How the WSP Began
Created by Eshel’s founder, Miryam Kabakov, the WSP has been developed and implemented by Dr. Sunnie Epstein and Rabbi Steve Greenberg. Launched in 2015, the Welcoming Shuls Project (WSP) identifies congregations and rabbis that have the capacity to accept LGBTQ+ individuals and families through various levels of inclusion, and assists synagogues in becoming more inclusive.
The word shul is a yiddish term for synagogue and is commonly used in Ashkenazi communities. Eshel’s WSP serves synagogues and rabbis of Sephardi/Mizrachi communities as well.
We have interviewed more than 300 rabbis and community leaders in the United States, Canada, and Israel. We continue to conduct interviews to expand our network of Welcoming Shuls, and based on individual requests. We ask the questions that Orthodox LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, and their families need to know the answers to. Based on these answers, we are able to counsel Orthodox LGBTQ+ people as they look for the right synagogue for them.
Why Do We Need Welcoming Shuls?
Halachic Judaism values every individual and community as a force for caring for each other and being responsible for one another. It prohibits embarrassing individuals, calling them by a name other than what they wish to be called, or threatening their physical or emotional safety. Orthodox institutions should not engage in any of these activities and, in fact, should work to prevent them.
LGBTQ+ individuals and their family members in Orthodox communities and elsewhere are at a higher risk for being excluded and made to feel like second class citizens which threatens mental and emotional wellbeing. Eshel helps Orthodox institutions provide inclusive environments, helping LGBTQ+ individuals feel at home so they don’t have to leave the community and lose access and support to live an observant life.
What Makes a Shul Welcoming?
LGBTQ+ inclusion in Orthodox shuls will look different in every community. Some shuls may be limited in what practices they are able to implement if there is low alignment between the Rabbi, congregation and board, the political and cultural climate, or capacity.
Welcoming Shuls work within halachic parameters to expand opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to participate in communal life. Some ways that shuls might integrate their LGBTQ+ members include:
- LGBTQ+ individuals are able to join as members.
- Bisexual and gay men receive aliyot.
- Same-sex couples are able to celebrate their childrens’ lifecycle events, including bris, baby naming, and bar/bat mitzvah.
- LGBTQ+ members can serve as board members or on shul committees.
- LGBTQ+ people undergoing conversion are supported by the Rabbi.
- Transgender people are able to sit on the side of the mechitza that matches their gender identity.
- Same-sex couples are eligible for household or family membership.
- Transgender people receive honors appropriate for their gender identity.
Each of our Welcoming Shuls is unique, and different communities engage in different welcoming practices. Please reach out to speak with Eshel about what expanding opportunities for LGBTQ+ people might look like in your community.
