Jewish American Heritage Month

Because of the ongoing war in Israel/Gaza and the increased tensions here in the United States, we'd like to first state we stand with the cause of Palestinian liberation and denounce the Israeli government's historic and current mistreatment of Palestinians in Gaza. We also stand with the Israeli people who are largely against the violence their government is perpetrating. We urge everyone to avoid black and white thinking pertaining to this conflict. 

While Jews comprise only 2% of the world's population, just under half of them live here in the United States and have made quite a lot of contributions to our lives. One such person is Maurice Sendak, author of "Where The Wild Things Are". He was born to Polish parents who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s. He wrote many children's books in his lifetime, several of which have been subjected to censorship and challenged (yay, Mr. Sendak!). He spent over fifty years with his partner, Eugene Glynn.

Rabbi Elliott Kukla is the first transgender person to be ordained as a rabbi. He wrote several articles about the trans experience in Jewish life. Additionally, he worked to make rituals and blessings inclusive of trans people. With others, he contributed to what is now called the TransTorah which seeks to help people of all genders to access Jewish tradition and helps Jewish communities to be welcoming sanctuaries for all.

Betty Berzon is known for being one of the first psychotherapists to treat gay and lesbian patients. At the age of 40, she came out privately as a lesbian and a few years later came out publicly at a conference called "Homosexual in America". She was the first therapist to come out in a time when homosexuality was still considered a mental health disorder. Two years after she came out publicly, the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental illness. Along with her partner, Terry DeCrescenzo, she founded the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. She wrote several books including memoir "Surviving Madness, a Therapist's Own Story. She was a leader in the queer community in Los Angeles until her death from cancer in 2006 at the age of 78.

Lesley Sue Goldstein, better known as Lesley Gore, was a singer of such hits as "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To" and "You Don't Own Me". "You Don't Own Me" became a kind of second-wave feminist anthem that exuded confidence, self-worth, and independence. Despite having her heyday in the 1960s, she didn't come out until the 2000s. She died in 2015 at the age of 68 from cancer.

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to hold a major public office in the United States. He was the City Supervisor of San Francisco in 1977. While in office, he passed a law that banned discrimination in public accommodations, housing, and employment based on sexual orientation. After just 11 months in office, Milk was killed by Dan White, a former city supervisor. He made a big impact on the LGBTQ cause. 

Edie Windsor was a child of Russian Jewish immigrants and a trailblazer for marriage rights for same-sex couples. She was the lead plaintiff in the case that went to the Supreme Court challenging, then overturning DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). DOMA had allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and it was declared unconstitutional.

Queer Jews have been major contributors to the LGBTQ cause. The Jewish faith is generally more accepting of queer people - save for the more conservative members of the tribe. Even though Jews comprise just 2% of the world's population, they have made huge impacts in our world and our society. 

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