We are proud of the diversity of our Jewish community and want to offer everyone the warmest welcome. To demonstrate that commitment, we have drafted this statement of welcome and inclusion. For anyone with questions about inclusion in our wonderful Jewish community, please email [email protected]. Please email [email protected] if you have questions about any of our communities’ practices.
We take seriously the notion that it is a mitzvah, an obligation, to celebrate and appreciate the diversity of Creation, in the spirit of the blessing which we recite on seeing people whose appearance differs to our own:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, מְשַׁנֶּה הַבְּרִיּוֹת
Baruch atah Adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam, m’shanneh hab’riyyot.
Blessed are You Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universewho diversifies the Creation.
LGBT+ Inclusion
We welcome, support and celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, and families. We are opposed to any kind of discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity. We support individuals’ self-definition of gender. Many of our communities and rabbis perform same-sex Shutafut ceremonies, an egalitarian and gender-neutral alternative to the Kiddushin wedding ceremony, and are able to register such ceremonies in civil law. Our communities are able and happy to accommodate diverse identities in religious services, including in offering aliyot in gender-neutral language when requested. Our communities have single-stall accessible and gender-neutral toilets.
Click here for information about our LGBT+ Network and Inclusion project.
Accessibility
Many of our communities offer step-free access to sanctuary and function rooms, and have ground-floor access-friendly toilet facilities available. We can advise on communities who use amplification and have T-loop systems available.
If you have any questions about inclusivity and accessibility, or if there is anything you think we could do to ensure that you or others feel welcome in our Jewish community, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
