Nehirim

Nehirim
Formation 2004 (2004)
Founder Jay Michaelson
Purpose LGBT rights

Nehirim is a national community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) Jews, families, students and allies that was founded in 2004.[1]

History

Nehirim was founded in 2004 by Jay Michaelson. He served as Executive Director until 2010, when Michael Hopkins succeeded him.[2] Rabbi Debra Kolodny assumed the role in 2013.[3] Nehirim's Board of Directors includes Rabbi Joel Alter, Rabbi Julia Watts-Belser, Rabbi David Dunn-Bauer and Joel Kushner, PhD.[4]

Nehirim means "lights" in Hebrew.[5][6] The name comes from the Hebrew word Zohar, referring to the lights of heaven and rainbow colors seen at sunset.[7] Its goal is to create and foster a more just and inclusive world based on the values of the Jewish tradition. Nehirim's primary programs are intensive, life-changing weekend retreats and service programming promoting LGBT inclusion and equality.[8] It is also a member of the Coalition for Liberty & Justice organized by Catholics for Choice and the National Council of Jewish Women [9] and the National Religious Leadership Roundtable as part of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.[10]

Retreats

Nehirim retreats offer a means for LGBT Jews and their families to connect, learn and grow together.[11] Retreats have included East Coast gatherings at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut,[12][13] a transgender gathering at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California,[14][15] student retreats at Boston University,[16][17] West Coast gatherings at the Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, California,[18] men's summer camps at the Easton Mountain Retreat Center in upstate New York,[19][20] queer Jewish weekends in New York City at the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan,[21] and women's retreats at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.[22]

Nehirim's first retreat for LGBT rabbis, rabbinic pastors, cantors, and students was held in 2014 in San Francisco.[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ "New Options for LGBT Jews". The Bilerico Project. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  2. ↑ Ginsberg, Johanna (3 November 2010). "Helping to integrate gay, Jewish identities". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Meet Our Staff". Nehirim. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  4. ↑ "Board of Directors". Nehirim. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  5. ↑ "Retreat a Guiding Light for LGBT and queer Jews". JWeekly.com. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  6. ↑ Ginsberg, Johanna (3 November 2010). "Helping to integrate gay, Jewish identities". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sacred Sexuality: An Interview With Jay Michaelson". JVoices.com. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
  8. ↑ "Nehirim Retreat Brings Gay Jews Together To Celebrate Faith And Sexuality". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  9. ↑ "Coalition for Liberty & Justice". Catholics for Choice. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  10. ↑ "Pro-LGBT Jewish leaders respond to Tel Aviv attack". National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  11. ↑ "Nehirim". A Wider Bridge. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  12. ↑ "Nehirim Retreat Brings Gay Jews Together To Celebrate Faith And Sexuality". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  13. ↑ "The Gifts of Difference". Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  14. ↑ "Transgender Jews Seek Place at table". Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  15. ↑ "Gathering of the transgender tribe set for Berkeley". JWeekly.com. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  16. ↑ "Nehirim: The Experience of a Lifetime". Rutgers Hillel. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  17. ↑ "Student Retreat Will Celebrate Local LGBTQ Community" (PDF). The Jewish Advocate. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
  18. ↑ "Retreat a Guiding Light for LGBT and queer Jews". JWeekly.com. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  19. ↑ "So, a Rabbi Walks Into a Bar. It's Not the Beginning of a Joke, but of a Spiritual Journey". Tablet. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  20. ↑ "Camp Nehirim". Easton Mountain. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  21. ↑ "Nehirim Queer Shabbaton 2013 for LGBT Jews, Friends, and Allies". Gay Cities. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  22. ↑ "Pride Interview: Alyssa Finn and Nehirim". Repair The World. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  23. ↑ "Nehirim Puts On First Ever Retreat for LGBT Rabbis, Cantors & Students in San Francisco". Shalom Life. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  24. ↑ "At San Francisco retreat, LGBT clergy survey progress from closets to bimah". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
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