One afternoon, we received a call from a bubbie, a Holocaust survivor referred to us by UJA. She was concerned that her 20-something lesbian granddaughter was not socializing with other gay Jews and was disconnected from Jewish life and the community. This example is more typical than one might think. It demonstrates a real need by various generations for an organization that connects queer Jews with Jewish community and culture. This represents a fundamental role of Kulanu Toronto – to provide a space for queer Jews of all ages and affiliations to bridge their sexual / gender identity with their Jewish identity.
“As a lesbian and a Jew, I had never found a place to go to get that ‘tribal feeling’ until I started attending Kulanu events,” says one of our members in her 40s. “The group is essential for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of LGBT Jews in Toronto who want to celebrate diversity in an environment of cultural / spiritual familiarity.”
For many, Kulanu Toronto has become a second home, a second family.
Single queer Jews often look for a venue where they can meet other nice Jewish girls or boys who share their values and interests. Kulanu Toronto offers a variety of social, cultural, and educational events that bring people together in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment. Some of our events includeShabbat dinners, Chanukah parties, speed dating, and movie nights. Attending these programs is a great way to meet people, form meaningful friendships, and potentially find one’s beshert. (Isn’t this what every Jewish mother wants for her child?)
Kulanu participants in their 20s and 30s have indicated that they would like to see more programming geared toward their age group. In the coming year, we will be focusing more on this need. Games nights, karaoke, bowling, and outdoor activities are some suggestions that have been brought forward.
LGBT Jewish couples and families also look to build friendships and community with other queer Jews. Our members often bring their Jewish or non-Jewish dates, partners, and sometimes children, to our events, including our recent World Pride Shabbat services and dinners, Israeli LGBT panel discussion, and summer barbeque. This coming year, we will be working with Miles Nadal JCC, UJA Federation’s PJ Library, and other agencies to develop new programs that will bring queer Jewish families together, provide them with resources, and give them a deeper sense of community.
One of the major areas on which we are going to start focusing is providing social support to our members. Having a safe, caring, confidential space where queer Jews can speak openly about their lives is vital, especially for those who are just coming out or for others who face ongoing challenges that impact their self-esteem and mental health. Until now, we have provided informal support to queer Jews and their family members over the phone and in person. We have also referred people to social support agencies and counsellors. Recently, a number of our members have approached us to ask if we can start our very own Kulanu Toronto support group. We are working on this with professionals and community members and we hope to start running monthly group sessions at the Miles Nadal JCC in the near future.
One major goal of Kulanu Toronto is to educate the Jewish community about Jewish queer issues, linking our history and our present struggles. Our workshops, discussion groups, and panels help explore queer interpretations of the Torah and other traditional and modern Jewish texts, the shared history of the persecution of Jewish and gay people in the Holocaust, and the changing dynamics of contemporary Jewish and queer cultures. These learning opportunities, which we will continue to provide in the coming year, help create a deeper sense of cultural belonging for queer Jews and raise awareness about gender and sexual diversity within the mainstream Jewish community.
As a way to nurture inclusivity and strengthen our relationships with the Jewish community, we have partnered with synagogues representing various streams of Judaism, from Reform to Modern Orthodox. For example: we have run a Chanukah Party with Shir Libeynu, an unaffiliated, egalitarian congregation; we co-hosted an LGBT panel discussion with Darchei Noam, a Reconstructionist synagogue; and we ran Shabbat services and dinners with Annex Shul and Makom, more traditional – albeit creative – downtown communities.
We have also worked with Hillel (and in November 2013, we became new residents of Genesis: UJA Federation’s Centre for Jewish Innovation), with CIJA, UJA Federation, The Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, the Israeli Consulate, and the Miles Nadal JCC. Going forward, we plan on working more closely with the leadership of these and other congregations and agencies to develop more Jewish LGBT resources and programs.
At Kulanu Toronto, we are proud to be Jewish. “Team Kulanu” fundraises and participates every year in the Walk With Israel, and we have a strong presence at the Toronto Gay Pride Parade. Since 2009, when anti-Israel activists began marching at Pride, we have been explicitly supportive of Israel as the only democratic state in the Middle East. This year at World Pride, we had a Tel Aviv-themed float with an Israeli DJ co-sponsored by Size Doesn’t Matter. We held Israeli and Rainbow flags and signs with Israel-positive messaging. Over time, we have succeeded in galvanizing many members of the Jewish community, including synagogues from across Ontario, to march with us at Pride, supporting our mandate to stand up for Israel and its inclusive policies.
As Jews, we speak about “Tikkun olam” – repairing the world. One of the first steps in making the world a better place is by embracing diversity and supporting each other. Whether we are male or female, straight, gay, or transgender, young or old, religious or secular, abled or disabled, Jews by birth or Jews by choice, speaking in the words of the Talmud, we are all responsible for each other. Kulanu Toronto creates a space for this circle of support. Sometimes, it saves lives. We hope that other groups and individuals in the Jewish community will join us in this important work.
For more information about Kulanu Toronto, please visit our new website at kulanutoronto.org or email us with questions or feedback at info@kulanutoronto.org.