June marks the month-long celebration of Pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer culture and community. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia honors the LGBTQ+ community, and those of all backgrounds, gender identities and sexual orientations.
The Jewish Federation is proud to work with its partners, grantees, and allies who advance the movement for equality, visibility, and inclusion.
Below are just a few of the local organizations that the Jewish Federation supports, which are working to create a more inclusive and accepting Jewish community.
Jewish Family and Children's Service
The Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia (JFCS) works to aid families and individuals across generations and cultures to achieve stability, independence, and community. JCFS aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ community members of all ages and life stages. The organization provides specialized events and programming to support the intersectionality of Jewish and LGBTQ+ identities.
Services include adult, teen, and youth services, community events, training and workshops, support groups, counseling, connection to resources, and the Dear Ally anonymous Q&A forum.
JFCS also offers workshops for synagogues, schools, businesses, and other community-based organizations to provide information about LGBTQ+ identities and best practices, giving tools to organizations looking to be more inclusive. The organization also hosts J.Proud, which is a consortium of Jewish institutions and congregations and congregations which are dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Dear Ally:
Navigating questions of identity while honoring both Jewish heritage and LGBTQ+ experience can feel isolating. JFCS created Dear Ally to source resources that understand the intersection of faith, family, and identity isn't always easy.
Dear Ally serves as an anonymous online sanctuary where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals can find guidance and support. The platform welcomes Jewish youth exploring their identity, parents seeking to better understand and support their children, and professionals working within Jewish communities who encounter LGBTQ+ questions in their practice.
JFCS is committed to fostering a warm, supportive space where individuals of all ages can explore these complex intersections while feeling grounded in Jewish identity. Through Dear Ally, JFCS aims to bridge understanding between generations, strengthen families, and build a more inclusive Jewish community where everyone can thrive.
To learn more about the JFCS’ Dear Ally programming, click here.
LGBTQ+ Elder Initiative:
The LGBTQ+ Elder Initiative, a new pilot program at JFCS, ensures that as seniors enter a new phase of life, they are not left behind. To materialize this vision, the mission is to champion and promote services and resources that are adept, culturally attuned, inclusive, and tailored to the specific needs of LGBTQ+ elders in the Delaware Valley and further afield.
Supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Bernard and Etta Weinberg Family Fund, the initiative aims to provide both clinical and care management for community members. With individual and group therapy, including offerings from stress tolerance, mindfulness, and creative arts, the initiative surrounds seniors with a supportive community to live out their lives with dignity and pride.
To learn more about the JFCS’ LGBTQ+ Elder Initiative, click here.
Support Groups:
JFCS serves and supports LGBTQ+ people of all ages and their families and friends through counseling, safe space support groups, helpful connections to inclusive resources, social events to build community, and educational programming of all kinds.
To learn more about the JFCS’ support groups, click here.
Jewish Learning Venture
Jewish Learning Venture (JLV) collaborates, empowers, and inspires Family Influencers to cultivate resonant Jewish journeys. JLV envisions a vibrant, enduring, and inclusive Jewish community for, and with, families raising children in a Jewish context across the Greater Philadelphia area.
jkidpride:
jkidpride both creates an enriched community for Jewish LGBTQ+ parents as well as Jewish LGBTQ+ kids and teens. Through informal gatherings, educational programming, and holiday celebrations, jkidpride seeks to offer the opportunity for LGBTQ+ Jews to build relationships with others who similarly identify.
jkidpride, a program of Jewish Learning Venture (JLV), works in partnership with jkidphilly Program Professionals, Parent Ambassadors, Grandparent Ambassadors, and Congregational Ambassadors to design and deliver holistically inclusive family programming, as well as collaborating with JLV’s Professional Learning team to develop and deliver professional learning to education directors and teachers to make all Jewish spaces inclusive and welcoming.
jkidphilly and JLV programs are intended to serve the broadest demographic – any family who self-identifies as a family raising Jewish children, intentionally welcoming in Jewish LGBTQ+ families, whether it is the parents and/or children who identify. All jkidphilly and JLV programs are focused on fun and educational Jewish experiences while also being intentional about re-centering Jewish representation away from heteronormative, cisgendered representation. jkidpride’s collaboration ensures that this remains a fundamental and central priority in all jkidphilly and JLV programming.
To learn more about Jewish Learning Venture’s jkidpride, click here.
KleinLife
Since 1975, KleinLife in Northeast Philadelphia has built and nurtured a community among people of all ages and backgrounds, enhancing quality of life through social, educational, cultural, human service and wellness programs. KleinLife is an inclusive community center that embraces individuals of all ages and backgrounds, including LGBTQAI+ individuals.
LGBTQIA+ Connection:
KleinLife has always been a place where everyone belongs, committed to comprehensive support by stepping in wherever they identify unmet needs. The program doesn't just identify problems — it creates real solutions that make a difference.
The LGBTQIA+ Connection is one example of how KleinLife attacks these issues. Doug Alderfer leads this group where people come together to share experiences, ask honest questions, and learn from each other about what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. It's a place for real conversation and connection.
To find upcoming dates of KleinLife’s LGBTQIA+ Connection, click here.
Moving Traditions
Moving Traditions empowers Jewish youth to flourish by cultivating personal wholeness (shleimut), compassionate connections (hesed), and a commitment to justice rooted in Jewish and feminist principles (tzedek).
Through groundbreaking programming, Moving Traditions creates nurturing environments where young people can forge authentic connections and experience transformative growth. Moving Traditions builds an essential network of support that helps Jewish adolescents navigate their formative years with confidence and purpose.
Tzelem Program:
Moving Traditions' Tzelem program creates a nurturing environment for nonbinary, transgender, gender expansive and LGBTQ+ teens through monthly gatherings led by trained adult mentors. This thoughtfully designed curriculum establishes a circle of support where participants can find a brave, sacred space to express their deepest thoughts and feelings.
Teens explore how gender norms impact their everyday experiences while celebrating achievements and navigating challenges within a supportive community. The program encourages participants to embrace their authentic selves, creating a sense of understanding among peers as they engage with topics that resonate with their lived experiences.
All Moving Traditions' teen groups serve as safe, inclusive spaces that welcome youth as they self-identify.
To learn more about Tzelem, click here.
jGirls+ Magazine:
jGirls+ Magazine offers a dynamic online community and literary platform for Jewish girls, young women and nonbinary teens aged 13-19. This Moving Traditions initiative provides teens with opportunities to amplify their unique voices while developing essential communication skills.
Participants explore their multifaceted identities and engage in meaningful dialogue across differences. Through fostering creativity and authentic expression, jGirls+ cultivates the next generation of empowered Jewish-feminist leaders who will shape both community initiatives and institutional direction.
To learn more about JGirls+, click here.
Penn Hillel
Penn Hillel is the vibrant center of Jewish life at the University of Pennsylvania. Each year, they connect with about 85% of Jewish students on campus Penn HillelHillel International. They offer social justice initiatives, cultural events, religious services, and Israel education programs.
The national network of Hillels stands as the largest Jewish organization serving college students worldwide, reaching over 180,000 students annually across more than 850 campuses. These vital hubs don't just provide programming — it transforms lives by empowering young Jews to embrace their identity, build meaningful relationships, and develop the confidence to lead both on campus and beyond.
To find a Hillel in your local community, click here.
J-Bagel:
J-Bagel is University of Pennsylvania's Jewish LGBTQIA+ community, bringing together students, faculty, and staff who are both Jewish and part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and allied community at the University of Pennsylvania.
Operating through Penn Hillel, J-Bagel serves as a bridge between Penn's Jewish and LGBTQIA communities J-Bagel — Penn Hillel, creating a space where people can fully embrace both aspects of their identity. The organization is student-run and known for being both active and welcoming to people from all backgrounds.
Whether participants are looking to connect with others who share similar experiences, explore what it means to be both Jewish and LGBTQIA+, or just want to be part of a supportive community, J-Bagel offers that space. The program is always open to new members and encourages attendees to network and find a tailored fit.
To learn more about Penn Hillel’s J-Bagel, click here.
Tribe 12
Tribe 12 is a vibrant Jewish community organization based in Philadelphia that connects young adults in their 20s and 30s to meaningful Jewish life and community experiences. The organization offers diverse programming including educational discussions, relationship support groups, and creative workshops, while also providing specialized services like in-house matchmaking for those seeking romantic connections within the Jewish community.
LGBTQIA+ Tribe:
Tribe 12's LGBTQIA+ programming is for anyone in their 20s and 30s in Philadelphia who wants to explore the intersectionality of Jewish and queer identities. The organization hosts various inclusive programs, from monthly Ga(y)me Nights to sukkah decorating with 30,000 participants at Outfest.
This is a community-led initiative and participants who wish to share, celebrate or explore with Tribe 12 can message an LGBTQIA+ engagement associate to start the conversation.
To learn more about Tribe 12's LGBTQIA+ Tribe, click here.
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is a proud member of the J.Proud Consortium, led by JFCS, which convenes organizations that are committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ Jewish community. To see the list of J.Proud Consortium members, click here. The Jewish Federation is dedicated to honor the diversity within our community and promote inclusion through educational programming, advocacy and direct support services. Click here to support this work by making a gift.