On Monday, February 10, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest hosted a celebration for the nine partner organizations who participated in the inaugural cohort of the Greater MetroWest NJ Keshet Shivyon Equality Project, a program to make Jewish organizations more inclusive and affirming for LGBTQ+ individuals and their loved ones.
The year-long program is a partnership of Federation and Keshet’s flagship educational program, Shivyon, which includes 15 hours of dedicated learning and 45 hours of coaching for organizational change. Over the year, Keshet staff worked with each of the participating organizations to build and support an LGBTQ+ equality working group. The working groups created action plans and came up with next steps toward creating long-term and sustainable change in their individual organizations.
The program grew from a need in Greater MetroWest to create more spaces of belonging for the LGBTQ+ community, and this work has sparked conversations and initiated programs and events throughout the area, including Pride Shabbat celebrations, speaking engagements, and synagogue board/staff trainings.
Federation Interim CEO Steven D. Levy spoke at the gathering of cohort participants, acknowledging the important work being done, adding that Federation is “absolutely committed to the topic of inclusion.”
The nine organizations participating were Golda Och Academy, Congregation Beth Israel (Scotch Plains), Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael (MJCBY), Temple Emanu-El of Westfield, JSDD WAE Center, JCC MetroWest, Temple Sholom of West Essex, Congregation Agudath Israel, and the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest.
Federation President Michael Goldberg also congratulated the cohort for their accomplishments and shared that he is “proud of the work this group is doing.”