JQY Community Debrief: The Creating Change Conference

JQY at The Creating Change Conference
What Happened? & What Does it Mean?

Where: JCC Manhattan, 334 Amterdam Ave, NYC
When: Thursday January 28th, 8pm-10pm

This past Shabbos the leaders of JQY were invited to the National LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change Conference in Chicago. We were tasked with representing the Jewish Movement Working Group at the conference, and helped organize the multiple Jewish themed sessions and Friday Night Shabbos Service. We have been working in partnership with the Task Force for the last five years. Included in our offerings this year were a 3 hour Queer Muslim Jewish Dialogue, a Jewish LGBTQ organizational strategy session, and a Queer Jewish Caucus that focused on engaging young Queer Jews on what it means to have both Jewish and LGBTQ identities. 

On Friday night there was a heated anti-Israel protest against a reception sponsored by A Wider Bridge. The reception was cut short and the Jerusalem Open House representatives set to speak felt it was too unsafe to present. A video of the Protest has gone viral and has spurred a global conversation about the lines between anti-Israel rhetoric and blatant antisemetism.

The question remains if the LGBTQ activist Conference is a safe space for Jews, Israelis, or pro-Israel voices. There is now a concerted effort to work with the Task Force on better guidelines for inclusion and safety.

Join us for a JQY Community discussion about what happened. Hear first hand experiences from people who were there. Take part in a conversation about how we can make sure the LGBTQ world is a safer space for Jews and Israelis.