UPCOMING PROGRAMS/EVENTS
LOCAL RESOURCES
Eshel - Eshel’s mission is to create a future for Orthodox lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, and their families. Through its innovative and culturally sensitive programming, Eshel supports LGBTQ Jews, opening hearts, minds and doors in traditional Jewish communities.
JACS Toronto Rainbow Group - JACS delivers education, programming, care and support to all those affected by addiction in the Jewish Community and beyond. This group is a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss their issues surrounding substance use and related mental health issues.
Jewish Queer Youth - JQY (Jewish Queer Youth) supports and empowers LGBTQ Jewish youth with a special focus on teens and young adults from Orthodox, Chassidic, and Sephardi/Mizrahi communities. JQY fights to ensure the emotional and physical health and safety of this population. Our goal is for all these individuals to know: You are a valued member of the Jewish community and you are not alone.
JF&CS LGBTQ2S+ Services - JF&CS is committed to being a safe space for the LGBTQ2S+ Community. We offer counselling, groups and workshops to individuals and families as well and welcome folks of all sexual orientations and gender identities at our existing groups and workshops. We also offer support and training to organizations on being more inclusive.
Keshet - Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life. We strengthen Jewish communities. We equip Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advance LGBTQ rights nationwide.
LGBTQ+ Jewish book list from the Jewish Book Council! - Jewish Book Council, founded in 1943, is the longest-running organization devoted exclusively to the support and celebration of Jewish literature. They have compiled a list of books featuring LGBTQ+ Jewish narratives.
Nonbinary Hebrew Project - We are building a bigger tent for nonbinary Jews through a third-gender grammar systematics for Hebrew, guided by our Torah and Talmud that teach us to rejoice that which cannot be neatly categorized. This project is free, open-source, community-based, and grassroots. It lives and grows and changes with every single person who uses and adds to it.
Ontario Jewish Archive’s LGBTQ+ Stories - The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre is the largest repository of Jewish life in Canada. Here you can find the OJA’s compiled list of LGBTQ+ stories from Ontario’s Jewish community.
SVARA - SVARA’s mission is to empower queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study. We offer year-round learning, served up the old-fashioned way: hardcore, queer, and radically inclusive.
Queering the Jewish Wedding - The aims of this project are to in-gather and archive Queer-Jewish weddings and union ceremonies of all kinds, interview the folks who crafted them, and create a video artwork and expansive resource from what's been shared. If you have had, have officiated, or are planning a Queer-Jewish wedding, we'd love your contribution!
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
SUPPORT OUR WORK
We’re so proud of the team we’ve put together, and the outstanding line-up of programs and events we offer. Now we’re hoping we can count of you to support us! We’re still in the early stages of this work but we have lots of plans that will need financial support! Any amount helps.
At LGBTQ+ at the J there is no right way to be Queer, and no right way to be Jewish; there's certainly no right way to be both. Our programs aim to support diverse, pluralistic, and accessible community at the intersection of LGBTQ+ and Jewish identities and experiences. We bring Queerness into Jewish moments and bring Jewishness into Queer life, striving for spaces where everybody can bring their full self. We both celebrate and amplify LGBTQ+ Jewish people and stories, in recognition of their inherent value. Interested in more information? Scroll through our webpage or contact Emunah Woolf, our Community Programmer, at emunahw@mnjcc.org.
ABOUT US
LGBTQ+ at the J: Tu B'Shvat Seder - Friday, Feb 14, 6-9 pm
This Valentine's Day, lets express our love and affection for the beauty of plants growing all around us! Join LGBTQ+ at the J for a special Shabbat dinner in honour of Tu B'Shvat, a holiday celebrating the birthday of the trees. We will be doing a modified version of a Tu B'Shvat seder, exploring the ways we are connected to, grateful for, and reliant on trees.
LGBTQ+ Gender Schmear - Sunday, Mar 30, 10 am-12 pm
This Trans Day of Visibility (TDoV), break bread with LGBTQ+ at the J and Lox + Schmear, our local, queer and Jewish-owned bagel shop. Grab a bagel loaded up with all your favourites, socialize with friends new and old, and celebrate this important day on the queer calendar. Registration for this event is free, but it is BYOB (buy your own bagel). Seated capacity will be first come first serve based on available space within the restaurant. We can't wait to see you there!
Bedikat Chametz: A Gaybourhood Scavenger Hunt - Thursday, Apr 10, 7-9 pm
Inspired by the practice of bedikat chametz (searching for leavened bread) in the days before Passover, join our scavenger hunt around the Gay Village, the historic home of Toronto's LGBTQ+ communities. Team up to solve clues, visit significant places in Toronto's queer history, and bond with friends old and new while you're at it! We'll end the evening together, once everybody finds their way to the ultimate destination.
LGBTQ+ at the J Purim Potluck - Friday, Mar 14, 6-9 pm
Please join LGBTQ+ at the J and Mazon Canada for a potluck Purim seudah (festive meal). We'll continue the Purim celebrations together sharing a delicious meal, learning about the obligation to give food and money to others on Purim, and prepare for Mazon's Purim Ball which will take place on Saturday night. Join us dressed up, excited to eat, and ready to learn! We can't wait to celebrate with you.