4/26/10- The following is a press release about a
Shabbaton that I attended this weekend entitled "Being Frum and
Gay" April 24th and 25th, 2010, Philadelphia, PA.
This weekend, the Orthodox Community at Penn (OCP) and
JQYouth (JQY), a group that provides support to LGBT Orthodox Jews
(www.JQYouth.org) collaborated to develop a shabbaton aimed at addressing
issues that gay and lesbian Jews face within the Orthodox community. The
shabbaton built upon the format and ideas originally presented at the “Being
Gay in the Orthodox World” panel that was held at Yeshiva University this
December.
On Friday night, the invited speakers from JQYouth
shared their stories in a general panel session. The evening began with a brief
statement by Emily Belfer, one of the organizers from the OCP, and a message
from Rabbi Mordy Friedman, the Orthodox Rabbi at Penn, framing the shabbaton as
a weekend intended to raise awareness of issues that already exist within the
Orthodox community, and that it is not intended as a forum to discuss halacha
(Jewish law).
The panelists then each discussed topics ranging
from their experiences coming out to family members and rabbis, to issues faced
by Orthodox Jewish lesbians, forming communities for LGBT Orthodox Jews, and
forming more inclusive Orthodox communities.
There were over 150 people in attendance, and the
audience was generally supportive of the speakers, applauding after each
panelist spoke. The panelists were then asked questions from the audience
ranging from whether they envisioned themselves forming families, whether being
gay and Orthodox creates a crisis of faith, and whether there are generational
or communal differences in terms of levels of tolerance that the panelists have
experienced. The session only came to an end after the Hillel building needed
to close for the night.
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