Categories for Believe that Jews of all gender identities and expressions should be embraced fully and affirm that they may fully participate in community life and achieve positions of leadership
Someone from my shul recently asked me where I felt like I truly belonged, and I realized I had never felt that way at our shul. The first time I ever truly felt like I truly belonged was at the Keshet Shabbaton for LGBTQ+ Jews of Color, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I get teary-eyed just remembering Friday night. After we lit the candles, someone started spontaneously singing shalom aleichem, and we all joined in together as a group. I got chills. It’s sometimes hard to reconcile the parts of myself that I see as conflicting, but at the Shabbaton, I was just mind-blown. We were all existing together in that space without having to explain our existence or presence. It was pure, unfiltered joy.
Someone from my shul recently asked me where I felt like I truly belonged, and I realized I had never felt that way at our shul. The first time I ever truly felt like I truly belonged was at the Keshet Shabbaton for LGBTQ+ Jews of Color, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I get teary-eyed just remembering Friday night. After we lit the candles, someone started spontaneously singing shalom aleichem, and we all joined in together as a group. I got chills. It’s sometimes hard to reconcile the parts of myself that I see as conflicting, but at the Shabbaton, I was just mind-blown. We were all existing together in that space without having to explain our existence or presence. It was pure, unfiltered joy.
Emet Marwell, Keshet Neshamot/Rainbow Souls Shabbaton Participant, Massachusetts