Pride Shabbat will take place on October 7th and start at 6:30 PM at the Dock at Piedmont Park.
The Atlanta Pride Parade will take place on October 9th at 12 PM – we want everyone to know that Atlanta’s Jewish community shows UP for Pride! If you’d like to participate, fill out this form.
For a guide and for resources relating to Pride, you can find that below.
Please join the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta in welcoming Atlanta’s Pride which falls in the month of October. In our commitment to our desire to be radically welcoming and deepening our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in our Jewish Community, we encourage all communities to consider choosing a Shabbat to honor LGBTQ+ pride. We have assembled a wide array of resources to support you. Since many communities observe Pride in June, you may need to adapt a few of them to reflect that Atlanta celebrates Pride in October, close to National Coming Out Day.
If you are a community that is hosting an event to acknowledge Pride for the first time, that’s great. Here are some tips to consider.
This is a helpful rule of thumb whenever a community is wanting to honor a particular group or identity. In this case, assemble a planning group that includes LGBTQ+ people, known allies and interested family members. You don’t have to plan alone and this way you can get a sense of what people want and need. This could be the start of an affinity group, standing committee or a havurah (a Jewish alliance group that meets regularly for programs).
Maybe you’re a community that already has an affinity group. Try to reach out to other members, interested guests, or speakers to gauge their interest and hopes.
Make sure that the participation goes beyond the rabbi or just one person. This is a great opportunity to involve lay leadership. Knowing the rabbi understands the importance of Pride can be very powerful, but seeing that the membership does is even more so.
No need to make it complicated. It is helpful to start with a clear purpose. Think about why it makes sense for your specific community to acknowledge Pride. From there, it can be helpful to pick out specific rituals, prayers, and/or offer a d’var Torah that acknowledges Pride or its specific aspect.
Think through what would make your purpose special. Consider if this is an opportunity to do some communal teaching on inclusion with some new practice, like name tags using pronouns or a new ritual.
You do not need to do everything, but if you are able to take a theme, or an opportunity for new communal learning and pull it through the evening, it will have an impact.
Building on the special nature of Shabbat, remember even our tradition emphasizes oneg Shabbat. Oneg means delight! So have fun, get decorations, have special food, or make opportunities for people to socialize and connect.
Let your creativity flag fly. Have designated hosts dressed with a flair. Take this moment to bring some joy in celebrating self-expression and authenticity.
Ensure that people feel welcome and everyone is celebrated. When planning, think about the points of view and experiences from different perspectives. Are there specific ways this service or program can be more intentional in welcoming LGBTQ+ people? At the same time, there are some universal values and connections that all people can appreciate. It does not need to be either/or, but rather create an opportunity that does both.
Queer Shabbat Guide: One Table’s Ritual Resource
Pride Shabbat Guide One Table & JQI offer a handy guide for creating a Pride Shabbat
The Rainbow Candles- A Ritual from the Sha’ar Zahav Pride Seder
A Blessing for Pride Month Ritualwell offers a beautiful blessing for Pride Month
Pride Shabbat Blessing from an Ally Ritualwell offers a beautiful reflection from an ally on the importance of Pride Shabbat
Blessing for Pride Another Ritualwell blessing for Pride
Twilight People From the Sha’ar Zahav prayerbook, a prayer for the evening
Prayer for the End of Hiding A prayer from Congregation Bet Haverim’s Shabbat liturgy that offers hope for a time where Jewish LGBTQ+ people can claim their full identity
CHOOSING BLESSING A blessing from Congregation Bet Haverim’s Pride Seder that blesses everyone’s unique gifts
Permission to Shine Affirmation An affirmation from Ritualwell that acknowledges that we all have gifts to share with the world
Selected Pride Shabbat Prayers The Religious Action Committee offers a wide array of prayers to choose from for Pride Shabbat
Where Pride Dwells A Jewish anthology of prayers for Pride by the Union of Reform Judaism
Siddur Sha’ar Zahav Congregation Sha’ar Zahav’s prayer book contains a myriad of Shabbat offerings that are fitting for Pride
Jewcy’s Queer Liturgy Jewcy offers this reflection on liturgy by and for LGBT people
These fo D’vrei Torah relate to the Torah portions and Shabbat observances that fall in October and offer an LGBT perspective.
Sukkot Themed: q-ushpizin offered by Keshet and Torah Queeries
B’raishit: Affirming the Sanctity of Same Sex Love offered by Keshet and Torah Queeries
Holiness of Twilight offered by TransTorah
Noach: The Language of Blessings offered by Keshet and Torah Queeries
Apres le Deluge offered by Keshet and Torah Queeries
Pride Themed: Be Who You Are offered by Ritualwell
TransTorah by TransTorah: a collection of sermons, liturgy, articles, and educational materials by and for trans, genderqueer, and nonbinary Jews:
SVARA’s Hot off the Shtender: Torah by and about the queer Jewish experience: Hot Off the Shtender
Torah Queeries a commentary on every Torah portion
Jewish Textual Resources: These are incredible resources from Keshet
Creating Welcome Signs by OneTable
Trans Inclusion Resource by the Union of Reform Judaism
A Quick Guide to Pronouns by the Union of Reform Judaism
Hillel Guide to LGBTQ Resource by Hillel International
Made in God’s Image: Gender Diversity and Our Communal Role by the Union of Reform Judaism
Coming Home to Judaism and to Self by the Human Rights Campaign
Gender Identity and Sexuality Resources by SOJOURN
Pronoun Guide by SOJOURN
The LGBTQ+ Guide to Jewish Atlanta (2022 edition with new link coming soon) by SOJOURN
Taste the Rainbow: 10 Rainbow Recipes including Challah! by OneTable
FAQs:
Why is Atlanta Pride in October?
Atlanta Pride is held in iconic Piedmont Park and used to fall on the last Sunday of June as observance of the Stonewall Riots in 1969. Due to a drought, the number of large festivals and damage to the park, all festivals were curtailed in 2008.
With a lottery in place, Atlanta Pride was offered to return to Piedmont Park in the month of October. Taking place on the Sunday closest to National Coming Out Day, our Pride observance remains in October.
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