A local synagogue will host a conference on the welcoming and inclusion of LGBTs in the Jewish community.
Congregation Kol Ami in Elkins Park presents “Kindness Counts: Welcoming LGBT Jews and Their Loved Ones into the Mishkan,” 1-5:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at 8201 High School Road in Elkins Park.
The conference is open to all, age 13 through elders, as well as synagogue “teams” from other synagogues, comprised of clergy and professional and executive lay leaders.
The event will focus on welcoming and including LGBT Jews, and making the synagogue community a safe and diverse spiritual, social and educational home for LGBT members and straight allies.
According to Jane Tausig, conference program chair, the event was conceived when Kol Ami commemorated National Coming Out Day and a celebration for the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
“When we decided to do that, we decided we wanted to be more welcoming, to make a deliberate effort to be more welcoming to LGBT people,” Tausig sad.
Tausig is one of two same-sex couples who belong to Kol Ami. She and her partner will be married in the synagogue later this month. Part of what drew her to Kol Ami when she was looking for a congregation to join, Tausig said, was its commitment to upholding certain Jewish principles, which ended up serving as the foundation for the conference.
The principles include: “B’Tselem Elohim,” all people are created equally and in the image of God and are loved unconditionally by God regardless of sexuality; “Tikun Olam,” the practice of repairing the world; and “Hachnasat Orchim,” seeking ways to make the synagogue welcoming, inclusive and prepared to integrate LGBT Jews fully into synagogue life.
“The idea of reflecting on our openness: It’s kind of taking account of your relationship with God and yourself,” Tausig said. “People might have subconscious biases. This would be a way for people to learn or ask questions. If they have biases, they may be able to change that.”
A special presentation will also be given by keynote speaker Joanna Ware, associate director of national programs for Keshet, a leading organization dedicated to working for the full equality and inclusion of LGBT Jews in all aspects of Jewish life.
Other workshop topics include: Creating LGBTQ Inclusive Space: Organization and Leadership Practice; Education: Welcoming and Inclusive Curricula and Programming; Weaving LGBTQ Sensitive Jewish Rituals into Congregational Spiritual Life; Welcoming Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms; Straight Parents of LGBTQ Children: Fellowship and Resources; Synagogue Panelists Share Their Experiences, Challenges and Successes and more.
For more information or to register, visit www.kolamielkinspark.org.