Skip to content

Where is the Jewish community?

Today is the GLBT Pride Parade in West Hollywood.  For several hours community groups will march down Santa Monica Blvd to the blare of music.  Some groups march in matching t-shirts. Others build floats and dance to the latest tunes. Elected officials and honorees ride in cars and wave.  I have done all of that over the years-marched in matching t-shirts, waved from the back of a classic convertible or a float!

This parade is California’s fourth largest! The Tournament of Roses parade of course on New Year’s Day is the granddaddy of them all!

This parade of community–gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, straight allies, supportive families (and always a few fundamentalist Christian protesters thrown in). is the most colorful mix of people. It is diverse as the rainbow flag that represents the gay community.

I wish the Jewish community wasn’t so lazy however.  We don’t organize to show how welcome we really are.  There are many synagogues in Los Angeles that welcome GLBT folks and work for civil rights for the GLBT community.  The Jewish Federation is also a place of welcome as our the few remaining JCC’s.  Wouldn’t it be nice, wouldn’t it be a powerful statement if we all joined together to show that welcome and advocacy in force?

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a sea of Jewish organizations represented-Hadassah, NCJW, The Jewish Labor Committee, the Federation, synagogues of every stripe?

Maybe next year.