Your experience at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia is absolutely not representative of the Jewish community in Philadelphia. I am a community leader for Spectrum Philly, an organization for queer Jews in their 20s and 30s. In my time in Philadelphia, I have been embraced, as a queer Jew and as an organizer for this community, by The Jewish Graduate Student Network, The Collaborative, Tribe 12, Beth Ahavah, Rodeph Shalom, Kol Tzedek, Moishe House, The Jewish Exponent and Hillel of Greater Philadelphia. That is just in my personal experience. Anecdotally, I have heard many many more reports of inclusion and support within the Jewish community. I have never experienced any pushback or discrimination from the Jewish community I choose to partake in.
I realize your headline was intended to be provocative and we both know there are, of course, many gay Jews. As a queer Jew, this community is such an important part of who I am, and I care deeply about equality within the Jewish and the LGBT-queer community. As an organizer, I am trying to learn more about the needs of my community. I would love to have more people involved in Spectrum Philly, but I’m having a tough time finding ones who are not already plugged into the Jewish organizations I’m involved in. Perhaps your experience at the museum is the perception many gay Jews have of the larger Jewish community who do not know about the outpouring of support we have received. This is to let you and all the queer Jews in Philadelphia know that we are here, and we’d love to meet you and welcome you into our community and into the Jewish community.
— Amanda Davis, community organizer, Spectrum Philly