World Congress Digest Volume 20, Number 1 Spring 2001
Newsletter of the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews.
The Digest is edited by Lee Walzer and Jonathan Falk. Submissions can be sent to secretary at glbtjews dot org.
Post Office Box 23379
Washington, DC 20026-3379
USA
Phone +1-202- 452-7424
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International Jewish AIDS Memorial Day 2001
Lev B’Omer, the date for the International Jewish AIDS Memorial Day, will be on May 10, 2001. Organizations are invited to plan memorial activities or other appropriate commemorations of the event. For more information, please visit the Website of the International Jewish AIDS Network. (Dead link removed 7 April 2003)
Norman Sandfield
Chair, International Jewish AIDS Network
You are Invited to Sydney!
Dayenu - the Sydney based Jewish Gay and Lesbian organization is again organizing a major Mardi Gras Parade entry on 3 March, 2001 and also a Shabbat dinner on 2 March, 2001.
"We would like as many people from all over the world to join us again to build on the fantastic success of last years Parade entry," said organizer Judy Kell. "Our theme again this year: Jewish and Gay/Lesbian pride and acceptance." Dayenu hopes you will be part of the fun and make a statement at the same time! their (...)
Beit HaChidush: Recalling the First Five Years
Just as the Dutch created a country from land at the bottom of the sea, so has Beit HaChidush created a Jewish community where one didn’t exist in the past.
BHC, which celebrated its fifth anniversary in December, 2000, was formed to fulfill the needs of those Jews who were not being served by the existing congregations in the Netherlands. The three original founders, Wanya Kruyer, Ken Gould and François Spiero, were all particularly interested in serving the gay and lesbian Jewish (...)
Film Highlights the Gay Orthodox Experience
"Trembling Before G-d" is filmmaker Sandi DuBowski’s unprecedented feature documentary that shatters assumptions about faith, sexuality, and religious fundamentalism.
Built around intimately-told personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian, the film portrays a group of people who face a profound dilemma - how to reconcile their passionate love of Judaism and the Divine with the drastic Biblical prohibitions that forbid homosexuality. As the film unfolds, we meet a (...)
Compte Rendu de la 16eme Conference Internationale du ’World Congress’
Pres de 300 personnes du monde entier ont participe a la conference internationale du Congres Mondial des Organisations Juives Gaies et Lesbiennes (’World Congress’) qui s’est tenue a la fin juillet 2000 aux Etats-Unis pres de New York. La conference a consiste en un melange convivial et tres reussi d’ateliers et de forums de discussion sur differents themes juifs homos, de soirees memorables, de fetes, etc. En un mot: une experience inoubliable!
Juste avant la conference a eu lieu la (...)
A New Mission Statement
Vision:
Our vision is an environment where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Jews worldwide can enjoy free and fulfilling lives.
Goals: In support of our vision, our goals are:
To be the worldwide voice of LGBT Jews
To support, inspire, and strengthen local groups
To foster a sense of community among diverse individuals and organizations
To achieve equality and security for LGBT Jews worldwide.
Guiding Principles: To achieve our goals, we value:
Diversity among groups (...)
A New Name / A New Look
As you can see in our masthead, the World Congress has a new name:
The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews: Keshet Ga’avah
This name was chosen at the World Congress’s board meeting last summer in New Jersey, and was overwhelmingly confirmed by a mail-in ballot in February, 2001.
The new name is more inclusive with the addition of the word Transgender, and by dropping the word Organizations, will allow the future possibility of direct individual membership in (...)
Rabbi Alexander Schindler, 1925 - 2000
Rabbi Alexander Schindler, retired President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and keynote speaker at last summer’s Horizons 2000 conference, passed away on November 15, 2000. The World Congress and New Jersey’s Lesbian and Gay Havurah are honored to have had Rabbi Schindler as a guest in one of his last appearances.
Rabbi Schindler was committed to a Judaism that embraced the cause of social justice, and he spoke out forcefully for the poor, for civil rights, and for gay and (...)
Agudah to Host World Pride 2004 in Tel Aviv
Even in the midst of the current unrest in Israel, the Agudah has won a bid to host World Pride 2004 in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv Mayor Huldai gave his support to the event and commented that he hoped the city’s 7,000 hotel rooms would be adequate to accommodate the expected visitors.
Outgoing Agudah Director General Luba Fein commented that the mayor "understands the importance of the event, both cultural and economic. I believe that hosting the World Pride events will really move Tel Aviv and (...)
Willkommen in München
Yachad München ist bei der letzten International Conference in NJ/USA zum "Austragungsort" der 6th European/Israeli Regional Conference gewählt worden. Die Münchner Yachad-Gruppe wird somit als Gastgeber auftreten und wir freuen uns sehr darauf. Vom 14.06.2001 - 17.06.2001, werden wir ca.100 Gäste (hoffentlich einige mehr) aus 10 europäischen Ländern, Israel und den USA in München begrüßen dürfen und neben der eigentlichen Conference mit ihren Vorträgen, Workshops auch ein Rahmenprogramm (...)
Meet Yachad Deutschland
Several different gay and lesbian groups have been organized in Germany under the name Yachad. Admission is open to all gays, lesbians and bisexuals, of Jewish origin, regardless of age, background or ideology. Together - and yachad means together in Hebrew - our goal is the creation of a framework in which being gay can be celebrated as one variation among many different Jewish lifestyles. Yachad groups exist currently in four cities: Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich. Each group plans (...)
2001 Annual Board Meeting in Munich
The World Congress’s Annual Board Meeting will take place Wed.-Thurs., 13-14 June, 2001, in Munich, to be immediately followed by the 6th European Israeli Regional Conference of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews. All member organizations are reminded and strongly encouraged to send a delegate to this meeting.
The Regional Conference will take place in the urban heart of Munich, on 14-17 June 2001. The conference will open with a reception at the Kunstlerhaus, and will continue (...)