LGBTQ Rights, Israel & Zionism

From Hadassah Magazine

Meet Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum

The spiritual leader of a synagogue that celebrates diversity, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum is spiritual, straight-talking, controversial, inspiring and passionate about Israel. Hear what she has to say about being gay in Israel; challenges within the legal system; and why she is a Zionist.

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Coming Out for Purim

The Purim Superhero, a new picture book for Jewish children, includes gay parents. It’s about time.

By Marjorie Ingall for Tablet Magazine   
Nate has a dilemma: Purim is coming, and the other boys in his Hebrew school class are all going to dress as superheroes, but Nate wants to be an alien. What to do? With the help of his Daddy and Abba, Nate figures out a solution that delights everyone. And his story, The Purim Superhero, draws connections between his problem, the message of the holiday, and the process of coming out.

    “Abba?” Nate asked. “Do you ever just want to be like everybody else?”

    Abba looked at Nate. “You know the Purim story,” Abba said. “Queen Esther saved the Jews because she didn’t hide who she was. She told King Ahashuerus she was Jewish, and that her people were in danger.

    “Sometimes showing who you really are makes you stronger, even if you’re different from other people.”

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Israel touts gay-friendly climate, but rights fight faces religious firewall

By Ben Sales for JTA

As last Tuesday ended, it felt like Israel’s gay community had taken a major step forward.

On Feb. 23, eight separate Israeli parliamentary committees convened to discuss a broad set of issues facing the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Lawmakers from a range of parties talked about protecting LGBT Israelis in the classroom, at home, in government offices and in the army. That afternoon, the parliament officially recognized “Gay Rights Day in the Knesset.”

But 24 hours later, the atmosphere was markedly different.

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The Small Town Jew Who Pioneered Sex-Change Surgery

 By Zachary Solomon for Jewniverse   

Stanley Biber’s dream was to become a rabbi, so he moved from his birthplace of Des Moines to Chicago, and enrolled in a yeshiva. But then World War II began, derailing his plans. Following the war, Biber lost the clerical urge, went to medical school, became a surgeon, and, before long, turned into a pioneer in the world of gender reassignment surgery. A classic tale.

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Two Officiants, One Room: Pastor Leslie Tipton and Rabbi Noah Kitty

by Alex Kacala for FloridaAgenda.com

At the Pride Center, two leading women oversee two different religious organizations that happen to use the same space. Pastor Leslie Tipton holds church services on Wednesday and Sundays, while Rabbi Noah Kitty holds services Friday evening. They are also both wedding officiates; lending their services and guidance to same sex couples looking to get hitched.

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LGBTQ Mission to Israel 2016

The Jewish Federations of North America



Join members of the LGBTQ community from across North America for this groundbreaking mission to Israel!

Encounter Israel and Federation as a community through a uniquely LGBTQ lens. Spend three nights in Jerusalem and four in Tel Aviv, as well as glimmer at the beautiful sights of Israel’s North. Relax in the comforts of leading Israeli hotels. Meet with Israel’s top LGBTQ politicians, business leaders and innovators and learn what is being done to advance the rights of the LGBTQ community. Spend time with IDF Soldiers and Officers. Be inspired by incredible sites where Federations are changing lives every day. Experience Israeli culture, cuisine and character as a community.

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Conservative movement publishes egalitarian and LGBT-friendly siddur

The Siddur Lev Shalem is “both more traditional and contemporary” in several ways, senior editor Rabbi Ed Feld told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

In a sign of the increasingly changing landscape of Jewish life in the United States, the Conservative movement this week published a “completely egalitarian and LGBT-friendly” prayer book that includes prayers for, among other things, single women adopting children and gay engagements.

The Siddur Lev Shalem is “both more traditional and contemporary” in several ways, senior editor Rabbi Ed Feld told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. He explained how it contains both the traditional Hebrew texts of prayers, as well as an updated translation in the modern vernacular and prayers tailored to fit life cycle events experienced by contemporary Jews.

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