News articles
Israeli lesbian couple awarded NIS 60,000 after turned away from wedding hall | Haaretz
Gay tolerance | JPost
Living Jewishly: A snapshot of a generation
Living Jewishly: A snapshot of a generation.
“Living Jewishly: A Snapshot of a Generation,” an at-times poignant, humorous, challenging and reaffirming collection of personal essays by Jewish 20- and 30-somethings, has just been published by Academic Studies Press.
Edited by Oy!Chicago blogger-in-chief and JUF digital communications manager Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the anthology probes a wide range of topics, including Orthodox dating; same-sex, interfaith relationships; discovering personal Jewish identity; connection — or lack thereof — to Israel; conversion; and what it means to be a young Jew in America today.
“At once confrontational, comforting and hilarious, this is the definitive ‘Who am I? and why am I?’ book for Jews of our generation,” actress and author Mayim Bialik said.
Details are available at www.livingjewishlybook.com and www.facebook.com/
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Jewish lesbian film needs funding | Star Online
Iran: Zionists spread homosexuality to control world | JPost
‘We think it’s time’ – church gay marriage moves gather pace | On Line Opinion
Jewish lesbian group educates the masses | AJN
24 Aug 2012
The Australian Jewish News Melbourne edition
Jewish lesbian group educates the masses
IN celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Jewish Lesbian Group of Victoria (JLGV) is creating a documentary about the life and times of the lesbian Jewish community.
The film will elucidate the group’s groundbreaking achievements in raising awareness for Jewish lesbians in Victoria.
A five-minute trailer – called It’s Who We Are – was put together by the production company Making of Movies, and has been posted online, to fundraise for the making of the documentary in full.
The trailer has already been added to the teaching resources at Deakin University’s School of Health and Social Development, where it will educate students about Jewish culture and cultural diversity.
Hinde Ena Burstin, a founding member of the JLGV, told The AJN that the group offered a “safe, respectful Jewish environment” for Jews struggling with the scourge of marginalisation and stigma, and she hopes the documentary will encourage tolerance.
“This has enabled disenfranchised Jewish women to reconnect with their heritage. At the same time, we insisted that the mainstream Jewish community becomes more inclusive of lesbians and gays. We have been extremely successful in this aim.
“Our achievements are many, but so too is the work that lies ahead. Our film can play a huge role in opening the closet doors wider.”
To make a donation to the documentary, visit: www.pozible.com/itswhoweare.
Orthodox Gays Need Allies, Not Just Compassion | The Jewish Week
GLBTI parent support network established | AJN
17 Aug 2012
The Australian Jewish News Melbourne edition
PETER KOHN
Enquiries: parents@keshet.org.au; 0467 508 868.
GLBTI parent support network established
KESHET Australia, a rights group recently formed to protect Jewish children who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex (GLBTI), is forming a parent support network.
Jonathan Barnett, Keshet’s president, said parents are a critical factor in the wellbeing of children, not least when they are becoming aware of their sexuality.
“Parents are a big issue. How parents respond to their kids coming out – whether it’s a 14-year-old or a 24-year-old – really can make a big difference to how the kid feels and how they feel connected to family and the community. It’s part of our bigger mission,” he told The AJN.
“It’s not just the child that has to come out but the parent, and they come out to their friends and family,” he added.
Barnett said the three sets of parents founding the network have all gone to Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG), a mainstream support group.
“But what they all observed was that nobody else was Jewish and they wanted to be with other Jews who understand the Jewish community.”
The group is being formed as an addition or alternative to PFLAG. “We’ll have kosher cake, for example, and that’s one of the little differences,” he said.
Barnett reflected that perhaps Orthodox families need the service more than Progressives, “but everybody needs it”.
In a letter to The AJN, Barnett stated: “In our community, where success is often defined in terms of heterosexual relationships, marriage and grandchildren, there are many parents of GLBTI children who experience feelings of despair and even isolation. Keshet parents believe that there is a need to reach out and talk about these common concerns.”
Keshet Australia was formed earlier this year as an advocacy group for the Jewish GLBTI community, based on the Keshet organisation in the United States. The local group has strong informal ties with Progressive Judaism Victoria.
Download a Keshet information flyer here.