A Mizrahi Rosh Hashanah: Food and conversation with Chef Ayelet Latovitch

Let’s start the new year off right by celebrating with our incredible, intersectional LGBTQ Jewish community.

Join us for a cooking demonstration highlighting Mizrahi cooking with Chef Ayelet Latovitch, just in time for Rosh HaShanah.

Moderator: Matthew Nouriel

 

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A Special Statement by Andy Austin, AWB Board Chair:

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Last week, we learned that despite nationwide and international protests, the Netanyahu government in Israel is moving forward with legislation that would reduce the authority of the Supreme Court to serve as a check on unreasonable government actions.

I am shocked, but not surprised.

Just a few weeks ago, I was in Israel with 30 outstanding LGBTQ activists. We marched with, supported, and learned from our Israeli LGBTQ partners – the Proud community, as they are known. They told us of their concerns about the powerful leaders who have made it their mission to denigrate and dehumanize the entire  LGBTQ community. We heard about the hate-filled rhetoric and violence they are experiencing – and we witnessed it with our own ears and eyes.

A Wider Bridge vehemently rejects the extremists who are fighting against Israel’s LGBTQ community and democracy at the same time. The strength of any democracy lies in the confidence its citizens have in government institutions. Eroding judicial review undermines that confidence and the very security of the Jewish state.

Of course, we don’t have to travel around the world to see LGBTQphobia. It’s a global phenomenon. Indeed, much of what we see is exported from the U.S. and translated into Hebrew and other languages.

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And the global increase in hate isn’t limited to the LGBTQ community. I live in New York City. We have seen an alarming increase in antisemitic rhetoric in this city, as in many places across America. I know that hateful words are often followed by hateful acts. In fact, part of what makes the news from Israel so painful is that it makes it even harder to fight those whose antisemitism is manifest in the demonization of Israel.

We are all in this together. There is no parliamentary vote – in Israel or anywhere – that can erase our lives. We love Israel as much today as we ever have, and we know our destinies are intertwined. We have never taken the position that what happens in Israel is entirely an internal affair. We have always had a core commitment to building equality in Israel. We always will. We commit to support our Israeli partners no matter which direction the pendulum swings. We stand in solidarity.

Join us for an open conversation about the lives and struggles of Arab and Palestinian LGBTQ folks. We will be joined by Rita Petrenko, Director of Albeit Almuhtalef (The Different House), an NGO dedicated to empowering and assisting Arab LGBTQ people in Israel, and Ala Ibrahim, a gay Druze activist currently living in Tel Aviv.
After Registration, you will receive a link to the film “The Invisible Men,” a documentary about three Palestinian men who are part of the Palestinian “underground” hiding in Tel Aviv, having entered Israel illegally to escape persecution and possible death because of their sexual identity.

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Thursday, July 20th, 2:00 pm ET 

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Click here to register today

In 2023, millions are engaging in protests all around the world. People are making their voices heard in France, Mexico, Bangladesh, Hungary, and Greece – just to name a few.

The specific events triggering civic action vary by location. But whether it’s pension reforms, election concerns, human rights, or rank government incompetence, it’s undeniable that the world is shaking. Among the common threads are an existential threat to democratic institutions. 

At A Wider Bridge, we are closely connected to the manifestation of this international phenomenon in Israel.

Israelis from across the political spectrum are taking a stand for their democracy in an unprecedented manner. They have taken to the streets in historic numbers day after day, week after week, in patriotic displays of defiance. LGBTQ Israelis are on the front lines in a battle over  legislation that most of them feel would dramatically undermine the independence of Israel’s judiciary. The stakes are high. The Israeli Supreme Court has been a bastion for advancing LGBTQ equality. But there is more than the court in play. A new generation of extremist politicians have gained true power – and the bully pulpit. The reverberations are being felt far and wide – and the threat they pose is no longer theoretical. 

The 2022 report on LGBTQphobia in Israel

The Aguda, the Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, just released its 2022 report on LGBTQphobia in Israel. The findings show that anti-LGBTQ hate has skyrocketed. It rose during an election cycle in which some extremist politicians railed against LGBTQ rights, and it skyrocketed after the early November election. It has affected almost every aspect of LGBTQ life in the country.

In total, there were 3,309 reports of LGBTQ abuse last year – an enormous increase, and double what was reported as recently as five years ago. Delving deeper into the data, the news gets even scarier: an eightfold increase in year-on-year discrimination reports involving services by businesses, a fivefold increase in LGBTQ abuse reports in the public sphere, a 53% increase in reports from trans individuals, and a sevenfold increase in LGBTQ abuse reports where the offending parties are public figures and in the media.

On top of that, fully 25% of these reports came in November and December – during the election campaign and immediately following the commencement of the new government.

Some have urged patience with Israel’s new government and advocate a wait-and-see approach. They say nothing bad has happened yet. Sadly, they are wrong. 

While these extremist politicians, now leading important government ministries, have yet to deliver fully on pledges to remove LGBTQ education from schools, groups working in that sector say it has become increasingly difficult to do programs they routinely offered in the past. They have yet to ban Pride parades, end hormone treatments and gender-affirming care for trans people, or provide financial support for organizations that provide conversion therapy. But all of these anti-LGBTQ policies are on the table. Unfortunately for LGBTQ Israelis, there is no safety in adopting a wait-and-see approach.

Recently, a group of right-wing youth harassed protesters carrying Pride flags in Tel Aviv. They threw rocks at a building at which a Pride flag was displayed. They even climbed a balcony to tear it down. They were caught in the act on video and later identified. But for weeks, no arrests have been made.  In response, thousands of pro-LGBTQ Israelis protested in front of the police headquarters in Tel Aviv – a city justifiably celebrated for its LGBTQ-friendly environment and with one of the highest percentages of LGBTQ residents in the world. They were protesting police inaction, fully cognizant that the municipal police are controlled by the Israeli Ministry of National Security under Itamar Ben-Gvir, an open homophobe who ran for office on a far-right slate with a radical anti-LGBTQ platform.

Was the lack of police action a result of top-down pressure? We don’t know. But we do know that the physical security of LGBTQ people is often dependent on the institutions that govern us.

We also know that we can never take our rights and our safety for granted. That’s true whether one is  LGBTQ in Tel Aviv, Black in Missouri, or Jewish on the streets of New York City, where antisemitic violence is on the rise.

The legislation Israelis are protesting is but one symptom of a global phenomena to wrest power from institutions that have advanced the equality of marginalized groups – LGBTQ people, women, racial minorities, immigrants, and others. It is not difficult to connect the dots from Jerusalem to Florida to certain eastern European countries, where democratic norms are under attack in general, as are the rights of LGBTQ people in particular.

What can we do?

So what do we do in the face of these challenges? First, we recognize the challenges as real, acute, and demanding immediate action. 

Then we organize. We protest. We don’t allow ourselves to be gaslighted by those who say all is well, when clearly it is not. All one has to do to appreciate the threats to LGBTQ people in Israel is to speak with a few LGBTQ Israelis.

Accordingly, A Wider Bridge has dramatically increased our support of LGBTQ groups through additional public advocacy and an emergency campaign to fund their pro-democracy work and meet needs for increased social services. Next month, we will travel to Israel to stand with our LGBTQ family. We will march with them at the Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance and host an English livestream to the world. 

We continue to be inspired by Israel’s democracy movement, where the LGBTQ flag has become as common a sight in the streets as the Israeli flag itself. We will stand with them today – and every day –- to protect Israel’s democratic and pluralistic character in the face of this emergency.

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Live from Jerusalem – it’s the Jerusalem Pride March!

Come and walk with the incredible Jerusalemite LGBTQ Community – from Wherever you are.
Watch the march, meet old and new friends, and show your support to our beloved friends at the Jerusalem Open House.
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Live on YouTube and Facebook
Thursday, June 1, 10:30 am ET

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Register to receive links to the live stream, announcements, updates, and VIP opportunities such as shout-outs during the live stream.

 

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Live from Jerusalem Pride 2023

Sign up to get the link for our live stream and more fun surprises.

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Last month, representatives of Jewish LGBTQ organizations, along with representatives of Israeli organizations such as Ma’avarim, Havruta, Bat Kol and IGY, participated in the first global conference of its kind in London of LGBT Jewish organizations, with the encouragement and support of the Jewish Agency. Here is their joint statement:

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We are leaders and activists of the Jewish LGBTQ+ communities all over the world. We urgently call to halt the legislation processes that are tearing up Israeli society and support the efforts and protests being held in that vein.
As Jewish people in the diaspora, Israel has always been a second home and a refuge for many. As LGBTQ+ people, Israel’s values as a pluralistic free and open democracy founded on the principles of the Declaration of Independence and Jewish values have made Israel a safe haven — until today.
We are deeply concerned with the current government proposals in Israel. The hasty process, the one-sided nature and the determined opposition from experts against the legislative reform, combined with the demands for further repressive measures reflected in the coalition’s agreements together with the homophobic declarations made by some ministers, and the ignorance towards the tens of thousands of Israelis and many in the diaspora demonstrating in opposition to the current developments, make us fear that Israel will risk no longer being a home for LGBTQ+ people. The situation must be resolved by peaceful and agreeable means. This is the only Jewish way: “Love peace and hate dissension … A house in which dissension will ultimately be destroyed” (Derech Eretz Zutta tractate, chapter 9.) This dissention is threatening to destroy this house.
Outside of Israel, the Jewish Diaspora lives as a minority that can only flourish under a strong democracy with checks, balances and powerful protections to civil and human rights.
In the current climate of rising anti-Semitism and hatred towards LGBTQ+ people around the world, we are reminded of the necessity of a Jewish homeland, the Land of the Jews as envisioned by Herzl. We fear a world that holds no place for us.
We ask the leaders of Jewish communities in the diaspora to hear our plea and speak up against the danger to our place in Israel’s future, and we ask the Israeli government to stop and change course so that Israel will continue to stay safe for LGBTQ+ people.
Keshet Deutschland, A Wider Bridge, Keshet Sefarad, Rainbow Jews, Magen David Keshet Italia, the World Congress of GLBT Jews, Guimel and Gaavah are major LGBTQ Jewish from the U.K., Brazil, the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Germany and Italy that signed a joint statement calling on the Israeli government not to lend a hand to legal changes that would harm Israel’s status as a safe home for them. 

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Passover is right around the corner. Are you ready?

Whether you like to cook or just like to eat, join us as Israeli chef Ayelet Latovitch invites us into her kitchen to make delicious Passover cuisine.

Throughout history, regardless of politics or current events, Jews find ways to connect with their holidays and history — and food is always at the center. Come cook along with Chef Ayelet during the livestream or view the recording later when you’re in your own kitchen.

AWB Vice Chair Daniel Hernandez will host this virtual cooking demo, where your questions will be welcome.

You don’t have to be Jewish! People of all and no faiths are welcome.

 

Sign up today

 

 

 

A Wider Lens event with Dr. Corinne Blackmer.

Co-sponsored by East Bay International Jewish Film Festival & Deputy Consul General, Matan Zamir, Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest.

 

Sign up today

 

 

 

Published first in JTA

The annual gala of A Wider Bridge, a Jewish LGBTQ group, had all the trappings of a festive event: Guests arrived in cocktail attire finery — one woman wore a tiered, ruffled rainbow dress — to enjoy salad, rice, chicken, an assortment of desserts and schmoozing — and to celebrate the achievements of four activists.

But even though it was the group’s first in-person gala since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the mood on Monday night wasn’t entirely celebratory. Throughout the speeches and sideline conversations was the sense that A Wider Bridge — which advocates for the LGBTQ community in Israel, and for Israel in the U.S. LGBTQ community — was entering a new and uncertain era.

“For Israeli LGBTQ, the ground has shifted beneath their feet,” the group’s executive director, Ethan Felson, said in a speech to the crowd of about 200 attendees. Citing LGBTQ activists in Israel, he added, “Calls to crisis hotlines are up. Incidents of emotional and physical violence are up in Israel against the LGBTQ community. … You can imagine the challenges the trans community is facing — a full assault on their rights and on their lives.”

The crisis Felson depicted has materialized under a new Israeli government that includes vocal anti-LGBTQ officials in senior positions, whose signature legislation to reform the judiciary threatens the set of LGBTQ rights that Israel has long pointed to as evidence of its open society.

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That new reality has complicated the work of A Wider Bridge both in the United States and Israel, and interspersed in the night’s program — speeches celebrating four honorees, some stand up comedy from Jewish comedian Judy Gold, and even a recorded video from Vice President Kamala Harris — was an acknowledgement of the challenges facing LGBTQ rights in Israel. It has also caused the group to double its donations to Israeli LGBTQ groups this year.

“I’ve been in this work for 35 years, and through very complex times, I’ve never felt a greater sense of urgency,” Felson told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the event. “The urgency of this moment overshadows everything I’ve certainly done in my career.”

The gala, which took place in an event space lined with golden pillars whose arched windows overlooked Manhattan’s Union Square, occurred at the same time that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Smotrich has called himself a “proud homophobe” and sits in Israel’s governing coalition alongside Avi Maoz, who heads the anti-LGBTQ party Noam. The coalition also includes haredi Orthodox parties that have long opposed LGBTQ rights.

Yair Cherki, a religious affairs reporter for Israel’s N12, came out as gay via posts on his various social media accounts. Cherki comes from a religious background, and his father is a well-known religious leader, Rabbi Uri Cherki. We encourage you to take a moment to read the important and moving words of Cherki:

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“I write these words shaking, postponing for tomorrow. For next week, for after the holidays. Maybe it’s been ten years since I’ve been writing and erasing. But now I am thirty years old. And I write not because I have the strength to write but because I have no power to stay silent.

I love men. I Love men and love god. It is not contradictory, and it is nothing new. I am the same person I was; the only difference is that it is not only me who knows now, you know, too. It was important for me to say this publically, even though it is a private matter. To live neither in the shadows nor in hiding. To truly live.

I live the conflict between my sexual preference and my faith all the time. Some have solved the conflict for themselves by saying that there is no god, while others explain that there is no homosexuality. I know both exist. And I try to reconcile this contradiction within myself in various ways. These are things between god and me.

This is neither a fashion nor a trend nor a political statement. It is simply me. It’s another part of who I am and who I have been since the day I made up my mind. My community is still the religious community. This is my tribe, and this is my family and friends. These are my beliefs. They did not change but took shape over the years alongside the doubt and complexity.

I know that this truth I shared here saddens people dear to me whom I love very much. I hope you find a place in your soul that allows you to discuss this properly and understand that this step was made after deep thought and consideration. Your sorrow, perhaps, also stems from a lack of understanding of what I am actually talking about here. I tried to ignore it for years. Then push. And repress. And treat. I do not regret any attempt and effort; maybe without these attempts, I would not have been able to reach my conclusions—it is just a shame that it took so long.

And now: family.”

As a response to Cherki’s statement, Havruta congratulated Cherki and said:

“It is moving to read Yair’s coming out of the closet post. The connection between religious and LGBT identities, which Yair describes, is at the core of what we do. The life of religious LGBT people is not easy, and we congratulate Yair for his courage and honesty, and happy that he took another step to show that we are here. Religious LGBT people – come out of the closet. Be who you are. No one can tell you otherwise.”

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Thank you, Yair, for your beautiful words. And thank you, Havruta, Bat- Kol and Shoval for the life-saving work you do by increasing LGBTQ acceptance and inclusion in the religious communities in Israel.