On Saturday, June 22, on the morning of Cincinnati’s Pride parade, Jewish members of the LGBTQA+ community and their allies gathered at the historic Plum Street Temple for a special Pride Shabbat. Led by Rabbi Goodman of Wise Temple and Rabbi Kahan of Rockdale Temple, we joined in prayers and songs of encouragement and inclusiveness before many in the group left to walk in the parade behind the banner, “Together We Are Stronger.”
I attended the service as an ally, wanting to support not just the LGBTQA+ community but also my fellow Jews, and it was with a heavy heart as well, knowing what queer Jews in the Cincinnati area have been up against recently.
On my drive into the city, I remembered walking in the Pride parade with my daughter in 2022. We were with Planned Parenthood, and it was right after Roe v Wade was overturned. I felt deeply discouraged and fearful for my daughter’s, and all women’s, future, but as we walked the parade route, those of us with Planned Parenthood were met with an incredible show of support from the crowd that brought me to tears. We may have experienced a major loss, but it was clear that none of us were alone in the struggle.
But now, in 2024, it is a very different landscape for those of us who have faithfully supported social and political organizations and causes only to have these same organizations turn their backs on us.
Having read about the Jewish members of Cincinnati Pride being forced out of the organization and having read the heartless comments on various social media posts on the topic, I felt even more discouraged and fearful than I did in 2022. This was yet another blow against the Jewish community after we’ve felt so many in recent months.
Sitting close to the bimah in the elaborate and ornate sanctuary, I took in and appreciated the words of Cincinnati Council member Mark Jeffries and Rabbi Ari Jun from the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. This was a service about inclusion, peace, love, and empowerment, and all involved succeeded in creating a sacred, loving space for everyone.
Together, we prayed and sang songs of gratitude, of peace, of love, all voices for one vision, and as we sang, a movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Dancing! A small group in the congregation was dancing in the aisle, and I was face to face with something I had not felt in myself for a long time: joy. But it was there in their faces and movements, pure happiness on a very hot morning that required extra police protection and preparation for facing potential harassment and abuse from the crowd, and of course, it spread among the congregation. It was a spark from the ancient fire of Jewish joy that has sustained its people for centuries.
While I could not walk in the parade, I have no doubt that this joy helped carry those who did through the entire parade route, no matter what they faced. I have taken it home with me, where I hope to nurture it, along with the feelings of peace and gratitude we sang of together.
