How inclusive and welcoming toward LGBT Jews is your shul?
In February the findings of a study of the inclusiveness of American synagogues towards gay and lesbian Jews revealed that most rabbis overestimate how welcoming their synagogues actually are. On Gay Pride weekend I invite my Jewish readers to examine just how welcoming and inclusive towards LGBT Jews their shuls actually are. The preliminary results of the 2009 Synagogue Survey on Diversity and LGBT inclusiveness indicates that shuls have very little to lose and a lot to gain by being inclusive; 41% of rabbis whose congregations actively reached out to gay and lesbian Jews report an increase in membership compared to 2% who reported a decline.