Jewish LGBTQ+ organizations are organizations, communities, and support groups which focus on creating a more LGBTQ-inclusive environment within Judaism. They are dedicated to promoting acceptance, equality, and inclusiveness for individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer.
These organizations provide a range of resources and support services, including community-building events, educational programs, advocacy initiatives, and counseling services. They serve as a safe space for Jewish LGBTQ+ individuals to connect with others who share similar experiences, to find support and guidance, and to build a sense of belonging within Judaism. They not only address a societal issue that affects individuals, but also contribute to the high moral purpose of Tikkun olam and creating a world that is more just and equitable for all.[1][2][3][4]
Eshel - Founded in June 2010 with a mission to build community and acceptance for Jewish LGBTQ individuals and their families in Orthodox communities, Eshel trains its members to act as advocates for LGBTQ Orthodox Jewish people and their families. Through community gatherings, it aids LGBTQ Orthodox Jewish people in fulfilling Jewish values regarding family, education, culture, and spirituality.[5] It was founded in 2010.[6]
The Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation - The Institute for Judaism, Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) was founded in 2000 and is the only one of its kind in the Jewish world. Its goal is to educate HUC-JIR students on LGBTQ issues, to help them challenge and eradicate homophobia and heterosexism; and to learn resources to be able to transform the communities they encounter into ones that are welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ Jews.[7]
JQY - A nonprofit organization and support group for Orthodox and formerly Orthodox LGBTQ youth. The website has a number of personal stories, videos, and a comprehensive list of resources for young people, their parents, families, and allies.[8]
Union of Reform Judaism - Reform Judaism has a long history of working for the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in Jewish life and for their civil rights. The Women of Reform Judaism called for the decriminalization of homosexuality beginning in 1965, later followed by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Religious Action Center (RAC), the social justice division of the Reform Movement, have been at the forefront in the fight for LGBTQ equality. In addition to several congregations whose primary outreach is to the LGBTQ community, LGBTQ Jewish people and their families are welcomed in all of Reform temples today. LGBTQ Jewish people can be ordained as rabbi cantors, and they serve throughout the Reform movement.
Keshet - A grassroots organization which works to establish equality and inclusion of LGBTQ Jewish people in Jewish life. It is led and supported by LGBTQ Jewish people and straight allies. Keshet's goal is to cultivate the spirit and practice of inclusion in all parts of the Jewish community.[9]
The Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network - The Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network was founded in 2021 to build a new, global community of like-minded individuals who come together to explore philanthropic opportunities in the Jewish LGBTQ space and to translate that learning into collective action to enhance the lives of LGBTQ Jews. [10]
The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews: Keshet Ga’avah - Formed in 1975, Keshet Ga’avah consists of around 50 member organizations worldwide that work to ensure that LGBTQ Jewish people can live free and fulfilling lives. The organisation has held conferences all over the world to meet the needs of their members locally, nationally, and internationally.[11][12]
SOJOURN - The Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity is the Southern America's resource for Jewish and LGBTQ programming, education, support, and advocacy. Its mission is to advance LGBTQ affirmation and empowerment across the South.[13]
SVARA - A Jewish text research academy devoted to the study of the Talmud. It is open to all individuals, including from other religious traditions, who wish to participate. SVARA specifically acknowledges the wisdom and contribution to the changing Jewish culture that LGBTQ Jewish people and their allies can bring.[14]
GLYDSA: The Gay and Lesbian Yeshiva Day School Alumni Association - Established in 1995. Its mission is to build a community for LGBTQ Jewish people, from Orthodox or traditional backgrounds, and to integrate their Jewish and gay identities, in a self-affirming, confidential manner, through social events and other activities.[15][16][17]
Gay and Lesbian Orthodox Jews - A website for LGBTQ individuals who are members of the Jewish Orthodox community. The website features discussion of religious scriptures, as well as comments from Orthodox Rabbis about the intersection of Judaism and sexuality.[18]
Ga'ava גאווה, the organized Jewish community’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee (Quebec) - Based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, since 2007, Ga'ava גאווה advises the organized Jewish community on LGBTQ+ issues and represents the Jewish community to the greater Québec LGBTQIA2+ community.[18]
A Wider Bridge - Seeks to inspire LGBTQ Jewish people to deepen their Jewish identity through connection with Israel and to develop stronger connections between the LGBTQ communities in Israel and North America.[19]
Bat-Kol - A religious lesbian organisation founded in Israel to allow women to fulfill both their religious and lesbian identities, and to make it possible for women to live in loving relationships, to raise children without deception, while staying committed to religion.[20]
Havruta - Offers social support networks for religious LGBTQ people in Israel. Beyond being a safe haven, Havruta actively works to inform and educate the religious public about LGBTQ issues in their communities.[21]
HOD - An organization for religious homosexual Jews, providing a platform for open-minded discussion in order to promote awareness of being gay and Orthodox.[22]
Jerusalem Open House - The Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance is a leading organization of LGBTQ people and their allies in Jerusalem. As a grassroot, activist community center, JOH provides services to all LGBTQ individuals in Jerusalem and surrounding communities, while working to secure LGBTQ rights in Israeli society at large.[23]
KeshetUK - a British member organization of Keshet. It was established with the mission of promoting the inclusion of Jewish LGBTQ individuals and their families within all aspects of Jewish life in the UK. The organization primarily focuses on education and training initiatives to achieve its goal.[24]
^"Traditionally Radical | SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva". SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva | Fall in Love with your Tradition. 2013-07-31. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved 2021-02-21. Our mission is to provide serious Talmud study as a spiritual practice to all who want to learn, in an environment that recognizes as crucial the insights of transgender, intersex, queer, lesbian, bisexual and gay Jews as well as those of other religious backgrounds. We facilitate the creation of interpretive communities of activists, organizers, scholars, students, and others to learn and share the text skills and halachic (Jewish legal) expertise necessary to enrich, push, penetrate, and contribute to the evolving Jewish tradition, and to be pushed, challenged, and enriched by it.
^Grossman, Naomi (1 January 2001). "The Gay Orthodox Underground". Moment Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 2021-02-21 – via Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ Stanford.
