September

Bisexual Awareness Week – September 16-23 / Celebrate Bisexuality Day – September 23

• Learn about the Jewish bisexual “Mother of Pride” Brenda Howard.
• Learn about what bisexuality is and means.
• Uplift the struggles and challenges that bisexual individuals face in society, such as biphobia and bi erasure.
• Learn how you can be an ally to the bi community.
• Read a bisexual Jew’s exploration of biphobia and antisemitism.
• Watch a video from the CLGS Jewish Queeries Series.

Rosh Hashanah – September 25-27

• Check out our LGBTQ+ Rosh Hashanah resources here.

Suicide Prevention Week/Month

• Highlight the Trevor Project Hotline and Trans Lifeline resources.

October

Yom Kippur – October 4-5

• Check out our LGBTQ+ Yom Kippur resources here.

LGBTQ+ History Month

• Learn more through Keshet’s LGBTQ+ Heroes Series.
• Read about Ushpizin/ata, our LGBTQ Jewish ancestors, a resource created by Dr. Noam Sienna with Keshet.
• Research and tell the stories of important LGBTQ+ Jewish leaders (you can even start with this article from Hey Alma).
• Visit the online collections of the GLBT Historical Society and LGBT Community Center National History Archive.
• Explore the National Park Service’s LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History

Bullying Prevention Month / Spirit Day (October 20)

• Host programs in Jewish day schools and religious schools about bullying prevention.
• Read and share this article: Internal Bullying Within the Jewish Community Needs to Stop.

Sukkot – October 9-16

Check out our Sukkot resources here.

National Coming Out Day – October 11

• Host a coming-out ritual at your synagogue (e.g., A Coming Out Ritual by Jay Michaelson).
• Utilize Ritualwell’s Coming Out Resources.
• Explore Keshet’s At The Gates of Coming Out, a guide with reflections, tools, and ideas for young people who are considering coming out at work or in their communities.
• Finding Keshet for the first time? Just came out? Finally bringing together your Jewish and LGBTQ+ selves? Mazal Tov and Welcome! You Are A Blessing.

International Pronoun Day – October 16

• Host a community education program on what pronouns are and why they’re important.
• Purchase pronoun pins! Or, follow this quick guide to making your own.
• Add your pronouns to your email signature, Zoom account, and/or LinkedIn profile.
• Start to share pronouns at the beginning of meetings.

Simchat Torah – October 18

• Support all community members’ celebration of Torah: explore the Nonbinary Hebrew Project for examples of gender-inclusive liturgy and blessings for being called to the Torah.

Genderfluid Visibility Week – October 17-24

• Learn about what genderfluidity means from Harvard Health Publishing’s article.
• Explore a genderfluid author’s story through data: Plot Me Genderfluid: Quantifying my Queer Self using 3 Years of Gender Data.
• Peruse this list of Gender Fluid and Transgender Books for Kids, Young Adults and Adults, sorted by age group and theme.

Intersex Awareness Day – October 26

• Read a rabbinic interpretation of Parashat Tazria and Parashat Metzora By Rabbi Elliot Kukla and Rabbi Reuben Zellman, discussing how Jewish tradition provides us with both the resources and the mandate to begin to transform our culture to better reflect the diversity of real bodies.
• Teach a workshop on gender diversity in Jewish sacred texts using this lesson plan.
• Learn about intersex identities from the Intersex Society of North America.
• Share InterACT’s #IntersexAwarenessDay graphics by downloading their social media toolkit and posting online.

Ace Week – Last full week in October

• Learn about asexuality from the Asexual Visibility and Education Network Visibility.
• Learn about aromanticism from the Aromantic-spectrum Union for Recognition, Education, and Advocacy (AUREA).
• Read this article from Hey Alma: Notes from an Asexual Jew.

November

Trans Awareness Month / Trans Awareness Week (November 13-19)

• Teach about trans Jewish heroes (e.g., Kate Bornstein, Koach Baruch Frazier).
• Follow trans Jewish leaders on social media and through their websites.
• Check out GLAAD’s guide to Transgender Awareness Week.
• Learn SVARA’s piece Go Out and See, about how halakha can be transformative and empowering from a trans perspective.
• Explore TransTorah’s resources, including A Blessing for Transitioning Genders by Rabbi Eli Kukla, A Pre-Surgery (or any other transition) Mikveh Ritual by Max K. Strassfeld and Andrew Ramer, and Poems for a Gender Transition Ritual by Professor Joy Ladin.

Trans Parent Day – first Sunday in November

• Read S. Bear Bergman’s Blood, Marriage, Wine and Glitter – essays on queer family.

Trans Day of Remembrance – November 20

• Utilize Keshet’s resource, A Jewish Guide for Marking Transgender Day of Remembrance.
• Print Keshet’s TDOR stickers for yahrzeit candles.
• Explore resources to honor TDOR.

December

World AIDS Day – December 1

• Provide free HIV testing at your organization or shul.
• Watch a film that discusses the experiences of folks affected by HIV/AIDS (e.g., How to Survive a Plague, Paris is Burning, And The Band Played On).
• Learn about CBST’s Talk to Me About HIV program.

Human Rights Day – December 10

• Hold a session or host a speaker about LGBTQ+ rights nationally and/or globally.
• Sign up to get involved with Keshet’s work for LGBTQ+ rights.

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Keshet envisions a world in which all LGBTQ+ Jews and our families can live with full equality, justice, and dignity.  Stay connected by joining our email list and following us on social media.

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