“Most weeks, it’s a struggle to get my teenage daughter to attend services with me. But on Pride Shabbat (both Friday night and Saturday morning), she impatiently left home before I did to get there early, and determinedly stayed at shul after I went home. The gorgeous, playful, creative setting with rainbow balloons, unicorn headbands, affirming lawn signs, and a rainbow of desserts puts everyone in a festive and unified mood. But because this is Germantown Jewish Centre, Pride Shabbat isn’t just a party — it’s also about praying, singing, and learning together. There is a soulful Friday night service and exciting text study… Pride Shabbat makes me and my family feel both safe and challenged. We feel assured that GJC is a welcoming home for us and other LGBT+ families, and we are also pushed to expand our understanding of traditional texts, liturgy, and gender to appreciate and multiply the diversity that has always existed within the Jewish community. We are looking forward to next year’s celebration!” (Alexandra Volin Avelin)
Pride Shabbat D’vrei Torah
- 2023 – Rabbi Jacob Staub – “We” Have Always Been Queer
- 2022 – Liturgy Handout
- 2021 – Maria Pulzetti – “A Thread of Blue: Queer Perspectives on Tzitzit”
- 2021 – Mindy Shapiro (Minyan Masorti)
- 2020 – Maria Pulzetti – “Say Their Names: A Jewish Prayer for Black Lives Matter”
- 2020 – Gwynn Kessler
- 2019 – Laynie Soloman – “Trans Identity & Self-Determination in Halakhah: Creating New Legal Paradigms for Queer Liberation and Expression” text study source sheet
- 2018 – Maria Pulzetti
- 2018 – Leiah Moser
From GJC Teens
- The Stonewall Riots – by Zivia Allen Avelin and Sol Pinsky Elsila, 2020
- Pride Flags & Their Meanings (be sure to click on the text icon!) – by Yossi Ravital, Yael Smith Posner, and Sadie Wade, 2020
- A Little Bit About the Rainbow – by Toby Kessler Cohen and Hadassah Weinmartin, 2020
Want to get involved in planning Friday Night PRIDE and Pride Shabbat? Do you have an idea for an LGBTQ program or a speaker you would like to hear? Would you share your journey with GJC on our stories page? Email Kate Lawn at program@germantownjewishcentre.org.
Download Pride backgrounds for your Zoom meetings here!
