Keshet Ga'avah.

Keshet Ga'avah 
World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews.

-- Moshe Ben-Chacon

When the United Nations voted in 1975 to declare that "Zionism equals racism," many gay and lesbian Jews felt that there should be a gay and lesbian response. A meeting was called in New York and a loose network of organizations was formed.

In 1976, the first formal international meeting of gay and lesbian Jewish organizations was held in Washington, DC with representatives from Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Montreal, Toronto, and Tel Aviv to discuss common concerns and set in motion a way for gay and lesbian Jews to work together.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews Conference in New Jersey (2000).

In 1977, New York hosted the Second International Conference of Gay and Lesbian Jews with over 200 people attending. Subsequent conferences were held in Los Angeles in 1978 and Israel in 1979.

In 1980 in San Francisco, the World Congress of GLBT Jews was officially born with a Management Committee elected to run its affairs and the creation of By-Laws. Now the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and transgender Jews, Keshet Ga'avah consists of more than 50 member organizations worldwide.

Our vision is an environment where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTIQ) Jews worldwide can enjoy free and fulfilling lives. In support of our vision, our goals are:

• To be the worldwide voice of LGBT Jews 
• To support, inspire, and strengthen local groups 
• To foster a sense of community among diverse individuals and organizations 
• To achieve equality and security for LGBT Jews worldwide.

And to achieve those goals, we value:

• Diversity among groups and individuals; 
• Self-determination and respect for the autonomy of local organizations and individuals;
• Transparent organizational structure; and 
• Close ties between LGBT Israelis and LGBT Jews around the world.

To learn more about our worldwide campaigns, conferences and to get involved, send an info@glbtjews.org. To subscribe to our weekly e-news with information of relevance to the community and our Torah Queeries (weekly Torah commentary), please send an email to subscribe@glbtjews.org. 

Moshe Ben-Chacon lives in Jerusalem and is coordinator of The World Congress of GLBT Jews.

Past Networking Central Groups of the Month

In this section, we highlight a new local group each month in order to encourage networking.

• August 2005: The Jewish Relief Agency
• September 2005: Shalom Center
• October 2005: Various groups helping Katrina Hurricane victims
• November 2005: CeasefirePA
• December 2005: GoodWorks.org
• January 2006: Jewish Genealogy
• February 2006: The Female Hebrew Benevolent Society
• March 2006: Billionaires for Bush
• June 2006: New Israel Fund
• July 2006: Israel Free Loan Association
• August 2006: Kehillah for Secular Jews in the Delaware Valley
• September 2006: Ameinu
• October 2006: Jewish Labor Committee