25 February 2016 Liberal Judaism’s Aaron Abraham has wowed theatre critics with his new play Run. Aaron – who works in a communications role for the movement and writes under the name of Stephen Laughton – won rave reviews for his latest work, which was part of the Vault Festival in … Read More
LJ’s Surat-Shaan named as LGBTQI+ role model
15 February 2016 Liberal Judaism’s Surat-Shaan Knan has been selected as a Stonewall ‘role model’ for LGBT History Month. Celebrated every February, the aim of the month is to celebrate the lives and achievements of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people from the past and present. The theme this year … Read More
Observing Transgender Day of Remembrance
19 November 2015 Surat-Shaan Knan, a UK trans activist and founder of Liberal Judaism’s pioneering project Twilight People, urges rabbis and community leaders to include Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) observance in their Shabbat services. The TDoR is commemorated annually on 20 November, Surat-Shaan appeals to rabbis and service-leaders to light … Read More
How synagogues can make transgender Jews feel welcome
Rabbi Leah Jordan 29 October 2015 The Jewish Chronicle In the past few months, transgender people have moved from the twilight into the spotlight. Thanks to celebrities including Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner and Kellie Maloney, transgender people and issues have found their way into the mainstream press and have been trending … Read More
Liberal Jews seek God beyond gender
Rabbis Harry Jacobi, Dr Margaret Jacobi and Richard Jacobi 26 October 2015 The Independent We welcome the call by the Rt Rev Rachel Treweek to avoid male language in talking about God (“God is not male”, 26 October) and also your editorial on the same subject. Liberal Judaism has recognised … Read More
Liberal rabbis to speak at pioneering LGBTQI event
26 October 2015 Liberal Judaism’s rabbis will be speaking at a very special Ritual Reconstructed event at JW3 on Tuesday November 24, which seeks to examine Jewish life through an LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and intersex) lens. Ritual Reconstructed is a collaborative, community and academic project working with … Read More
Stonewall select leading Liberal Jewish campaigner for new trans advisory group
22 October 2015 Liberal Judaism’s Rainbow Jews and Twilight People project manager Surat-Shaan Knan has joined Stonewall’s new Trans Advisory Group.The group will support the integration of trans equality across all of Stonewall’s campaigns and programmes. It was put together following an extensive application and recruitment process.Members reflect a diverse range … Read More
Twilight People on the radio
October 19 2015 Liberal Judaism’s pioneering project Twilight People: Stories of Faith and Gender Beyond the Binary is set to be featured on the radio. Twilight People founder Surat-Shaan Knan will appear on the Under the Rainbow show on Pure 107.8fm. Under the Rainbow is the weekly radio programme for … Read More
‘An empowering and unforgettable summer’
Surat-Shaan Knan 1 September 2015 Twilight People project manager Surat-Shaan Knan reports back after having spread the word about Liberal Judaism’s pioneering LGBT+ work at two global gatherings: This summer, I was invited to attend two major international events – Gender Odyssey and Eighteen:22. Gender Odyssey is an international conference, … Read More
Ritual Reconstructed website launches
11 May 2015 Liberal Judaism’s new equality and diversity project Ritual Reconstructed has launched an innovative and interactive website: http://ritualreconstructed.com/ Jewish people who identify as LGBTQI, and the wider audience, are invited to sign up to get access to exclusive film and audio footage, as well as other research and … Read More