

Cli

A Wider Bridge Statement on the Passage of Israel’s Nation State Bill
July 27, 2018

A Wider Bridge believes that a strong Israel is an inclusive Israel – a society that values equal protection and opportunity for all of its citizens. We also believe in Israel’s fundamental right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, as promised by its declaration of independence. The Nation-State Basic Law, approved by a narrow coalition-line vote at the Knesset last week, is a source of great division in our community, and fails to fully represent the diverse fabric of Israeli society.

There are two problematic elements for non-Jewish Israelis. One, the bill unnecessarily downgrades the status of Arabic from official language (alongside Hebrew) to one of “special status.” Two, it also declares, “the state views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value and will act to encourage and promote its establishment and consolidation.” Druze, Arabs, Christians and other non-Jewish citizens – all of whom pay taxes and vote, and many of whom send their children to honorably protect their country – are not represented in this story.

The bill also commits to preserving the bond between the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, while omitting the Jewish people within Israel, defining Jewish identity in the State of Israel in the narrowest possible terms. This provision leaves out Jews from non-Orthodox denominations from the story of Israel, driving an unnecessary wedge between Israel and the Jewish diaspora.

Additionally, narrowing accepted expressions of Judaism in Israel adds to the continuing challenges facing LGBTQ people in Israel, including the recent discriminatory surrogacy bill. Expanding LGBTQ rights anywhere – including in Israel – requires the preservation of civil liberties rooted in pluralism. It’s also why LGBTQ people and allies across Israel marched in the streets and participated in a nationwide strike, and why A Wider Bridge is supporting our friends in Israel – to be invisible and unequal no more.

We share President Rivlin’s sentiment, that the bill may “harm the Jewish people, Jews throughout the world and the State of Israel” at a time when global anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are on the rise. Painfully, this trend includes a small but vocal minority within the LGBTQ community as well.

Our community is not uniform, and we recognize some of our friends do support this legislation. To them, we ask that they consider those of us who do not feel adequately represented and heard, and join us in calling for a new framework with greater consensus across ideological, religious, and party divides.

We call on Members of the Knesset to replace the Nation State Basic Law with legislation that affirms the state’s commitment both to the full fabric of Jewish life, as well as its non-Jewish citizens.
xxx

Stay up-to-date with our many communities: Here’s what’s been happening this month in the intersecting worlds of pro-Israel and the LGBTQ community!

TOP NEWS

100,000 for LGBTQ equality. Times of Israel

ISRAEL NEWS

July was a historic month for activism in LGBTQ Israel. Things were set in motion when the Knesset refused to strike down an anti-gay surrogacy bill. Jerusalem Post.

In response, the Aguda National LGBTQ Taskforce organized a LGBTQ Strike Across Israel. Times of Israel

Leading tech companies in Israel, including Microsoft, IBM, and Apple supported the strike. Employees were allowed to take a paid day off work to join the protest and some companies went the extra mile, stating that they will financially support employees who want to start a family through surrogacy. The Jerusalem Post

A Wider Bridge helped build international momentum for the LGBTQ Strike Across Israel by creating an online campaign, signed by over 1,600 supporters. Thank you!  A Wider Bridge

On July 22nd, the day of the strikes, thousands marched in Tel Aviv for Trans* rights and visibility.  View our photo blog: Facebook

100,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv to demand LGBTQ equality. Times of Israel

A Wider Bridge attended this history rally in Tel Aviv. View our photoblog: Facebook

Following the strike, The Aguda released their list of demands from the government for LGBTQ equality.  A Wider Bridge

Next, 200 leading rabbis called gays ‘perverts’ in a public letter. Jerusalem Post

“If some rabbis argue that freedom of expression is terrorism, then I’m a terrorist,” Avichai Abarbanel, head of Havruta – the organization for religious gay men – spoke at a Pride event held in the city of Lod minutes after 200 Israeli rabbis signed this open letter that blasts organizations fighting for LGBT rights and labels their conduct “aggressive terrorism.” A Wider Bridge

The Jerusalem Open House set up a protest tent in front of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s house, calling for LGBTQ equality. Facebook Live.

Jerusalem is gearing up for Pride, to be held Thursday, August 2nd. Police are stepping up security. Jerusalem Post

Israel’s President Rivlin hosted members of Jerusalem’s LGBTQ Community. A Wider Bridge

Israel passed the controversial “Nation State Law.” In support of a stronger, more inclusive Israel, A Wider Bridge called on Members of the Knesset to replace this Nation State Basic Law with legislation that affirms the state’s commitment both to the full fabric of Jewish life, as well as its non-Jewish citizens. A Wider Bridge

NORTH AMERICAN NEWS

USA — “Out of the Shadows” A Wider Bridge announces upcoming August tour for the Israeli LGBTQ Refugee Program.  A Wider Bridge

VIEWS

“We lost today” –  A Wider Bridge’s Executive Director Tyler Gregory responds to the anti-gay surrogacy bill that just passed the Knesset. A Wider Bridge

“Jerusalem Pride, why it’s so important!”– Despite the fact that the majority of Israelis supports same-sex marriage, LGBTphobia is raging in the public discourse. Eran Globus, Chair of the Jerusalem Open House, explains why this year’s Jerusalem Pride Parade is more important than ever. A Wider Bridge

“Israel’s Surrogacy Law is bad, but not anti-Zionism fodder!”  Transgender/LGBTQ advocate and a Wider Bridge Mission Trip to Israel Alumna Hannah Simpson argues that we must respect and support the homegrown activism in Israel that will no doubt prevail in securing surrogacy, adoption rights and universal marriage equality. The Jerusalem Post

Journey of a Lesbian Activist: From Childhood to the Supreme Court.  Ravit Zur and her partner Orly stood before the Israeli Supreme Court demanding LGBTQ rights. This is her story.  A Wider Bridge

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

March for Trans Visibility – Tel Aviv, July 22, 2018.

In response to growing controversies in Israel regarding anti-gay surrogacy legislation and the homophobic letter signed by 200 prominent Orthodox Dati Leumi (national religious) rabbis in Israel, nearly 600 rabbis from across the United States and Canada signed on to A Wider Bridge’s letter, committing LGBTQ acceptance and equal rights in Israel.

We, the undersigned rabbis from across the spectrum of movements, join together in support for full LGBTQ equality and acceptance in Israel.

We join together to decry the rise of intolerance, discrimination and Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred, against the LGBTQ community in Israel. In light of a recent letter, signed by 200 prominent Israeli rabbis, labeling LGBTQ people with hateful and demeaning insults, as well as condemning their children to a “wretched” existence, we lift our own voices not in hatred, but out of the deepest love and concern for all the people of Israel. Furthermore, in light of recent legislation barring gay men from surrogacy, we call on the Israeli leadership to reverse its discriminatory policy in favor of equal rights for all citizens.

We declare that these recent actions violate the Torah’s most precious principles–most notably that of Pikuach Nefesh, the command to save and preserve life above all else. The enshrining of discrimination into law, and harmful words spoken by religious leaders, sow the seeds of hatred and brutality in the land, and put vulnerable members of Israeli society at risk of violence and worse.

We respectfully remind our colleagues and fellow leaders in Israel that in this week’s Parashat Ekev, G-d reminds us, “Aseh mishpat yetom v’almanah, v’ohev ger latet lo lechem v’simlah”, that G-d “Upholds the cause of the orphan and widow, and loves the stranger, providing him with food and clothing” (Deut. 10:18). These words, together with G-d’s charge “V’ahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha,” “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18) remind us of the command of the Jewish people to fashion a society where the most vulnerable are protected, and the humanity of every human being, created B’Tzelem Elokim, in G-d’s image, is honored.

We, therefore, call on Israeli leaders and rabbis to retract these recent actions and return the State of Israel in T’shuvah, to this higher level of sanctity, dignity and safety.

This week marks the 2018 Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance, a time to recognize the LGBTQ community of Jerusalem and the freedom of all communities to live proudly and freely, side by side all other citizens, in the democratic state of Israel. Israel has been, and continues to be, an Ohr LaGoyim, a Light to the Nations, through its embrace of democratic and pluralist values, where all Jewish peoples, together with other peoples, can find safety, refuge and a decent life.

Three years ago at Jerusalem Pride, Shira Banki was brutally murdered by a man claiming to act in the name of Torah. While we all can agree that hatred, violence and murder are, in fact, nothing short of a Chilul HaShem, a desecration of God’s Name, we must similarly recognize that the recent rabbinic letter, as well as recent legislation, reflect a dehumanizing mindset that could, G-d forbid, lead to more tragedies like Shira’s murder in the future.

We, therefore, further call on the Knesset to work toward equal rights for LGBTQ people in Israel under the law. In calling for these rights, including surrogacy, we call on the Israeli leadership to reiterate the separation of religion and state as an ideal of democracy.

Our call affirms the equal rights of Orthodox Jewry in Israel, and we assert that notions of equal rights and protections for all Israeli citizens are values that reflect the highest and best values of the Orthodox community. We ask that our Orthodox colleagues do the same for us. As the Orthodox rabbi and leader, Binyamin Tzvi Lau wrote in the Jerusalem Post after the murder of Shira Banki, “…we need to fight for the right of all people to move out of the circle of solitude and build a life of partnership. Moreover, from a human rights point of view, the state should grant same-sex couples all the benefits it gives married couples…To prevent the next murder, we must take more care over the language we use…We should all choose life.”

Indeed, we affirm that we must choose life–the life of all people equally in Israel — as our highest shared value. We must ensure that Jewish people, together with all the inhabitants of Israel, enjoy equal access to a life of dignity, of family, of safety, and of blessing. As Parashat Ekev says, “Lema’an yirbu yemeichem, v’y’mei v’neichem alha’adamah…”, “…in order that you and your children endure on the Land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to assign them, as long as there is a heaven over the earth.” May we live up to our charge to fashion a life of dignity and sacredness and make this blessing true for all generations to come.

To add your name to the letter,  click here.

SIGNED BY

Rabbi Gil Steinlauf Founder and Director, Hineni Fellowship for LGBTQ Jewish Leadership Board Member, A Wider Bridge

Rabbi Steve Greenberg Executive Director, Eshel

Rabbi Jonah Pesner Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC)

Rabbi Debra Newman Kamin Rabbinical Assembly

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Union for Reform Judaism, New York, NY

Rabbi David Saperstein, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington, DC

Rabbi Steven C Wernick, USCJ, New York, NY

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Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Atlanta, GA

Rabbi Rachel Ackerman, Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, MD

Rabbi Ruth Adar, San Leandro, CA

Rabbi Richard Address, Jewish Sacred Aging, Mantua, NJ

Rabbi Esther Adler, Mount Zion Temple, Saint Paul, MN

Rabbi Amitai Adler, Independent Teacher, Evanston, IL

Rabbi Aaron Alexander, Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, DC

Rabbi Uri Allen, Roslyn Heights, NY

Rabbi Katy Allen, Ma’yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope, Wayland, MA

Rabbi Morris Allen, Mendota Heights, MN

Rabbi Jaymee Alpert, Congregation Beth David, Saratoga, CA

Rabbi Thomas Alpert, Temple Etz Chaim, Franklin, MA

Rabbi Nelly Altenburger, Danbury, CT

Rabbi Renni Altman,Vassar Temple, Poughkeepsie,NY

Rabbi Camille Shira Angel, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Sharon Anisfeld, Hebrew College, Newton Center, MA

Rabbi Victor Appell, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick,NJ

Rabbi Charles Arian, Kehilat Shalom, Gaithersburg, MD

Rabbi Stephen Arnold, Hingham, MA

Rabbi Melanie Aron, Congregation Shir Hadash, Los Gatos, CA

Rabbi Bradley Artson, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Jeffrey Astrachan, Temple Beth Israel, York, PA

Rabbi Nicole Auerbach, Central Synagogue, New York, NY

Rabbi Toba August, RA, Redondo Beach, CA

Rabbi Craig, Axler, Temple Isaiah, Fulton, MD

Rabbi Esther Azar, New York, NY

Rabbi Justus Baird, Auburn Seminary, Princeton, NJ

Rabbi Adam Baldachin, New York, NY

Rabbi Amy Bardack, Pittsburgh, PA

Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, Williamstown, MA

Rabbi Benjamin Barer, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Rabbi Emily Barton, Des Moines, IA

Rabbi David Baum, Boca Raton, FL

Rabbi Philip Bazeley, Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, New Brunswick, NJ

Rabbi Anne Belford, Temple Sinai, Houston, TX

Rabbi Gavriel Bellino, New York, NY

Rabbi Lisa Bellows, Congregation Beth Am, Buffalo Grove, IL

Rabbi Marci Bellows, Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, Chester, CT

Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell, Deerfield, IL

Rabbi James Bennett, Congregation Shaare Emeth, Saint Louis, MO

Rabbi Dana Benson, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Karyn Berger, Wiesbaden, Germany

Rabbi Marc Berkson, Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, Milwaukee, WI

Rabbi Donald Berlin, Temple Oheb Shalom, Chevy Chase, MD

Rabbi Phyllis Berman, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Harold Berman, Columbus, OH

Rabbi Joel Berman, Temple Beth Emet, Anaheim, CA

Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard, Adat Ari El, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Seth Bernstein, Columbia, MD

Rabbi Amy Bernstein, Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades, CA

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, Boynton Beach, FL

Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, VA

Rabbi Brian Besser, Congregation Beth Shalom, Bloomington, IN

Rabbi Rick Block, Palo Alto, CA

Rabbi Rena Blumenthal, New Paltz, NY

Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, Gaithersburg, MD

Rabbi Neil Blumofe, Congregation Agudas Achim, Austin,TX

Rabbi Michael Boino, MSW, B’nai Jeshurun, New York, NY

Rabbi Terry Bookman, Eitzah, Miami, FL

Rabbi David Booth, Kol Emeth,Palo Alto, CA

Rabbi Jill Borodin, Congregation Beth Shalom, Seattle,WA

Rabbi Mark Borovitz, Beit T’Shuvah, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Alex Braver, Columbus, OH

Rabbi Harry Brechner, Congregation Emanu-El,Victoria, Victoria, BC

Rabbi Philip Bressler, Beit Am, Corvallis, OR

Rabbi Diana Brewer, Ohalah, Northampton, MA

Rabbi Dan Bridge, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Lester Bronstein, Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, White Plains, NY

Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, New York, NY

Rabbi Sharon Brous, Los Angeles , CA

Rabbi Joshua Brown, Temple Israel, Akron, OH

Rabbi Aaron Brusso, Mt Kisco, NY

Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, New York, NY

Rabbi Melissa Buyer, Temple Israel of the City of New York,  New York, NY

Rabbi Meredith Cahn, Petaluma, CA

Rabbi Kenneth Carr, South Easton, MA

Rabbi Dror Chankin-Gould, Anshe Emet Synagogue, Chicago, IL

Rabbi Ken Chasen, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Mitchell Chefitz, Miami, FL

Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Cohen, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Norman Cohen, Bet Shalom Congregation, Minnetonka, MN

Rabbi Malcolm Cohen, Las Vegas, NV

Rabbi Howard Cohen, Bennington, VT

Rabbi Sandra Cohen, Denver, CO

Rabbi Kenneth Cohen, Bethesda, MD

Rabbi Judy Cohen-Rosenberg, Westbury, NY

Rabbi Hillel Cohn, San Bernardino, CA

Rabbi Mike Comins, Plano, TX

Rabbi Susan Conforti, Auburn Pastoral Counseling, Auburn, CA

Rabbk Mychal Copeland, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Joshua Corber, Beit Rayim, Toronto, ON

Rabbi Jill Cozen-Harel, San Francisco ,CA

Rabbi Meryl Crean, Upper Gwynedd, PA

Rabbi Jill Crimmings, Minnetonka, MN

Rabbi Darryl Crystal, Burke,VA

Rabbi Matt Cutler, Congregation Gates of Heaven, Schenectady, NY

Rabbi Dr. William Cutter, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Faith Joy, Dantowitz, Millburn, NJ

Rabbi Harry Danziger, CCAR, Memphis, TN

Rabbi Justin David, Congregation B’nai Israel, Northampton, MA

Rabbi Benjamin David, Adath Emanu-El, Mt Laurel, NJ

Rabbi Braham David, Temple Shalom, Medford, MA

Rabbi Beth D. Davidson, Temple Adath Yeshurun, Manchester, NH

Rabbi Alexander Davis, St Louis Park, MN

Rabbi Marc Philippe de Roca,Temple Emanu-El, Miami Beach, FL

Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis, Flower Mound, TX

Rabbi Lavey Derby, Burlingame, CA

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, American Jewish University, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Matt Dreffin, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Jackson, MS

Rabbi Billy Dreskin, Woodlands Community Temple, White Plains, NY

Rabbi Hannah Dresner, Or Shalom Synagogue, Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Jessica Dressin, Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus, Shir Tikvah, Homewood, IL

Rabbi Paula Mack, Drill, Orangetown Jewish Center, Orangeburg, NY

Rabbi Aderet Drucker, Bethesda, MD

Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Vancouver School of Theology, Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Ryan Dulkin, Minnesota Hillel,  Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Elizabeth Dunsker, Congregation Kol Ami, Vancouver, WA

Rabbi Rose Durbin, Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, Boca Raton, FL

Rabbi Matthew Durbin,Temple Beit HaYam, Stuart, FL

Rabbi Anne Ebersman, New York, NY

Rabbi Renee Edelman, Temple Sha’arey Shalom, Springfield, NJ

Rabbi Judith Edelstein, Rabbi Judith Edelstein & Jim Meier, New York, NY

Rabbi Lisa Edwards, Beth Chayim Chadashim, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Denise Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, West Hollywood, CA

Rabbi Stephen J. Einstein, Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Emeritus), Fountain Valley, CA

Rabbi Serena Eisenberg, Palo Alto, CA

Rabbi Susan Elkodsi, Malverne Jewish Center, Malverne, NY

Rabbi David Ellenson, New York, NY

Rabbi Kenneth Emert, Palm Springs, CA

Rabbi Rachel Esserman, Endwell, NY

Rabbi Avram Ettedgui, Sharei Chesed Congregation, Minnetonka, MN

Rabbi Helaine Ettinger, CLAL, Millburn, NJ

Rabbi Ted Falcon, Paths to Awakening, Seattle,WA

Rabbi Eliana Falk, CT

Rabbi Edwin Farber, Beth Torah, Miami, FL

Rabbi Leah Fein, Syracuse, NY

Rabbi Charles Feinberg, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, Washington, DC

Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Greater New York Labor Religion Coalition, New York, NY

Rabbi Edward Feinstein, Valley Beth Shalom, Encino, CA

Rabbi Daniel Fellman, Temple Concord, Syracuse, NY

Rabbi Michael Fessler, Poughkeepsie, NY

Rabbi Zev-Hayyim Feyer, Pomona, CA

Rabbi Brian Field, Judaism Your Way, Denver, CO

Rabbi Hanoch Fields, Manitou Springs, CO

Rabbi David Fine, Union for Reform Judaism, Bellevue, WA

Rabbi Adam Fisher, Port Jefferson Station, NY

Rabbi Robyn Fisher, Beth Or, Miami, FL

Rabbi Nancy Flam, Northampton, MA

Rabbi Allison Flash, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Sharon Forman, Scarsdale, NY

Rabbi Chase Foster, Houston, TX

Rabbi Karen Fox, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Zach Fredman, The New Shul, New York, NY

Rabbi Daniel Freelander, World Union for Progressive Judaism, New York, NY

Rabbi Jonathan Freirich, Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, NY

Rabbi Ariel J. Friedlander, London, UK

Rabbi Avi Friedman, Congregation Ohr Shalom – SJCC, Summit, NJ

Rabbi Lev Friedman, Waban, MA

Rabbi Matt Friedman, Sacramento, CA

Rabbi Dara Frimmer, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Stephen Fuchs, Bat Yam Temple of the Islands, Sanibel, FL

Rabbi Serena Fujita, Somerville, MA

Rabbi Gordon Fuller, Columbia, MD

Rabbi Aaron Gaber, Newtown, PA

Rabbi Ruth Gais, Summit, NJ

Rabbi Eli Garfinkel, Temple Beth El, Somerset, NJ

Rabbi Rachel Gartner, Washington, DC

Rabbi Jonah Geffen, New York, NY

Rabbi David Gelfand, Temple Israel of the City of New York, New York, NY

Rabbi Laura Geller, Beverly Hills, CA

Rabbi Kin Geringerp, HUC-JIR, Short Hills, NJ

Rabbi James Gibson, Temple Sinai, Pittsburgh, PA

Rabbi Sara Gilbert, Greeley, CO

Rabbi Michael Gilboa, Chicago, IL

Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin, Elkins Park, PA

Rabbi Chana Leslie, Glazer, Lewisburg, PA

Rabbi Ilan Glazer, Torah of Life, Silver Spring, MD

Rabbi Rosalind Glazer, Joyful Jerusalem Lifecycle Celebrations, Gainesville, FL

Rabbi Joan Glazer Farber, Derekh: A Pathway into Adult Jewish Learning, Tarrytown, NY

Rabbi Neal Gold, Natick, MA

Rabbi Laurie Gold, NY

Rabbi Rosalind Gold, Reston, VA

Rabbi Shefa Gold, Jemez Springs, NM

Rabbi Benjamin Goldberg, Port Chester, NY

Rabbi Dov Goldberg, Congregation B’nai Israel, Rumson, NJ

Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell, Binghamton, NY

Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, New York, NY

Rabbi Seth Goldstein, Temple Beth Hatfiloh, Olympia, WA

Rabbi Hannah Goldstein, Temple Sinai, Washington, DC

Rabbi Dr. Rafael Goldstein, Miami,FL

Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser, Temple Sinai, Cranston, RI

Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman, Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Evan Goodman, Santa Barbara Hillel, Santa Barbara, CA

Rabbi Yoni Gordis, Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Julie Gordon, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, Bethesda, MD

Rabbi Sam Gordon, Sukkat Shalom, Wilmette, IL

Rabbi Andy Gordon, Bolton Street Synagogue, Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Pamela Gottfried, Atlanta, GA

Rabbi Arthur Green, Rabbinical School, Hebrew College, Newton, MA

Rabbi Alex Greenbaum, Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, Pittsburgh, PA

Rabbi David Greenspoon, Leesburg, VA

Rabbi David Greenstein, Montclair, NJ

Rabbi Micah Greenstein, Memphis, TN

Rabbi Adam Greenwald, Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Rayna Grossman, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Susan Grossman, Beth Shalom Congregation,Columbia, MD

Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Montreal, PQ

Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, Congregation B’nai Shalom, Westborough, MA

Rabbi Eric Gurvis, Newton, MA

Rabbi Tom Gutherz, Congregation Beth Israel, Charlottesville, VA

Rabbi Nicole Guzik, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Ha’Nosi, New York, NY

Rabbi Rosette Haim, Celebrating Jewish Life, Cleveland ,OH

Rabbi Judith Halevy, Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue, Malibu, CA

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, CT

Rabbi Eytan Hammerman, Harrison, NY

Rabbi Jon Hanish, Temple Kol Tikvah, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Shoshana Hantman, Katonah, NY

Rabbi Laura Harari, Laguna Hills, CA

Rabbi Maurice Harris, Reconstructing Judaism, Glenside, PA

Rabbi Joshua Heller, Congregation B’nai Torah, Sandy Springs, GA

Rabbi Lauren Henderson, Chicago, IL

Rabbi Sharyn Henry, Pittsburgh, PA

Rabbi Hayim Herring, Herring Consulting Network, Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Eli Herscher, Stephen Wise Temple, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Jordan Hersh, Beth Sholom Congregation, Frederick, MD

Rabbi Jay Heyman, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Moshe Heyn, Miami, FL

Rabbi Deborah Hirsch, The Village Temple, NY, NY

Rabbi Joshua Hoffman, Encino, CA

Rabbi David Hoffman, New York City, NY

Rabbi Linda Holtzman, Tikkun Olam Chavurah, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Carla Howard, Jewish Healing and Hospice Center of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Jocee Hudson, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin, Eugene, OR

Rabbi Me’irah Iliinsky, Verses Illuminated, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Suzie Jacobson, Temple Israel Boston, Boston, MA

Rabbi Paul Jacobson, Temple Avodat Shalom, River Edge, NJ

Rabbi Howard Jaffe, Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA

Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Chappaqua, NY

Rabbi Rachel Joseph, Congregation Beth Israel, Portland, OR

Rabbi Bruce Kadden, Temple Beth El,Tacoma, WA

Rabbi Bruce Kahn, CCAR, Silver Spring, Maryland

Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn, Washington, DC

Rabbi Daniel Kaiman, The Synagogue | Congregation B’nai Emunah, Tulsa, OK

Rabbi Mark Kaiserman, Forest Hills, NY

Rabbi Greg Kanter, KKBE, Charleston, SC

Rabbi Min Kantrowitz, Albuquerque, NM

Rabbi Molly Karp, New City, NY

Rabbi Peter Kasdan, Longboat Key, FL

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Katz, Congregation Bnai Jacob, Jersey City, NJ

Rabbi Alan Katz, Temple Sinai, Rochester,NY

Rabbi Leora Kaye, Union For Reform Judaism, New York, NY

Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, Israel

Rabbi Stuart Kelman, Netivot Shalom, Kavod v’Nichum, Berkeley, CA

Rabbi Jonathan Kendall, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum, Congregation B’nai Harim, New City, NY

Rabbi Ralph Kingsley, Miami, FL

Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, CA

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner, Temple Emanu-El, Closter, NJ

Rabbi Beth Klafter, Commack, NY

Rabbi Dusty Klass, Temple Beth El, Charlotte, NC

Rabbi Lori Klein, Capitola, CA

Rabbi Andrew Klein, Temple Habonim, Barrington, RI

Rabbi Frederick Klein, Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Miami, FL

Rabbi Joseph Klein,Rochester, MI

Rabbi Richard Klein, Sarasota, FL

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York, NY

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld, Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Jonathan Kligler, Woodstock Jewish Congregation, Woodstock, NY

Rabbi Marc Kline, Monmouth Reform Temple, Tinton Falls, NJ

Rabbi Asher Knight, Temple Beth El, Charlotte, NC

Rabbi Josh Knobel, Stephen Wise Temple, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Michael Knopf, Temple Beth-El, Richmond,VA

Rabbi Alison Kobey, Congregation  Or Chadash, Damascus, MD

Rabbi Lori Koffman, New York, NY

Rabbi Manes Kogan, Hillcrest Jewish Center, Fresh Meadows, NY

Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, Central Synagogue, New York City, NY

Rabbi Debra R. Kolodny, Portland’s UnShul, Portland, OR

Rabbi David Komerofsky, San Antonio, TX

Rabbi Yaakov Komisar, Sharon, MA

Rabbi Riqi Kosovske, Beit Ahavah Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton, Florence, MA

Rabbi Evan Krame, The Jewish Studio, Potomac, MD

Rabbi Michael Kramer, Hockessin, DE

Rabbi Douglas Krantz, Congregation B’nai Yisrael, Townsend, DE

Rabbi Jonathan Kraus, Beth El Temple Center, Belmont, MA

Rabbi Harold Kravitz, Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Minnetonka, MN

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman, Temple Beth Zion, Brookline, MA

Rabbi Alex Kress, Roskyn, NY

Rabbi David Krishef, Congregation Ahavas Israel, Grand Rapids, MI

Rabbi Clifford Kulwin, Temple B’nai Abraham, Livingston, NJ

Rabbi Jonathan Kupetz, Temple Beth Israel, Pomona, CA

Rabbi Lauren Kurland, Seattle,WA

Rabbi Gail Labovitz, American Jewish University, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Howard Laibson, Seal Beach, CA

Rabbi Debra Landsberg, Temple Emanu-El, Toronto, ON

Rabbi Karen Landy, Havurat Shalom and Hebrew Senior Life, Brookline, MA

Rabbi Gilah Langner, Kol Ami, Washington, DC

Rabbi Michael Adam Latz, Shir Tikvah, Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, Lab/Shul NYC, New York, NY

Rabbi Jonah Layman, Shaare Tefila Congregation, Olney, MD

Rabbi Anson Laytner, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Esther Lederman, Union for Reform Judaism, Arlington,VA

Rabbi Benjamin Lefkowitz, Warwick, RI

Rabbi Susan Leider, Congregation Kol Shofar, Tiburon, CA

Rabbi Darby Leigh, Kerem Shalom, Concord, MA

Rabbi Shoshana Leis, Romemu, New York, NY

Rabbi Michele Lenke,Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Darah Lerner

Rabbi Tsafi Lev, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi David Levin, Jewish Relationships Initiative, Wynnewood, PA

Rabbi Navah Levine, Providence, RI

Rabbi Jason Levine, Seattle,WA

Rabbi Alon Levkovitz, Temple Beth Am, Jupiter, FL

Rabbi David Levy, Randolph, NJ

Rabbi Adina Lewittes, B’nai Jeshurun/Sha’ar Communities, NY/NJ

Rabbi Theodore Lichtenfeld, Congregation Agudat Achim, Schenectady, NY

Rabbi Maura Linzer, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Chappaqua, NY

Rabbi David,Lipper, Temple B’nai Torah,Bellevue, WA

Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Janet Lisd,Glen Cove, NY

Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman, Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA

Rabbi Alan Litwak, Temple Sinai of North Dade, North Miami Beach,FL

Rabbi Sharon Litwin,Congregation B’nai Israel, Millburn, NJ

Rabbi David Locketz, Minnetonka, MN

Rabbi Andrea London, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue, Evanston, IL

Rabbi Ari Lorge, Central Synagogue, New York, NY

Rabbi Michael Lotker, Camarillo, CA

Rabbi Alan Lucas, Temple Beth Sholom, Roslyn Heights, NY

Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC

Rabbi Dana Magat, Temple Emanu-El, San Jose, CA

Rabbi Laurence Malinger, Temple Shalom of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, NJ

Rabbi Emeritus Harry Manhoff, Temple Beth Sholom, Berkeley, CA

Rabbi Paula Marcus, Temple Beth El, Aptos, CA

Rabbi Janet Marder, Los Altos Hills, CA

Rabbi Marc Margolius, Institute for Jewish Spirituality, New York, NY

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Madison, WI

Rabbi Randall Mark, Shomrei Torah, Wayne, NJ

Rabbi Richard Marker, Bethesda, MD

Rabbi Jeffrey Marker, Brooklyn, NY

Dr. Rabbi Susan Marks, Sarasota, FL

Rabbi Danny Marmorstein, Miami, FL

Rabbi Nathan Martin, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Jose Rolando Matalon, B’nai Jeshurun, New York ,NY

Rabbi Rona Matlow, Olympia, WA

Rabbi Daniel E. Mehlman, Canyon Country, CA

Rabbi Janice Mehring, Atascadero, CA

Rabbi Batsheva Meiri, Congregation Beth HaTephila, Asheville, NC

Rabbi Rim Meirowitz, Temple Shir Tikvah, Winchester, MA

Rabbi Dina Hasida M Mercy, Jewish Chaplaincy Society, Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Andrea Merow, Elkins Park, PA

Rabbi Melinda Mersack, Cleveland, OH

Rabbi Joseph Meszler, Temple Sinai, Sharon, MA

Rabbi Aaron Meyer,Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Abby Michaleski, Rapha: The Center for Healing and Spirituality, Cherry Hill, NJ

Rabbi Michael Michlin, Hazleton, PA

Rabbi Jason Miller, Detroit, MI

Rabbi Jonathan Miller, Temple Emanu-El,Birmingham, AL

Rabbi Sydney Mintz, Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi J.L. Mirel, Temple B’nai Torah, Seattle,WA

Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman, Sinai and Synapses, New York, NY

Rabbi David Mivasair, Ahavat Olam Synagogue, Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Stephen Moch, Fort Collins, CO

Rabbi Jack Moline, Alexandria, VA

Rabbi Robert Morais, Temple Israel Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, Temple Sholom, Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Mara Nathan, Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, TX

Rabbi Sarah Newmark, Gig Harbor,WA

Rabbi Mark Novak, Washington, DC

Rabbi Stacy Offner, Temple Beth Tikvah, Madison, CT

Rabbi Avi Olitzky, Beth El Synagogue, St Louis Park, MN

Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, North Brunswick, NJ

Rabbi Debra Orenstein, Teaneck, NJ

Rabbi Laura Owens, B’nai Horin, Children of Freedom, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow, Newton, MA

Rabbi Emily Losben-Ostrov, Temple of Israel, Wilmington, NC

Rabbi Shuli Passow, New York, NY

Rabbi Michelle Pearlman, Beth Chaim Reform Congregation, Malvern, PA

Rabbi Cheryl Peretz, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Amy Perlin, Fairfax Station, VA

Rabbi Karen R. Perolman, Congregation Bnai Jeshurun, Short Hills, NJ

Rabbi Hara, Person, CCAR, New York, NY

Rabbi Rene Pfertzel, Kingston upon Thames, UK

Rabbi Alissa Platcow, Jerusalem, Israel

Rabbi Daniel Plotkin,Pikesville, MD

Rabbi Gary Pokras,Potomac, MD

Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz,Miami Beach, FL

Rabbi Michael Pont, Marlboro, NJ

Rabbi Aaron Potek, Washington,DC

Rabbi Amber Powers,Reconstructing Judaism, Wyncote, PA

Rabbi Sally Priesand, Ocean Township, NJ

Rabbi Joshua Rabin, New York, NY

Rabbi Arnold Rachlis, University Synagogue, Irvine, CA

Rabbi Michael Ragozin, Congregation Shirat Hayam, Swampscott, MA

Rabbi Debra Rappaport, Shir Tikvah, Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Joshua  Ratner, Woodbridge, CT

Rabbi Alan Ray,Roseville, CA

Rabbi Esther Reed,Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, NJ

Rabbi Steven Rein, Agudas Achim Congregation, Alexandria,VA

Rabbi Karen Reiss Medwed, Atlanta, GA

Rabbi Steven Reuben, Kehillat Israel,Pacific Palisades, CA

Rabbi Rick Rheins,Temple Sinai,Denver, CO

Rabbi Shayna Rhodes,Hebrew College, Newton, MA

Rabbi Laurie Rice,Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN

Rabbi Dorothy Richman, Albany, CA

Rabbi Nicole Roberts, North Shore Temple Emanuel, Chatswood, NSW (New South Wales)

Rabbi Jason Rodich, Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Mario Rojzman, Miami, FL

Rabbi Jonathan Roos,Temple Sinai, Washington, DC

Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose, Congregation B’nai Amoona, St. Louis, MO

Rabbi Ariella Rosen

Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, Herzl Ner Tamid, Mercer Island,WA

Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein, Bakersfield ,CA

Rabbi JessicaRosenthal, Hauppauge, NY

Rabbi Adam Rosenwasser, Temple Sinai,Washington, DC

Rabbi John Rosove, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Michael Ross,Temple Beth Shalom, Hudson, OH

Rabbi Francine Roston, Whitefish, MT

Rabbi Michael Rothbaum, Congregation Beth Elohim, Acton, MA

Rabbi Lyle Rothman, University of Miami Hillel, Coral Gables, FL

Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker, Jerusalem, Israel

Rabbi Sandy Rubenstein, Silver Spring, MD

Rabbi Sarah Rubin, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Lisa Rubin, Central Synagogue, New York, NY

Rabbi Halina Rubinstein, Irvington, NY

Rabbi William Rudolph, Bethesda, MD

Rabbi Louis Sachs, Beth Tikvah Synagogue, Toronto, ON

Rabbi Andrew Sacks, Rabbinical Assembly in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel

Rabbi Michael Safra, B’nai Israel Congregation, Rockville, MD

Rabbi Douglas Sagal,Westfield, NJ

Rabbi Maurice Salth, Central Synagogue, New York, NY

Rabbi Joshua Samuels, Bellingham,WA

Rabbi Sara Sapadin, New York, NY

Rabbi Rachel Saphire, Wellesley, MA

Rabbi Marna Sapsowitz, Olympia, WA

Rabbi Eva Sax-Bolder, New York City, NY

Rabbi Adam Schaffer, Temple Aliyah, Woodland Hills, CA

Rabbi Peter Schaktman, Temple Emanu-El, Utica, NY

Rabbi Philip Schechter, Stamford, CT

Rabbi Philip Scheim, Toronto, ON

Rabbi Robert Scheinberg, United Synagogue of Hoboken, Hoboken, NJ

Rabbi Amy Scheinerman, Jewish Federation of Howard County, Columbia, MD

Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Adat Shalom,Washington, DC

Rabbi Judith Schindler, Temple Beth El, Charlotte, NC

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, Alon Shvut, Israel

Rabbi Jennifer, Schlosberg, Glen Rock Jewish Center, Glen Rock, NJ

Rabbi Janine Schloss, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Jonathan Schnitzer, Rockville, MD

Rabbi Aaron Schonbrun, Congregation Torat El, Ocean Township, NJ

Rabbi Rebecca Schorr, Emmaus, PA

Rabbi David A. Schuck, New Rochelle, NY

Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei, Congregation Ner Tamid, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Rabbi Callie Schulman, Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Arlene Schuster, Bellevue,WA

Rabbi Jordan Schuster, Hebrew College, Boston, MA

Rabbi Michael J. Schwartz, Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue, Malibu, CA

Rabbi Sid Schwarz, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, Rockville, MD

Rabbi Ethan Seidel, Tifereth Israel Congregation,Washington, DC

Rabbi Ahud Sela, Temple Ramat Zion, Northridge, CA

Rabbi Gerald Serotta, Chevy Chase, MD

Rabbi Isaac Serotta, Lakeside Congregation, Highland Park, IL

Rabbi Haim Shalom, Kehillat Mevakshei Derech, Jerusalem, Israel

Rabbi Susan Shamash,Vancouver, BC

Rabbi Dean Shapiro, Temple Emanuel of Tempe, Tempe, AZ

Rabbi Matt Shapiro, Temple Beth Am,Los Angeles,CA

Rabbi Zach Shapiro, Temple Akiba, Culver City, CA

Rabbi Rona Shapiro, Congregation B’nai Jacob, Woodbridge, CT

Rabbi Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser, Greenfield, MA

Rabbi Michael Shefrin, Temple Emanu-El, Sarasota, FL

Rabbi Randy Sheinberg, Temple Tikvah, New Hyde Park, NY

Rabbi Ellie Shemtov, Freehold, NJ

Rabbi Daniel Sher, Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades, CA

Rabbi Daniel Shevitz, Venice, CA

Rabbi Michael Shields, Huntersville, NC

Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner

Rabbi Todd Silverman, New Orleans, LA

Rabbi Becky Silverstein, Boston, MA

Rabbi Melissa B. Simon, North Carolina Hillel, Chapel Hill, NC

Rabbi Joel Simonds, Jewish Center for Justice, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Suzanne Singer, Temple Beth El, Riverside, CA

Rabbi Jonathan Singer, Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Beth Singer, Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Jacob Singer-Beilin, Washington, DC

Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu, Teaneck, NJ

Rabbi Raina Siroty, Alexandria, LA

Rabbi Andrew Sklarz, Temple Beth Am, Parsippany, NJ

Rabbi Jonathan Slater, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

Rabbi Joel Soffin, New York City, NY

Rabbi Ruth Sohn, Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Felicia Sol, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, New York,NY

Rabbi Idit Solomon, Berkeley, CA

Rabbi Marc Soloway, Congregation Bonai Shalom, Boulder, CO

Rabbi Scott Sperling, Winchester,VA

Rabbi Adam Stock Spilker, St. Paul, MN

Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett, Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua, NH

Rabbi Hannah Spiro, Hill Havurah, Washington,DC

Rabbi Elie Spitz, CBI, Tustin, CA

Rabbi Toba Spitzer, Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Newton,MA

Rabbi Yael Splansky, Toronto,ON

Rabbi Brent Spodek, Beacon Hebrew Alliance, Beacon, NY

Rabbi Samuel Stahl Emeritus, Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, TX

Rabbi Seth Stander, Temple B’nai Israel, Victoria, TX

Rabbi Joshua Stanton, East End Temple, New York, NY

Rabbi Sonya Starr, Columbia Jewish Congregation, Columbia, MD

Rabbi Jacob Staub, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Rabbi Peter Stein, Temple B’rith Kodesh, Rochester, NY

Rabbi Margot Stein Bala, Cynwyd,PA

Rabbi David Stein, Culver City, CA

Rabbi Keara Stein, CCAR

Rabbi Jonathan Stein, CCAR, San Diego, CA

Rabbi David Steinberg, Temple Israel, Duluth, MN

Rabbi Andrea, Steinberger, Hillel at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison,WI

Rabbi Eleanor Steinman, Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, CA

Rabbi Ron Stern, Stephen Wise Temple, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Keith Stern, Temple Beth Avodah, Newton, MA

Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman, Rutland, VT

Rabbi Sharon Stiefel, Mayim Rabim, Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Debbie Stiel, Topeka, KS

Rabbi Karen Strok, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Yaffa-Shira, Sultan

Rabbi Brooks Susman, Freehold, NJ

Rabbi Robert Tabak

Rabbi Ronit Tsadok, IKAR, Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Joshua Taub, Dallas, TX

Rabbi Bill Tepper, Temple Shalom of Winnipeg, MB, Toronto, ON

Rabbi Elliott Tepperman, Bnai Keshet, Montclair, NJ

Rabbi David Teutsch, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Howard Tilman, Congregation Beth Israel, Scotch Plains, NJ

Rabbi Abigail Treu, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, New York, NY

Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, Bethesda, MD

Rabbi Annie Tucker, Wilmette, IL

Rabbi Allan Tuffs, Temple Beth El, Hollywood, FL

Rabbi Dr.Kari Tuling, Glasonbury, CT

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Bridgehampton, NY

Rabbi David Vaisberg, Temple Emanu-El, Edison, NJ

Rabbi Burton Visotzky, JTSA, New York, NY

Rabbi Stewart Vogel, Temple Aliyah, Woodland Hills, CA

Rabbi Carrie Vogel, Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades, CA

Rabbi Andrew Vogel, Temple Sinai, Brookline, MA

Rabbi Miriam Wajnberg, Waldwick, NJ

Rabbi Sue Ann Wasserman, Waltham, MA

Rabbi Pamela Wax, Bronx, NY

Rabbi Donald Weber, Temple Rodeph Torah, Marlboro, NJ

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Wyncote, PA

Rabbi Josh Weinberg, ARZA, New York, NY

Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Daniel Weiner, Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Cheryl Weiner, Hollywood, FL

Rabbi Martin Weiner, San Francisco, CA

Rabbi Aaron Weininger, Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Minnetonka, MN

Rabbi Samuel Weintraub, Kane Street Synagogue, Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Mimi Weisel, Sarasota, FL

Rabbi Tobie Weisman, Yearning for Learning Center, Montpelier, VT

Rabbi Stephen Weisman, Temple Solel, Bowie, MD

Rabbi Josh Weisman, Seattle, WA

Rabbi Cory Weiss, Thornhill, ONT

Rabbi Max Weiss, Oak Park, IL

Rabbi Kenny Weiss, Houston, TX

Rabbi Baht Weiss, Rockville, MD

Rabbi Alex Weissman, Providence, RI

Rabbi George Wielechowski, Open Dor Project, Cardiff By The Sea, CA

Rabbi Paula Winnig, Madison, WI

Rabbi Eric Wittstein, NY, NY

Rabbi Joseph Wolf, Havurah Shalom, Portland, OR

Rabbi Greg Wolfe, Davis, CA

Rabbi Ellen Wolintz-Fields, New York, NY

Rabbi David Young, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Fountain Valley,CA

Rabbi Corie Yutkin, Irvine, CA

Rabbi Barbara, Zacky, CA

Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar, Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, Miami, FL

Rabbi Lina Zerbarini, Kehillath Shalom Synagogue, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Mishkan Shalom, Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Jill Zimmerman, Laguna Woods, CA

Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman, Temple Israel, Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Misha Zinkow, Makor Educational Journeys, Columbus, OH

Rabbi Rain Zohav, Rockville, MD

Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, Los Angeles, CA

The nationwide LGBTQ strike in Israel last month, sparked by a Knesset vote to ban men and gay couples from surrogacy, culminated in an incredibly moving and powerful 100,000-person rally in Rabin Square. The strike’s potency underscores the need to build capacity for Israel’s LGBTQ community organizations. A Wider Bridge (AWB) is proud to announce the launch of our new AWB Impact Grantmaking initiative to help meet this need.

For years, Israel’s LGBTQ community has been reduced to two simple talking points: one, that when surveying the neighborhood, Israel is the only country in the Middle East that affords any kind of LGBTQ protections; and two, that the Tel Aviv Pride Parade is proof of Israel’s commitment to its LGBTQ community. Neither of these arguments, most often made with the best of intentions by supporters of Israel’s democracy, reflect an actual depiction of the full spectrum of LGBTQ experiences on the ground. Furthermore, these arguments award credit to the state, rather than LGBTQ activists who have fought for decades to win their democratic right to live and to love.

In the short term, advancing LGBTQ rights with Israel’s current coalition government is admittedly an uphill battle. And historically, carving out an agenda for social change in a country whose borders, people and right to exist are routinely threatened, has also proved difficult.

A Wider Bridge partners with organizations and advocates to change hearts and minds outside of the secular, metropolitan, colorful Tel Aviv bubble, within the communities that are electing homophobic and transphobic representatives at the local level and in the Knesset.

We believe the best investments to secure LGBTQ rights and community in Israel are those that provide needed financial resources, help build capacity and amplify activist voices on the ground.

We’re proud to announce our grantees for our inaugural 2018-19 cycle:

Bat Kol and Havruta, the LGBTQ Religious Community

LGBTQ Orthodox Israelis, like their peers in Brooklyn and Baltimore, are often presented with a binary choice between their religious communities and their LGBTQ identities. Bat Kol, the organization for religious queer women, and Havrutah, the organization for religious GBT men, are refusing to choose. Together they are both carving out a space for LGBTQ religious life, fighting harmful practices like conversion therapy and engaging Orthodox rabbis open to dialogue. By building visibility and acceptance in religious Israeli life, these organizations are reconciling LGBTQ identity with Jewish morality.

Ma’avarim, the Israeli Transgender Community

The transgender community in Israel has made recent strides. The IDF allows open transgender military service. The Ministry of Health (bureaucracy aside) approved a new policy to cover the costs of gender confirmation surgery through Israel’s universal healthcare system. And transgender Israelis can now change their gender markers on national ID cards. Yet the transgender community continues to face immense challenges in Israel as they do globally, with high rates of abuse and risk for self-harm. Ma’avarim empowers transgender youth and young adults to create change in their communities – both for transgender Israelis and toward gender equality.

Israel AIDS Task Force

Israel’s scientific community is a leading source of cutting-edge research on HIV/AIDS, saving lives and improving quality of life. Several months ago, Israel approved PreP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis), a pill to prevent the HIV infection widely used here in the U.S. Yet HIV infections in Israel remain steady in three at-risk populations: the gay male community (MSM), the asylum-seeker community from Eritrea and Sudan, and active and rehabilitating drug users. The HIV/AIDS Taskforce deploys mobile testing units to the periphery of Israel, to increase the number of HIV tests in areas that need support most. The Taskforce also provides education to Israeli communities and youth to fight the negative stigma around HIV/AIDS.

The Jerusalem Open House

In a city divided by religious, cultural and political identities, Jerusalem Open House (JOH) is a community center that brings people together. Walk into their modest space, and you’ll see religious Orthodox gay men interacting with Arab queer women, and LGBTQ seniors playing board games with LGBTQ youth. JOH not only provides a safe space for residents in this traditional city, it also serves as a platform for change in Israel’s capital. Unlike Tel Aviv Pride, The Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance, organized by JOH, is a true demonstration. In 2015, 15-year-old Shira Banki was murdered while marching with her friends, transforming this annual event into a national demonstration for LGBTQ acceptance and rights.

The Haifa Communities’ Home

After decades of advocacy, marches and community organizing, the LGBTQ community in Haifa achieved a major milestone in 2017 with the opening of the Haifa Communities’ Home, the city’s new LGBTQ Center – the third in Israel (after Tel Aviv and Jerusalem). The Center serves as an important model for other LGBTQ communities across Israel, and well beyond. As Program Manager, Adi Sadaka explains, “In the neighborhood where I live, Muslims, Christians, secular Jews and ultra-Orthodox Jews live side by side. And everyone lives in peace, acceptance and good neighborliness. Peaceful coexistence is a prominent part of Haifa’s LGBTQ community and another way in which the LGBTQ community in Haifa is special.”

LGBTQ leaders and communities in America, like many progressive constituencies, are finding it increasingly difficult to identify with and engage with Israel at a time when American and Israeli leaders are making decisions they may not support. With our grantmaking initiative, we are helping LGBTQ Americans build personal connections with Israel and Israelis. We are moving our community from the all-too common divisiveness that permeates current discourse around Israel to tangible constructive action towards fairness and equality. Building support for LGBTQ rights is our authentic way to teach more people to love Israel and its LGBTQ community and to move from a place of fear to a place of love for the “other” in Israel.

Tyler Gregory serves as the Executive Director of A Wider Bridge, the LGBTQ organization advancing equality in Israel, and equality for Israel, and is a Schusterman Fellow. He envisions a progressive movement in the U.S. that sees no contradiction between a love for Israel and a commitment to social justice and equality.

This Op-Ed originally appeared in eJewish Philanthrophy

A Wider Bridge’s Executive Director Tyler (Tye) Gregory is honored to be a Schusterman Fellow.  Tye was recently featured in their blog, where he talks about leadership, life, and the best advice he has ever received.

Best advice you have ever received?

I never met the guy, but Mark Twain had a great quote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” Too often, we see the world through our own narrow lens that limits our understanding of the human experience. Trying on new lenses that are foreign to us creates invaluable positive changes in the way we understand ourselves, our identities and our communities.

Favorite part of your job?

Hard to choose just one thing! Leading our LGBTQ Missions in Israel. Showing American LGBTQ leaders the Israel I love and building community between LGBTQ Israelis and Americans is an incredible privilege. And overseeing grants in Israel, knowing we’re helping our friends build a stronger LGBTQ movement, is deeply rewarding.

What’s something work-related that keeps you up at night? 

I worry about the deepening fissures between different communities we work with. Orthodox and secular. Left and right. American and Israeli. We live in a world that incentivizes us to maintain relationships with those who have similar life experiences. Building mutual understanding, as people have fewer and fewer ties with “the other,” is becoming exponentially more difficult.

What’s your approach to leadership? 

I feel that my leadership is most authentic when I succeed in living the same values publicly as I do privately. Would I say or do the same thing when no one is watching as I would at a podium with an audience? It’s not easy for anyone to admit, but this isn’t always easy! Like any big race or competition, it takes practice.

Biggest challenges and opportunities facing the Jewish community? 

Millennials are inherently skeptical of longstanding respected institutions in America–in education, finance, health, armed services and so on. Many of these institutions worked for previous generations, but for a variety of reasons, are failing us (not to mention those institutions that never worked for marginalized communities). This built-in skepticism extends to longstanding American Jewish institutions as well.

Many American Jewish institutions are making their spaces more welcoming for the next generation, which is indeed part of the picture. But what matters more is whether these institutions are making an effort to show up in the spaces where we already are. It’s quite easy for us to discern between those organizations building one-way bridges (reinforcing skepticism) versus those taking the time to build two-way bridges of mutual support and understanding.

Favorite things to do outside of work?

Wine tasting with cheese pairing. Traveling the world. Hiking, skiing and fresh air. Debating geopolitics.

Best thing you’ve read, watched or listened to recently? 

Fauda on Netflix is my most recent binge-watch!

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your job?

Never allow yourself to be the person with the biggest ego in the room.

What are you interested in learning about from others in the Schusterman network?

Building community among Israel mission alumni, progressive Israel work and maintaining ideological diversity in organizational work.

What can others in the Schusterman network learn from you? 

I’m happy to talk about LGBT activism, progressive Zionism, and lately, preventative jet lag remedies.

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation empowers emerging leaders to explore their values, identity and new ways to strengthen their communities.

Read Original Posting on the Schusterman Blog

Join A Wider Bridge in Portland (OR), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, to meet our newest grantee, Captain Ofer Erez, CEO of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance. October 15-25!

Watch our short video to learn more about the program!

Next month we are bringing a remarkable young Israeli leader to meet our community. At just 25, Ofer Erez already made history as Israel’s first openly transgender IDF officer. During his 3 1/2 years of service, Ofer spearheaded the fight for policy changes for fellow trans service members. At a time when some of our own decision makers are calling trans military service into question, Ofer provides a much needed voice for our LGBTQ advocacy here at home.

In the Spring, Ofer traded out his IDF uniform for civilian clothing, continuing his leadership as the new CEO of the Jerusalem Open House (JOH), the capital city’s LGBTQ community organization and organizer of the Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance.

This summer, A Wider Bridge awarded Ofer and the Jerusalem Open House with an AWB Impact Grant to fund the Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance – attended in August by a record-breaking 30,000 people.

If you are in Portland (OR), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Minneapolis, check out our events below and RSVP to join us. To our friends elsewhere, we invite you to join via Facebook livestream of select events.

EVENT DETAILS AND RSVP

PORTLAND
Thursday, October 11, 7:00 p.m. Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education 724 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209 Co-Sponsored by the OJMCHE and the Jewish Federation of Portland
SAN FRANCISCO
Tuesday, October 16, 6:30 p.m. A Wider Benefit Bimbos 365 Club 1025 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco
LOS ANGELES
Wednesday, October 17, 6:30 p.m. JQlub (JQ International) 801 Larrabee Street #10, West Hollywood Hosted and Co-Sponsored by JQ International
CHICAGO
Monday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. Temple Sholom 3480 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60657 Co-sponsored by Temple Sholom
MINNEAPOLIS
Wednesday, October 24, 6:30 p.m. Temple Shir Tikvah 1360 West Minnehaha Parkway  – Minneapolis, MN 55419 Co-Sponsored by Shir Tikvah

This week, Jews across the globe reflect on the past year and gather to celebrate the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. As we welcome the year 5779, we wish you and your loved ones a sweet, happy, and healthy Jewish New Year!

In the coming year, A Wider Bridge looks forward to continuing to advocate for justice and equality in Israel, and equality for Israel.  We thank you for your support as together we help create a better world.

For those who are interested in how to “Queer the Jewish Holidays,” we invite you to check out this article:
Queering the Jewish Holidays

A Wider Bridge welcomes Peter Fox as our 2018 New York Fall Fellow! Peter is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights and pro-Israel advocacy, with a strong social media following and a history of editorial writing for Jewish and Israeli publications.

Peter Fox is a student at Miami Ad School where he studies copywriting and advertising. Outside of the classroom, Peter is dedicated to community building and Israel advocacy. In March of 2018, he represented A Wider Bridge at the DigiTell media conference in Jerusalem where he spoke on a panel about bridging the LGBTQ and Pro-Israel communities.

Peter has also taken his advocacy online where he has a robust Twitter following and has written op-eds on Jewish world politics for the Forward, Times of Israel, and Ynet News. Earlier this year he was interviewed by the Jerusalem Post about his role in advocating for Israel within the LGBTQ community.

Peter will be working in A Wider Bridge’s New York Office with Quentin Hill, Tye Gregory, and Sheridan Bahar to build LGBTQ support for Israel and LGBTQ Israelis.

“As an AWB Fellow, I hope to strengthen my ties with the LGBTQ and pro Israel community in New York and abroad,” says Peter.  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from studying advertising, it’s that conveying a brand message hinges on a strong insight of the target audience. I believe strongly in the message that A Wider Bridge stands for and am excited to apply my skills to strengthen the work of advancing equality in Israel and equality for Israel.”

“Peter is a gifted communicator and brings great energy to the team. We are looking forward to working with him,” said AWB Executive Director Tye Gregory.

Peter’s journey into Israel engagement came in the winter of 2017.  He began reading about Israel, saying that “the more I read the more I wanted to learn more, which led me to booking a flight a few months later and reconnecting with my Israeli family who I hadn’t seen in 14 years — and some of whom I had never met.”

When in Israel, his favorite Hummus place is Abu Hassan’s in Jaffa. “They get the consistency down perfectly,” he remarks.

Peter’s trips to Israel and becoming involved in the NY LGBTQ Jewish community reinvigorated his Jewish identity and a Zionism that he didn’t have previously.

Welcome, Peter! We are glad to have you onboard!