Celebrating Diversity: Jewish Values in LGBTQ Pride Month

A mother with rainbow facepaint kneeling and smiling at a child

There’s a lot of Jewish history to remind us why we should stand up in support of those who face hatred for being who they are. June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, serving this year as a particularly urgent call for allies to actively stand up and speak out for this community in the spirit of v’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha (the Jewish value of loving your neighbor as yourself).

But that’s not the only fundamental Jewish value we model for our kids when we shed light on injustice or make sure our communities and spaces are safe and welcoming for all. Here’s some recommended reading and resources to help your family connect this, and several other mitzvot (good deeds we’re commanded to do), to your support for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month and every month after.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

V’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha

This is that famous maxim –– the (hopefully) self-evident idea that we should treat others as we would want to be treated. It’s so important that the Jewish sage Hillel is said to have summarized the entire Torah with a practical version: “Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to another.” He went on to explain what you’ll see as you read the values below, that all other Jewish teachings are really just extensions of this.

Children’s Books About Being a Good Neighbor

In this episode from Afternoons With Mimi, Kiddo learns not to believe everything he hears and about the special relationship Mimi has with a neighbor.

Community

Kehillah

While it’s certainly fundamental to love and be good to all of our neighbors, the Talmud specifically calls on Jewish people to be “responsible for one another.” We do this when we make sure Jewish spaces are safe and welcoming for all, and when we show up to defend the rights of our Jewish LGBTQ+ friends, relatives, and neighbors.

Take a walk with Kiddo and Mimi as they help people in their neighborhood, visit a community fridge, and more:

Mr. Saifair thinks he wants to spend Passover by himself, but the citizens of Mashal know better. Listen in on a special and sweet episode about the power of community coming together:

Every Person is Created in God's Image

B'tzelem Elohim

We may have different ways of talking about God, but it’s a foundational principle of Judaism that every single person is created with the same divine spark within us. With this idea guiding us, we see the need for everyone to be treated with the dignity we all deserve.

Respecting Others

Kavod hadadi

There’s a reason that as soon as they’re old enough to comprehend, we teach our kids to be nice to others. It’s because everyone else, even a stranger, has feelings and as much right to be themself as we do. That doesn’t change just because someone looks, speaks, dresses, worships, identifies, or loves in a different way than we do.

Saving a Life

Pikuach nefesh

Jewish tradition teaches that preserving human life overrides nearly every other commandment. Many LGBTQ+ people have expressed that receiving acceptance and affirmation literally saved their lives. When we dispel the ignorance that feeds anti-LGBTQ+ hate, reach out to those who’ve been alienated, and build inclusive communities, we may never know how many lives we save, but we’re fulfilling one of the most sacred responsibilities in Jewish life.