What happened when an Orthodox Jewish congregation went to a gay bar to mourn Orlando

[Sgent]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/06/15/what-happened-when-an-orthodox-jewish-congregation-went-to-a-gay-bar-to-mourn-orlando/?postshare=2831466018063747&tid=ss_fb

When our synagogue heard about the horrific tragedy that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, it was at the same time that we were celebrating our festival of Shavuot, which celebrates God’s giving of the Torah.

As Orthodox Jews, we don’t travel or use the Internet on the Sabbath or on holidays, such as Shavuot. But on Sunday night, as we heard the news, I announced from the pulpit that as soon as the holiday ended at 9:17 p.m. Monday, we would travel from our synagogue in Northwest Washington to a gay bar as an act of solidarity.

We just wanted to share the message that we were all in tremendous pain and that our lives were not going on as normal. Even though the holiday is a joyous occasion, I felt tears in my eyes as I recited our sacred prayers.

I had not been to a bar in more than 20 years. And I had never been to a gay bar. Someone in the congregation told me about a bar called the Fireplace, so I announced that as our destination. Afterward, I found out it was predominantly frequented by gay African Americans.

[Gothmog]

1. Thanks for posting

This article brought tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed it. I go to a very reformed congregation but I am good friends with a number of members of one of the orthodox temples.

The actions of this Temple was so very very apprpriate.

[kimbutgar]

2. Heart warming story

Love always wins over hate.

[elljay]

3. The rabbi at our Conservative

congregation spoke about the attack during our Shavuot services and we had a moment of silence. We all need to pull together and finally bring an end to this madness.

[nwlorax]

4. Thank You, Rabbi and Members

Dear Rabbi:

I have just joined DU because of my friend and activist, Shelly Leonard, who Passed Over from Cancer several years ago. She was a friend for decades, her children grew up in my living room, and Shelly is one of my heroes. She was a convert to Reform Judaism, and had a calling in life to advocate for children who otherwise had no voice. (She was a Social Worker.)

Four of my other god-children are also Jewish. Their mother, sadly passed from cancer, taught them kindness, discernment, ethics, and a joy in living and learning.

I am joining this forum, the DU, in the hopes I can find a way to help make compassionate living the new Normal, and not the exception.

If Spirit is everywhere, then it is also present in bars.

Green Forests and Blue Skies!

Gordon Cooper
Bremerton WA

[cali]

5. lovely post. My warmest welcome to you.

[annabanana]

7. You may have to hunt for "compassionate living" clues here, for awhile...

Our discussions are not always civil, and passions can run high. But at bottom we here value love and comity over division.

Welcome to DU.

[calimary]

8. Welcome to DU, nwlorax.

Many of us are searching for that Spirit, too. And not just right now, either.

[niyad]

10. welcome to du, and thank you for that lovely letter.

[csziggy]

14. Welcome to DU

Shelley Leonard was much loved here - people may remember her as AlienGirl.

[lostnfound]

22. I love Bremerton. Welcome to du.

[Ilsa]

23. Welcome to DU. I remember AlienGirl.

DU can be uncivil at times, and generally, speech is uncensored here. But it's mostly all good, loving and accepting. I hope you enjoy being with us as much as we'll enjoy your company.

[Behind the Aegis]

24. Welcome.

She is missed by many of us, both in the Jewish community and the GLBT community. I enjoyed talking with her and miss it now.

Welcome to DU.

[classof56]

25. Welcome to DU, and thanks for this thoughtful and sincere message.

I lived in Bremerton for many years, still have family there, thus many good memories of that beautiful part of WA. I belong to a group that practices Compassionate Communication, and as you, long for the time when compassionate living will be the new Normal. May it be so!

Blessings and peace.

[LittleGirl]

26. welcome to DU

and greetings from abroad!

[WilliamPitt]

33. Gordo Cooper

That voice at the end is Levon Helm from The Band, btw.

[alfredo]

34. Welcome to our wonderful dysfunctional family.

[TonyPDX]

6. Thank you for that act of healing. n/t

[KT2000]

9. THIS is what humans are capable of

[packman]

11. The greatest commandment - Leviticus 19:34: love [the stranger] as thyself.

May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year of goodness, health and prosperity and for many years afterwards

[niyad]

12. contrast this loving message with that vile pos pastor in sacramento!

many blessings to that orthodox congregation.

[brer cat]

18. Yes!

The loud voices of hatred, bigotry and hypocrisy should not drown out the ones reaching out with love, compassion, and inclusiveness.

[Quayblue]

13. Hopefully this sort of action becomes a movement.

We all should go into each others communities and love on one another.

[REP]

15. Nothing about this story surprises me

An observant religious community reaching out with kindness to another community that's suffered a horrible loss? And that community being glad to see them, their neighbors?

I take that back. An Orthodox congregation with out gay members did surprise me a little; while the vast majority of Orthodox Jews aren't openly hateful, Orthodox Judaism is the least LGBT-friendly.

Also not surprised by the antisemitism in the comments.

[MurrayDelph]

29. It's not the religion

It's the fundamentalist mindset, which is toxic in all belief systems.

[LeftRant]

16. Very nice :)

[Photographer]

17. Beautiful.

[Sgent]

19. This is a great expression of Tikkun olam

the commandment to "repair of the world".

I hope both communities are enhanced by this action.

[LAS14]

20. K & R

[stopwastingmymoney]

21. That's lovely

The good and kind people vastly outnumber the mean and small

[NoMoreRepugs]

27. Proud to be the 100th rec

[Politicub]

28. High pollen count today

[MariaThinks]

30. welcome

[Mister K]

31. Moving story...thanks for sharing.

[nadine_mn]

32. Dammit - ninjas chopping onions

I have been pretty numb since first hearing about Orlando, but this story broke through so much of the wall I had built around my heart - a heart that was so tired of hatred.

[Tsiyu]

35. Who's sobbing?

I'm not sobbing.

Wish I had the song list so I could sing, too

[MynameisBlarney]

36. Oh man.

That's really quite beautiful.