Being "In" to Include Queer Jews

There have been a few articles lately about how it is the fad at the moment to include queer Jews in the Jewish world. Jay Michaelson wrote in the Jewish Daily Forward says that large Federations and Jewish organizations now have inclusion initiatives for queer Jews. He thinks it's just about getting money for the organizations, and queer Jews are another group that are specific enough for the organizations to care about. He thinks that there are plenty of other Jews that aren't included, such as "Jews who support BDS (or perhaps even J Street); people with multiple religious traditions; Jews with strong critiques of the 1%-fueled, $30 billion Jewish establishment, especially the Federation system; Jews with more radical critiques of Jewish culture or tradition; Jews who don’t “pass” as middle or upper class; queer Jews who don’t pass as “normal” because of their gender presentation, or tattoos, or clothing." He continues, "Just like Jews can now get into the right golf clubs, gay Jews can now get into the right cocktail parties — as long as they have the cash, privilege, and willingness to pass as bourgeois or better." Clearly, he is being tongue-in-cheek, and he wonders if gays are being co-opted as a way to further the financial goals of the Federation and other Jewish organizations.

I read his article two weeks ago, but I have to disagree on many of his points, as Idit Klein did just a few days after the article was published.

While I recognize and acknowledge that many queer Jews are now being included in Jewish causes and also that there are still communities that don't actively engage GLBT inclusion, I also don't think this inclusion is only a means to raise more money. Jewish groups are realizing that queer Jews have a sincere interest in connecting to Judaism and maintaining a relationship with other Jews. I am not the first to tell you that as a queer Jew who is part of a queer Jewish couple, I and we have felt uncomfortable in certain Jewish spaces, but I can also tell you that when someone has reached out to us and told us that we belong in a Jewish space, we are ecstatic.

Inclusion is not just about money. Inclusion is a process, and as Idit Klein mentioned in an article last year, "increasingly over the past few years, major stakeholders in Jewish life have begun to recognize the relevance of [work with GLBT Jews] to the Jewish community. What’s more, I see interest in engaging and a sense of collective accountability." Including queer Jews is about making a stronger, more cohesive Jewish community. That is what the Federation and other major Jewish organizations are striving for, and it is through including queer Jews that we continue this work of strengthening our community. Many have said that there won't be Jews in a hundred years. I disagree, and I think it is precisely because we are continuing on a path to include the Jews who would have left Judaism before.

Of course, it's not perfect. Nothing is perfect when we are forging a new way, but I think it's fabulous. Keep up the good work!