LGBT Jewish Organizations Show Their PRide
June is Pride Month, when members of the LGBTQ community come together to make their voices heard. Here in Philly, Jewish members of the LGBTQ community can celebrate with a powerful event that's become a yearly staple: J.Proud's Pride Shabbat.
A Jewish-Federation-supported initiative of JFCS, J.Proud brings together synagogues, schools and Jewish organizations to help them put their commitment to LGBTQ inclusivity into action. J.Proud hosts events, raises awareness, and advocates for the LGBTQ community, while giving Jewish institutions guidance in how best to support queer congregants, families and committee members.
LGBT Shabbats In Philadelphia
For years, J.Proud has hosted Pride Shabbats by location, with separate events throughout the city and suburbs. However, in 2019, J.Proud expanded their venture. Rather than hosting a single event, 20 J.Proud members hosted individual Pride Shabbats throughout the entire month for over 1,000 collective participants. This year, despite coronavirus social distancing, they will once again host a Pride Shabbat that brings together LGBTQ Jewish community members of all ages and backgrounds—this time, via Zoom.
“This is a communal effort by so many people in greater Philadelphia,” said J.Proud Director Galia Godel. “This isn’t just a single synagogue’s effort.”
For many LGBTQ community members, attending these events makes them feel more integrated into the broader Jewish community. “They get to see that the entire Greater Philadelphia Jewish community is really there for them,” Godel said.
At the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, we're proud to support the LGBTQ community and officially renewed our J.Proud membership for 2020.
"I think this is a wonderful and important step for our Federation to show its commitment to supporting the LGBTQIA community,” said NextGen Associate Andrea Cantor, one of the staffers who liaisons with J.Proud.
Interested in getting involved? To register for J.Proud’s Pride Shabbat on June 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., click here. For questions or more information, contact J.Proud’s Galia Godel at GGodel@jfcsphilly.org.