By Rabbi Kath Vardi Happy Pride! Historically, very many religious communities have not been welcoming places for LGBTQI+ people. Often built around heteronormative assumptions, religious institutions have been guilty of ‘blindness’ at best and outright discrimination at worst. Progressive Judaism is different. We are founded on the values of justice … Read More
‘Progressive Judaism enables Jews to live authentic lives’
Rabbi Lev Taylor has highlighted the lead Progressive Judaism has taken in LGBT+ equality and inclusion… and what still has to be done. In an article for the Jewish News, he describes the groundbreaking work of Rabbis Lionel Blue, Sheila Shulman and Elli Tikvah Sarah. Rabbi Lev writes: “Because of … Read More
The Rabbi Lionel Blue Memorial Lecture
Join Leo Baeck College, Finchley Reform Synagogue and Beit Klal Yisrael for a special evening to honour the memory of the beloved Rabbi Lionel Blue and set out to answer the question… ‘What is the Legacy of Queer Rabbis?’ This will be a roundtable discussion chaired by Leo Baeck College … Read More
Progressive Judaism at Cape Town’s Pride Shabbat
Liberal Judaism’s former Heritage Project Manager and seasoned LGBTQI+ campaigner Shaan Knan represented British Progressive Judaism at Pride Shabbat in Cape Town, South Africa. Shaan was the guest speaker at the annual service at Temple Israel (pictured), which forms part of Cape Town’s Pride Week celebrations. After a musical Kabbalat … Read More
Progressive rabbis on the importance of Pride Month
June is Pride Month – a vibrant and inclusive month of events and activities to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community, their history, achievements and ongoing struggle for equality. Progressive Judaism has long been at the cutting edge of equality and inclusion within the religious world. Both Liberal Judaism and The Movement … Read More
Friday July 1: Join our pre-Pride Shabbat Celebration
Liberal Judaism is delighted to host a pre-Pride Celebration at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue on the evening of Friday 1 July. This very special night of celebration will include readings, poetry, music, and lots of singing. The special guests for the event will be Pink Singers, the longest-running LGBTQI+ choir … Read More
Join our Community Briefing with KeshetUK
Liberal Judaism’s Community Briefings are back for 2022 – starting on Thursday 20 January. We will be joined by Dalia Fleming, Executive Director of KeshetUK, who will talk to us about about the current Government consultation on banning ‘conversion therapy’ practices. KeshetUK has put together some support and guidance on … Read More
Join Pride Shabbat at ELELS on Friday 11 February
AN LGBTQI+ Pride Shabbat will take place at East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS) on Friday 11 February. A Shabbat service, open to all, will be led by Rabbi Richard Jacobi and followed by a communal meal. The event is being co-hosted with the Aliz group – which was … Read More
European Progressive Jews unite for Pride Shabbat
By Rabbi René Pfertzel Kingston Liberal Synagogue and Co-Chair of the Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors Last Shabbat (Saturday 3 July) saw more than 100 Progressive Jews, from all over Europe, mark Pride Month under the auspices of the European Union for Progressive Judaism (EUPJ). It started with a … Read More
Ritual Reconstructed Revisited – the Chanukah edition
Liberal Judaism is delighted to invite you to take part in an online interdisciplinary symposium which builds and expands upon the successful project Ritual Reconstructed: challenges to disconnection, division and exclusion in the Jewish LGBTQI+ community. Ritual Reconstructed ran between 2014-16 (pictured) with intermittent ‘pop-up’ events in the years since. … Read More