The GLAAD Media Fellowship was created to develop new leadership in the movement for LGBT equality and provide a unique opportunity to build experience in media activism by working nearly full time in GLAAD offices and being supervised and mentored by GLAAD’s staff in Programs and Communication. GLAAD Media Fellows have worked in our National News Media Program, People of Color Media Program for Asian Pacific Islander Communities, and Public Relations.
Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST) seeking full-time Assistant Rabbi/Family Educator
Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST). A Synagogue for People of All Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities, is seeking a full-time Assistant Rabbi to begin August 16, 2010. CBST was founded in 1973 and is unaffiliated. Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum has served as the Senior Rabbi since 1992. Congregation Beth Simchat Torah is a spiritual home for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Passionate, provocative, and deeply Jewish, our community engages in spirited debate and activism: rejoicing in diversity, denouncing social injustice wherever it exists, and striving for human rights for all people.
The position will include:
-A major focus (50%) of this position is on the education, programming, services for families with children. We are looking for someone who is passionate about working with children, preferably someone with at least 3 years experience. Most of our children are under 8 years old. The Assistant Rabbi will organize and lead all HHD services, Shabbat and yomim tovim services for families with children. The Assistant Rabbi will organize, teach and supervise all educational programs for families with children. The Assistant Rabbi will be responsible for the hiring and supervision of all teachers and songleaders as necessary. We will look to the Assistant Rabbi to develop outreach and new programming for families with children. The Assistant Rabbi will be the primary rabbi for all pastoral needs with the families with children. Currently, we have two Shabbat mornings a month for families with children and some Friday night programs as scheduled. The Assistant Rabbi will work closely with the education committee (both for adults and children).
- General pastoral counseling (including working with members who are dealing with: coming out issues, Aging issues, Queer issues, being LGBT and Jewish, aging parents, parenting, spiritual crisis, AIDS and other illnesses and related issues, gender identity issues);
- Directing, programming and teaching in the Lehrhaus Judaica, (our adult education program) including our adult b’nai mitzvah program;
- Performing lifecycle rituals, (baby namings, conversions, funerals, kiddushin, divorce/separation, adult and young adult b’nai mitzvah and creative new rituals);
- Some pulpit responsibilities;
- Representing CBST in the broader communities; - Assisting in supervision of Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Interns;
The Assistant Rabbi/Family Educator will work closely under the supervision and mentorship of Rabbi Kleinbaum.
- Applicants are welcome from any of the Jewish Movements. All are welcome to apply regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Preference is given to those with at least three years experience working with families with children and education course work or degree. We are looking for someone who is detail oriented, self-motivated, has personal spiritual depth, creative, excellent communication skills (written and oral), computer savvy, has excellent follow through, works well on a team.
Please send a cover letter and resume to Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum/CBST/57 Bethune Street/New York, NY 10014 or rabbi@cbst.org by February 8, 2010.
For more information about CBST please consult our website: www.cbst.org
The Progressive Jewish Alliance in the Bay Area is sponsoring NewGround a fellowship program for Jewish and Muslim students interested in exploring issues of faith, gender, diversity, and social transformation. Participants will develop skills to engage in productive conversation to address conflict, and to build positive partnerships. Application materials are included in the link, above.
Rabbi Elliot Kukla looks back at the Jewish response to HIV in an article for My Jewish Learning.
Kol Tzedek announces resources for Transgender Day of Remembrance 2009.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.
Jewish Mosaic staffers Karen Erlichman and Noach Dzmura attended a San Francisco meeting of Jewish organizations and individuals with two areas of focus: 1) interest in forming burial societies that are inclusive of LGBT people, and 2) interest in developing training for non-LGBT burial societies about end-of-life issues for LGBT people. Organizations represented included the Jewish Healing Center and Congregation Sha’ar Zahav in addition to Jewish Mosaic. Please email Noach@jewishmosaic.org to stay in the loop. This past week in the East Bay, Congregation Chochmat ha Lev and the Aquarian Minyan are forming a Chevra Kadisha with shared membership. Noach Dzmura was in attendance, and information about burial of transgender and gay membership (and community members) was received with compassionate welcome.
Activists from Israel Gay Youth spoke in SF about witnessing first hand the aftermath of shootings at a Tel Aviv youth center. Boston’s Edge explores the purpose of the Israeli group’s nationwide tour.
- For Immediate Release -
San Francisco, Nov. 5, 2009: This week’s election results across the country gave both comfort and sorrow to supporters for equal rights for the LGBT community. Voters in Washington State upheld their state’s civil unions, but in Maine, this summer’s landmark Marriage Equality law was narrowly overturned at the ballot box, a sad marker on the one year anniversary of the passage of Prop 8.
As we did after the passage of Proposition 8, we must balance our grieving hearts with determination and a long-term view of the road ahead. Kol Tzedek is committed to continuing the lifelong work of tikkun olam in collaboration with our neighbors and friends across lines of different faiths, races, and regions of the country.
Separate reeds are weak and easily broken; but bound together they are strong and hard to tear apart. –Tanchuma Nitzavim 1
On the long road ahead, let us stay determined, work hand-in hand with partners across communities and constituencies, speak from open hearts and plan with clear minds. More than ever we need to focus thon the message that the majority should not be able to take away the rights of a minority which is likely to suffer discrimination by any means, not even by referendum.
Finally, it seems ever clearer now that the broad coalition working for marriage equality needs to commit itself to the time and deep work that is needed to change “hearts and minds.” We need to collaboratively and quickly conclude the discussion of whether we would be best served by postponing a new California Ballot Initiative to 2012, and move from that towards well-planned action. To join the fight for full equal rights for all of us, sign up with our allies California Faith for Equality.
Media Contacts: Kol Tzedek Members: 1. Rachel Biale Rbiale at pjalliance dot org 2. Karen Erlichman: Karen at jewishmosaic dot org 3. Lisa Finkelstein: Lisaf at sfjcf dot org 4. Rebecca Weiner: rebecca at shaarzahav dot org 5. Noach Dzmura: Noach at jewishmosaic dot org
A settler, Yaakov Teitel, was arrested by Israeli police for hate crimes against LGBT and Palestinian people. Although he has “confessed” to the shooting in Tel Aviv of LGBT youth, there is no evidence linking him to the crime. In a YNet News article, the mother of Nir Katz (one of the two people murdered at the youth center) responds to the arrest. In the wake of the arrest, the Executive Director of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, Yonathan Gher, wrote an open letter to the modern Orthodox reader in the J-Post. The Jerusalem House for Pride and Tolerance sent out a press-release about Teitel’s arrest on Nov 8, 2009.
With just one mouse click, you can vote for Jewish Mosaic’s Karen Erlichman, who was nominated for a Jewish Community Heroes Award. Winners of the award are granted $25,000 to be used as an investment in their community project or non-profit effort. The award’s sponsor, the United Jewish Communities, encourages supporters to vote multiple times for the candidate(s) of their choice (with a limit of one vote per candidate per day).