Developed by JQ International in collaboration with Hebrew Union College’s Institute for Judaism & Sexual Orientation, the GLBT Haggadah integrates GLBT Passover traditions within the spirit of the traditional Passover experience, such as a GLBT-specific Seder plate, the Four GLBT Children, the Prophetess Miriam’s Cup, a Time-line of GLBT Events that parallels the Magid and much much more. This beautifully-formatted Haggadah is interactive and allows for participants to use markers to color-in graphics in order to ensure the Haggadah is full of personal touches and each one is unique and colorful. This Haggadah is free and available for download in PDF format and was made possible by The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles’ Cutting Edge Grant. Click here to download your own copy.

Jewish Mosaic research director and co-founder Caryn Aviv chalked one up for queer visibility in a blog post about her “big fat gay Jewish family” on the Web site of the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. In Aviv’s account of the joys of gay co-parenting, she writes about the questions and confusion her family inspires, saying “I’ve learned to answer these questions graciously, reminding myself that it’s a learning opportunity for people to expand their understanding of the word ‘family.’ In other words, I have lots of chances to act as a poster child for the gay rights/gay family movement, and I take that responsibility seriously.” To read Aviv’s entire essay, go to: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/972152.html

One year ago, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Conservative Movement’s flagship institution, opened its doors to gay and lesbian rabbinical and cantorial students. JTS students marked the anniversary on March 26 with a day of learning attended by over 150 JTS students, faculty, alumni and community members. In a special essay in honor of the moment, Israeli-based Conservative Rabbi Andrew Sacks reflects on the anniversary and the future of inclusion in the Conservative world. To read Rabbi Sacks’ essay, go to: http://www.jewishmosaic.org/page/load_page/132

Jewish Mosaic is now accepting applications for our competitive summer internship program. Our internship program provides qualified undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to explore career options within the nonprofit sector, specifically within Jewish communal organizations, and to make a contribution toward the inclusion of LGBT communities. The program introduces individuals from diverse backgrounds – some of whom may have had limited experience with Jewish communal organizations or LGBT advocacy – to LGBT advocacy work and opportunities within the field.

For details, download this PDF file. To apply, complete an application, either by printing this PDF and mailing it in, or by filling out this MS Word document and returning it electronically. Applications must be received by March 26, 2008.

Jewish Mosaic is proud to introduce TransTexts: Exploring Gender in Jewish Sacred Texts, a new online resource created by Rabbi Elliot Rose Kukla and Reuben Zellman. Learn what Jewish texts have to say about gender and transgender experiences. The first of many text-study modules, Queerly Created, examines the creation of humanity in Jewish sacred texts from the Bible until today. Click here to access this exciting new resource.

This past week, Jewish bloggers and the national press has been all over Synagogue 3000’s Shawn Landres (a Jewish Mosaic advisory board member) for his role in S3K’s recently released research about new forms of spiritual community in the Jewish world: independent minyanim, havurot and emergent congregations, many of which are decidedly pro-active in their efforts to be LGBT inclusive. Read “Challenging Tradition, Young Jews Worship on Their Terms” an article from the New York Times, by clicking here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/28minyan.html For “Breaking the Code of Ritual Observance,” an essay by Shawn in the Forward, go to: http://www.forward.com/articles/12191/

Already half-way in to Hanukkah, those of you in interfaith households may appreciate “A Holiday Medley, Off Key,” an article from the New York Times about the annual “December Dilemma.” The article includes a quote from Karen Erlichman, the director of Jewish Mosaic’s San Francisco Bay Area office, and features a gay interfaith family and their struggle to strike a balance between Christmas and Hanukkah in their home. To read the essay, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/garden/06Fight.html

Jewish Mosaic has devoted a Web page for bi-weekly updates on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Please click here to visit the Web page.

What does Judaism teach us about discrimination in the workplace? How can we respond to the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) from a spiritual perspective? Karen Erlichman, the director of Jewish Mosaic’s San Francisco Bay Area office, offers some answers in an essay she wrote for the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program.

To read the entire essay click here.

For the third year in a row, Jewish Mosaic has been named one of North America’s most innovative Jewish nonprofits in Slingshot ‘07-’08. Compiled and published by 21/64, a division of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, the annual guidebook features programs, organizations, and leaders that take innovative approaches to addressing age-old concerns of identity and community in Jewish life today. Each year, 50 of the most creative and effective organizations from the U.S. and Canada make the cut after an extensive evaluation process overseen by 25 foundation professionals. Visit the Slingshot Web site at www.slingshotfund.org