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March 2018
Ongoing Meetings

EshelEshel meet ups in Baltimore

Many opportunities for the Baltimore/DC Community
 

Baltimore/DC Meetup
April 15, 6:30 - 8:30 pm


Please join our monthly support group for Orthodox
(or formally Orthodox) LGBTQ and Orthodox family members of LGBTQ, co-sponsored by Eshel and JQ Baltimore. We have a new location that better serves the needs of both our Baltimore and DC participants.

View details for the April meeting here.


Baltimore/DC Parent Meetup
April 10, 6:30 - 8:30 pm


New group for parents only!  Please join our NEW monthly support group for Jewish parents of LGBTQ children, co-sponsored by Eshel and JQ Baltimore.

View details for the April meeting here.

 

PFLAG Monthly Meeting 

April 9, 7:30 pm


PFLAG offers all kinds of resources, as well as several kinds of monthly support meetings in both Howard County and Baltimore County.

View details for the April meeting and the organization here.

Location:
Owen Brown Interfaith Center
7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21044


 
Your Chance to Get Involved!

Do you have a great idea for a program?
Are you skilled at Marketing and engagement?
Is grant-writing one of your talents?

JQ Baltimore is now expanding our board and encouraging people like you to join our committees. Get involved! 

YOU CAN BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN JEWISH BALTIMORE

Email us at jqbaltimore@gmail.com 

Special Announcement

JQ Baltimore is in the midst of updating our database of local rabbis who perform same-sex weddings. We will also feature information about the many LGBTQ-friendly congregations in our area. Stay tuned for more info on these updates. And ask you local clergy member if they wish to be included in this helpful resource. We are committed to ensuring that our Jewish community is welcoming to ALL Jews.

For more information: jqbaltimore@gmail.com

Upcoming Events
Baltimore-Area Events

Jewish Film Festival


JQ Baltimore is glad to endorse this year's Jewish Film Festival and its inclusion of the following films of interest to members of the LGBTQ community:

The Cake Maker
April 19, 2018
7:30 pm
View details and see trailer here
*Use code JQBALT for discounted tickets @ $11/each. Discount will not be honored at box office

In Between
May 3, 2018
7:30 pm
View details and see trailer here

Films' Location:
Gordon Center for Performing Arts
3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue
Owings Mills, MD 21117

 

Showing Them It Does Get Better: Considerations for Supporting
LQBTQ* Youth


April 22, 2:00 - 5:15 pm


JQ Baltimore is pleased to partner with Dr. Harriette Wimms from
The Resource Group on this educational program for clinicians, as well as families, mentors, clergy, etc. CEUs available.

View details and register here

Location:
The Resource Group Counseling and Education Center
8501 Lasalle Road
#115
Towson, MD 21286

 

DC and Beyond 

Torah and Sexuality:Torah & Sexuality
Jewish Texts & Joy of Sex: What Torah Says About Sexual Pleasure


April 17, 7:00 - 8:00 pm


Another in a series of Jewish learning classes. This session will be instructed by Edlavitch DCJCC's Director of Jewish Engagement Darya Watnick and local Jewish educator, Becca Benoff.

GLOE - The Kurlander Program for GLBT Outreach & Engagement

View details here

Location:
Edlavitch DCJCC
1529 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
 
Rabbi's Corner

JQ Baltimore is pleased to highlight a message of inclusion from one of our local clergy. This message is brought to us by Rabbi Rory Katz of Congregation Chevrei Tzedek (Friends of Justice).

Perhaps the greatest moment of celebration in the Torah is right after the Israelite slaves have miraculously crossed the Red Sea onto dry land after being rescued by God from slavery. Our well-known hero Moses leads the people in singing the famous Song of the Sea. His sister Miriam leads a dance with timbrels and tambourines and sings another version of the Song of the Sea. But what of Moses’ and Miriam’s other sibling, Aaron? Where is he to be found?

Aaron does not have starring role at this moment. He could easily be overlooked at this moment and could fall into the backdrop of the story. We might even forget temporarily that Moses and Miriam have an older brother. But imagine for a second being in Aaron’s shoes: after all you’ve done to support your siblings (most famously, he served as Moses’ mouthpiece when he went to speak to Pharaoh), you find that you are basically invisible at the largest celebration your people has ever had. According to one commentator Nachmanides, that is why the Torah refers to Miriam in this context as “Miriam the prophet, the sister of Aaron.” While he may not have a starring role at the moment, the Torah does not want his presence to be overlooked at the pinnacle of the story of liberation.

This year, the first day of Passover coincided with Trans Day of Visibility. This holiday was founded in 2009 to highlight the achievements and accomplishments of trans people that were overlooked for far too long. In this season of striving toward freedom, we must see liberation as more than just escaping from sources of oppression. Liberation is also a process of looking inward at our own communities. We must notice which of our siblings’ stories have traditionally gone unnoticed, and which stories may still not be fully recognized.

May we celebrate our victories with as much joy as Moses, Miriam, and Aaron at the edge of the Red Sea. As we sing and dance, may we be sure to that ALL of our siblings are named and included in our communal celebrations.


Rabbi Rory Katz
Congregation Chevrei Tzedek (Friends of Justice)
 

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JQ Baltimore is a Program of Fusion Partnerships, Inc. which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization --- donations to which are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

www.jqbaltimore.org

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