lgbtq+ at the j
UPCOMING PROGRAMS/EVENTS
LOCAL RESOURCES
Eshel - Eshel’s mission is to create a future for Orthodox lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, and their families. Through its innovative and culturally sensitive programming, Eshel supports LGBTQ Jews, opening hearts, minds and doors in traditional Jewish communities.
JACS Toronto Rainbow Group - JACS delivers education, programming, care and support to all those affected by addiction in the Jewish Community and beyond. This group is a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss their issues surrounding substance use and related mental health issues.
Jewish Queer Youth - JQY (Jewish Queer Youth) supports and empowers LGBTQ Jewish youth with a special focus on teens and young adults from Orthodox, Chassidic, and Sephardi/Mizrahi communities. JQY fights to ensure the emotional and physical health and safety of this population. Our goal is for all these individuals to know: You are a valued member of the Jewish community and you are not alone.
JF&CS LGBTQ2S+ Services - JF&CS is committed to being a safe space for the LGBTQ2S+ Community. We offer counselling, groups and workshops to individuals and families as well and welcome folks of all sexual orientations and gender identities at our existing groups and workshops. We also offer support and training to organizations on being more inclusive.
Keshet - Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life. We strengthen Jewish communities. We equip Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advance LGBTQ rights nationwide.
LGBTQ+ Jewish book list from the Jewish Book Council! - Jewish Book Council, founded in 1943, is the longest-running organization devoted exclusively to the support and celebration of Jewish literature. They have compiled a list of books featuring LGBTQ+ Jewish narratives.
Nonbinary Hebrew Project - We are building a bigger tent for nonbinary Jews through a third-gender grammar systematics for Hebrew, guided by our Torah and Talmud that teach us to rejoice that which cannot be neatly categorized. This project is free, open-source, community-based, and grassroots. It lives and grows and changes with every single person who uses and adds to it.
Ontario Jewish Archive’s LGBTQ+ Stories - The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre is the largest repository of Jewish life in Canada. Here you can find the OJA’s compiled list of LGBTQ+ stories from Ontario’s Jewish community.
SVARA - SVARA’s mission is to empower queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study. We offer year-round learning, served up the old-fashioned way: hardcore, queer, and radically inclusive.
Queering the Jewish Wedding - The aims of this project are to in-gather and archive Queer-Jewish weddings and union ceremonies of all kinds, interview the folks who crafted them, and create a video artwork and expansive resource from what's been shared. If you have had, have officiated, or are planning a Queer-Jewish wedding, we'd love your contribution!
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
SUPPORT OUR WORK
We’re so proud of the team we’ve put together, and the outstanding line-up of programs and events we offer. Now we’re hoping we can count of you to support us! We’re still in the early stages of this work but we have lots of plans that will need financial support! Any amount helps.
Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism
United Jewish People’s Order
At LGBTQ+ at the J there is no right way to be Queer, and no right way to be Jewish; there's certainly no right way to be both. Our programs aim to support diverse, pluralistic, and accessible community at the intersection of LGBTQ+ and Jewish identities and experiences. We bring Queerness into Jewish moments and bring Jewishness into Queer life, striving for spaces where everybody can bring their full self. We both celebrate and amplify LGBTQ+ Jewish people and stories, in recognition of their inherent value. Interested in more information? Scroll through our webpage or contact Emunah Woolf, our Community Programmer, at emunahw@mnjcc.org.
ABOUT US
SPRING
LGBTQ at the J: Passover - One Last Bagel! - Sunday, Apr 21, 10 am-12 pm
Join LGBTQ+ at the J and Lox + Schmear for one last bagel before Passover! For one whole week, many Jews abstain from eating hametz, leavened bread, meaning no bagels for us. Come hang out with your LGBTQ+ at the J buddies before Passover begins to get in one last bagel and socializing time before the holiday at this beloved Toronto Queer & Jewish owned establishment. You can pick up Passover provisions (smoked salmon! gefilte fish! pickles! horseradish!) for your table and learn some Queer Torah to share at your seder.
SPRING
LGBTQ at the J: Shabbat - Friday, May 10, 6:30-9 pm
Please join us for our monthly LGBTQ+ Shabbat Dinner, this month held at the Miles Nadal JCC. These dinners are designed to intentionally create space for LGBTQ+ Jews and our loved ones to gather, share a Shabbat meal, and build community. Find the other dinners in the series rotating between this JCC, Prosserman JCC, and the Schwartz-Reisman Centre.
SPRING
LGBTQ+ at the J: Lag B'Omer - Sunday, May 26, 4-6 pm
Join LGBTQ+ at the J around the fire to celebrate Lag B’Omer. We will sing songs, roast marshmallows, and have gender affirming haircuts available! This holiday marks the end of a mourning period in the Jewish calendar and is traditionally celebrated by gathering around a bonfire with music. As some people refrain from cutting their hair during the mourning period, there is also a tradition of getting your hair cut. What a perfect way to celebrate our chosen gender presentations and increasing our joy by getting a fireside gender-affirming cut!
SPRING
Pride Shabbat - Friday, June 21, 6-9 pm
Please join us on June 21 from 6:00-9:00 pm for a Pride Shabbat service, followed by a Kosher vegan dinner. This year's Pride Shabbat will take place in the gymnasium at the Miles Nadal JCC. This event centers on LGBTQ+ Jewish community members, but allies to both Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities are more than welcome to join us. Families are encouraged to bring children to this community-wide event!