Hey...!! So I listen to a bunch of books. And in the past few years, I have been trying to listen and get books about israel and judaism (our history, our politics, and so on) but also this year I decided to read more stories written by jewish identifying authors. Stories that should have at least a bit of a jewish feel to them in their storytelling or whatever. Anyway... ive been getting into sapphic/lesbian romance books, and I cam across one recently about two young jewish women in DC during christmas time... and Im really sad about the way jewish identity is so ill explored in the book... the author keeps referring to the characters as "WASPS" (as if Jewish peopel can be WASP lmfao) and the only reason jewish identity comes up is in refernece to christmas ( "i hate hannukah because its all about capitalism because jews were sad to not get presents (meanwhile, doesnt mention the latkes or the lights or dreidl because who would mention those things when talking about hannukah?) and the mothers in it are just guilt tripping with new york accents) and its just.... antisemitic? Like im trying to be open minded... but this jewish author literally just wrote jewish characters who hate themselves and make themselves a joke. Thw worst prt is that the author is jewish and queer and should be able to recognize these things within their writing... needless to say.... i will not be reading anymore more Jake Maia Arlow. And will probably not finish "how to excavate a heart" rating of 0 out of 5. (Anyone want to start a jewish and gay reading book club? Lol)

Sorry to impose, we don't really have a LGBT safe space in the Romani community like y'all do here. Please read the whole thing I am open to advice or I wouldn't be here but hear me out too.

I'm third generation born American. My family is from Hungry mostly but also the Czech Republic and Russia. I want a tattoo that starts a conversation that makes people uncomfortable like how I'm made to feel uncomfortable and spoken over all the time. I want, just colored lines no fill, a pink triangle superimposed on a red wagon wheel 🛞. We have been erased from history for the most part. In school we got barely 5 sentences in the Holocaust history chapter. During these lessons, I was never given the option to opt out like my Jewish counter parts were. When my grandma, who read ahead of me in my Holocaust learning, read "Night" she wanted to keep me from reading it till she could explain some things to me. She went to the school to ask to opt me out and they said I either take the lesson plan and do it or fail the class and be held back. I was given no choice. People treated me differently after that lesson. I was treated as lesser and dangerous.

Even today, as a 27 year old adult, people don't know what I mean when I say Romani. I always always ALWAYS have to drop the g-word to get it across and suddenly it's either people become uneasy around me or they think I'm some magical creature to read their palm or some shit. Don't even get me started on the fortune teller tropes around Halloween. I work in a craft store and we sold so much "G-word fortune teller" merch this year it made me unreasonably angry.

I want something that makes people uncomfortable. That opens the discussion to the Holocaust and the effects it's had on the Romani population. I've considered even putting it on my hand by my thumb so when I shake people's hands they're met with discomfort and confusion. Hell there are people who don't know we were even targets during the Holocaust. I've considered getting the black triangle or dropping the wheel and doing a pink triangle super imposed on a black one, but most people don't even know that was used for us, obviously most people don't even know we were there. The pink however, people know and it's later reclaim gives me this feeling of power about it like my own little rebellion. And my Romani family exiled me for being LGBT+.

So I need advice, obviously I'm a spiteful man with a lot strong headed views and a lot of pain. I want something powerful that tells a story and starts conversations. But, at the same time, I don't want to bulldoze other in my attempts to see the light. So I need some other people to help with my perspective. I'm tired of being look down on and lost to history. Even my manager, tho playfully, makes Romani stereotype jokes at me and they get old real quick.

Anyway. Have at it. Give me the advice. 🛞🏳️‍🌈

hi everyone!

I just finished the book When The Angels Left The Old Country by Sacha Lamb and wow!!!! what an absolute joy it was as a queer jew reading it!! It’s a magical realism book rooted in Jewish mythology, featuring dybbuks and Jewish angels and Jewish demons and Yiddish. Obviously there’s obstacles the characters have to overcome but I can’t even begin to explain how seen I felt with a book rooted in my cultural understanding vs. having to over explain things.

My post here is two-fold:

1. I wanted to see if anyone else has read it! I would absolutely love to discuss this book with other people, especially queer jews!

2. Do you have any books recs for Jewish and Queer books that are similar?

For this bi-weekly (yay, more bi stuff!) post we're shifting focus to create a space for folks to just talk and share what's on their mind, even if it's not specifically LGBTQ/Jewish focused. Hopefully, as a space made up of primarily LGBTQ+ Jews we'll be a good support for each other with allllll that's going on around the world right now.

Please note: Our quality standards and expectations of civility are still in place, and this isn't a thread for name calling or direct insults. This is a place to process feelings and be in community with each other and just share what's on your mind.

Shabbat shalom!

I know there’s a massive lgbt community especially in tel aviv and I’m sure once I arrive I’ll learn more but is there any instagram pages or facebook groups or something anyone can recommend thanks:)

My mother is Jewish and my father a gentile, so I wasn't particularly brought up Jewish. Somehow I always found Jewish men to be exceptionally attractive, even the average looking majority of Jewish men.

I joined a shul recently, and 90% of guys around my age I've met a shul has just be intimidatingly beautiful. Curly hair, bright blue or button brown eyes, beard or stubble, hairy men. Oy vey!

That's it, that's all I want to say.

On this thread - and this thread only - Rule 5 (We're not your Shadchan/Matchmaker) is suspended!

Feel free to introduce yourself here, make an old-school "seeking love match" post, or, respond to others who've posted.

Include the information you think is most relevant about yourself and the kind of person you're looking for, but be sure to phrase it positively and respectfully. (Rude posts will still be removed.)

Great things to include:

• Your orientation/what you're seeking
• Judaic affiliation, if any
• Hobbies
• What you're looking for (romance, tennis partners, Shabbat dinner guests, board game partners)
• Your age / preferred age range

If you're open to DMs/private messages, say so - but know that folks may message you privately anyway.

Use your common sense when posting: Don't share any real-life identifying info on the thread (No names, no addresses). Definitely share general geographic info, age/age range, and other useful info. Remember, though, the internet is a scary place and lots of folks aren't who they say they are - be smart before you decide to exchange anything real!

(Also, we can only keep things civil/responsible on this thread. If you decide to take the conversation elsewhere, regular Reddit rules apply, but we can't get involved.)

I’m in Toronto, joined a synagogue. Not really sure how to connect to the local Jewish LGBTQ+ scene.

Have you folks managed to connect where you are?

A Wider Bridge mobilizes the LGBTQ community to fight antisemitism and support Israel and its LGBTQ community.

Click here to ask questions!

You can also click "Remind me" there to get a reminder when the AMA starts. You can ask questions starting at 10am Eastern, and folks from A Wider Bridge will be answering them until at least 3pm Eastern.

I am wondering if the community here knows of any resources for Jewish aces - I would love to seek advice from people that have both perspectives, and also it would be fun to meet/interact with more of us that are this very small minority in an already very small minority!

This Thursday we at r/Jewish will be hosting an AMA with representatives from A Wider Bridge (AWB), a Jewish-LGBTQ organization devoted to building bridges between LGBTQ communities in America and Israel, as well as fighting LGBTQphobia and antisemitism. Multiple representatives from the leadership of AWB will be answering questions.

I personally admire AWB because in the post 10/7 world, in a climate of increased antisemitism and disinformation, they dispel the myth that there is any conflict between LGBTQ and Jewish/Zionist identities.

Rumor has it that they might be giving out a free flag to a random participant as well ;)

So save your questions for Thursday November 21, 10am-3pm ET!

I am a gay cis man trying to get back into dating other Jewish men for the first time (I’ve dated exclusively Christian/Catholics before as it is the majority of men in my area). I have noticed there are thousands of apps, matchmaker services, Shabbat dinners and parties for straight Jews to meet and marry other Jews. It all seems very literal and marriage oriented and also highly conservative and exclusive of LGBTQI+ Jews.

I’ve checked out Yente over the Rainbiw and Jswipe but neither seem to have a very active community and therefore a database that will result in actual meetups.

Has anybody had the same experience? Is there anything I’m not seeing or missing out on?

I have even considered paying a professional matchmaker in NYC and cannot find one that will advertise lending her services to gay men. Any leads? Recommendations?

I am just curious how everyone feels about the term “queer” these days.

If you’d asked me 1 year, 1 month and 10 days ago, I would’ve looked at you funny and said, “What do you mean by that? I’m queer.”

But nowadays I’ve come to develop a negative association with the word, and I’ve noticed this seems true for a lot of other people in my friend group who share certain aspects of my identity. I feel the same way about some other leftist buzzwords too, which I used to be much more aligned with. And, to be clear, I firmly remain a leftist, I just distance myself a lot more from the fringes now.

I think there’s a lot nowadays, including much that I associate with the word Queer, that I used to see as benign even if it wasn’t personally for me; performative activism and so forth. Like I’m a woman who just happens to like other woman romantically & sexually, but I don’t wear 20 piercings or have a rainbow buzzcut and a hentai profile picture. And I never gave any mental real-estate to people who do, before, but now it’s a red flag to me that this person is very likely involved in politics that are actively hostile towards other parts of my identity.

How about you?

I'm a straight cis Jew.

I'm secular, but I was raised around this idea of "we love LGBTQ+ people, because we hate terrorism". Which as I've gotten older, it came to feel like a pretty random crossover. Jews ft. LGBTQ+ rights. But some of these people didn't fully care about LGBTQ+ rights? I dunno.

Anyways, idk if it's appropriate to ask, how was your experience like growing up gay with the Jewish community?

For this bi-weekly (yay, more bi stuff!) post we're shifting focus to create a space for folks to just talk and share what's on their mind, even if it's not specifically LGBTQ/Jewish focused. Hopefully, as a space made up of primarily LGBTQ+ Jews we'll be a good support for each other with allllll that's going on around the world right now.

Please note: Our quality standards and expectations of civility are still in place, and this isn't a thread for name calling or direct insults. This is a place to process feelings and be in community with each other and just share what's on your mind.

Shabbat shalom!

Shalom!

Recently have made the migration to Bluesky after ditching Twitter years ago. As we gear up for Trump 2.0, I am intentionally building my feed on this site to keep my blood pressure low, and also cut out traces of anti-semitism that I’ve noticed in gay Twitter from more leftist gays.

Would love to follow gay Jews with a liberal/moderate voice if you are on there!

Partner and I went through IVF and were finally successful, YAY! We would like a nonbinary Jewish name and are having trouble. So, I’m here asking for help. Really appreciate your suggestions.

How often do you go to your local shul? I go twice a week, once on Friday night for Shabbat service and then again on Saturday mornings for Torah study. I wish it was somehow possible for me to go more. Also, I wish there were some queer Jewish events in my local area in the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania that I could go to. I know there's Keshet, but I believe their events are either online or not in my local area. I just feel myself wanting "more" if that makes sense? Like I want to be more observant, but also I want to make some Jewish queer friends around my own age (mid 20s). I guess this is really me sharing two thoughts on one post, hope that's allowed. Anyone relate?

I’m gay M (in the closet) and my parents suspect but are hopeful I’m not. My grandma just toasted to me finding a good Jewish girl to marry and my mom jumped in saying “girl.. not boy” and everyone said god forbid simultaneously multiple times, I laughed it off and that’s what I just toasted and drank to. What a wonderful way to start my weekend!

For this post (and this post only) we're shifting focus to create a space for folks to just talk and share what's on their mind, even if it's not specifically LGBTQ/Jewish focused. Hopefully, as a space made up of primarily LGBTQ+ Jews we'll be a good support for each other with allllll that's going on around the world right now.

Please note: Our quality standards and expectations of civility are still in place, and this isn't a thread for name calling or direct insults. This is a place to process feelings and be in community with each other.

Shabbat shalom!

My wife and I live in Telluride, Colorado. I previously spent 8 years in Boulder and was ready to move on when I left. We will likely have kids a few years from now. We love Telluride but the cost of living is too high to have kids here.

ISO a jewish queer community with a synagogue. Very curious about upstate new york, the hudson valley, and western mass. I am from Boston originally. We love the outdoors but don't need 14k ft peaks like we are surrounded by daily.

Sending love to everyone on a hard day in this nation. Ugh.

hiya! I’m a trans woman and considering aliyah. looking for a somewhere I could chat (in Hebrew or English) with trans people who live in Israel. I’ve heard the warm fuzzy version and the horror stories and I’m curious how trans people feel about living there. something like an active discord server or something more active than r/ani_lgbtq. I promise this is about fact finding and not about dating, lol. any suggestions?