I would like to respond to Jane A. Avner’s Commentary article about the “Jewish Community Study of Greater Milwaukee 2011” that appeared in the March Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle.
I recall participating in this community study. However, the questions Avner asked in the article ignore the diversity of Jewish communities elsewhere:
“Why don’t you feel connected?” As an openly gay Jew, I don’t feel connected because there is little the Milwaukee community offers to LGBT Jewish people. Witness the Chronicle’s occasional articles from elsewhere about LGBT people. The responses are always negative, frequently written by ultra-Orthodox critics, and never include responses from local Jewish community advocates.
“Why aren’t you a member of a synagogue?” I am unaware of any synagogues that openly invite participation by LGBT Jews in the community. The closest is the Reconstructionist synagogue, and its traditions are inconsistent with those I feel comfortable with.
“Why do you (or don’t you) send your child to a Jewish school?” I don’t have children, but still seek a supportive community that values the contributions of those who don’t have children. Milwaukee doesn’t seem to be such a place.
My guess is that these same attitudes prevent growth in the community and discourage youth from hanging around.
Mark P. Behar, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, is a Milwaukee-area physician assistant, co-founder of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender Physician Assistant (LBGTPA) Caucus of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), and national co-chair of the National Association of Black and White Men Together.
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