Several people have asked me why I volunteered for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s booth at PrideFest for the second year in a row.
I would like to share some of the highlights and impressions of this annual June event on the Summerfest grounds and why the Jewish perspective is such an important addition to the festival.
As a member of Congregation Shir Hadash, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Milwaukee, I have been a member of its social justice committee. It seemed logical that when offered an opportunity to serve on the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s LGBT Allies group, it was a perfect fit for me.
One of my dearest friends passed away from AIDS. I spent many nights on the phone listening to the decline of a wonderful person who was being devoured by a new and insidious disease at that time in the 1980s. After my friend died, I made up my mind I would do whatever I could to support LGBT issues.
Last year I volunteered for the MJF booth at PrideFest. I spent two days engaging with a lively and enthusiastic stream of folks who passed by.
I enjoyed meeting people from other congregations as we shared our passion for the Jewish philosophy of inclusiveness and openness with members of the LGBT community.
This year, I decided to volunteer again. MJF had its activity booth in the health and wellness area of PrideFest, a moderately high traffic area. I worked the early morning shift with about 20 other volunteers from five different congregations.
On Saturday, we offered a unique taste of Judaism to the festival goers. Challah — braided in glowing PrideFest colors, created, baked and decorated by Meghan Katch from the Milwaukee Jewish Federation — adorned our table, a real show-stopper.
Everyone who sampled a slice of this lovely bread was astonished by how delicious it tasted. And we got a chance to share a slice of Judaism with each delighted visitor who stopped by our booth.
We handed out literature, signed up several folks for Hours Against Hate, a project of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the MJF.
We gave free admission tickets to the Jewish Museum Milwaukee to winners of the bean bag toss and ring throw games, both loaned by Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid’s Men’s Club; answered questions about Judaism and the MJF’s mission in the community and acted as ambassadors for Jewish culture, tradition and community activism in Milwaukee.
By the way, on Sunday, my congregation was building raised bed gardens with an inner city group affiliated with the YMCA. We have worked on this project for more than five years with different church groups throughout the city.
This was my first time missing this event, but happily, I had already committed to PrideFest. It was a wonderful weekend, filled with joyful outreach and celebration.
Finally, an organizer for the AIDS Ride visited our table and told us that this year’s ride was changed because the committee was informed that the event would have conflicted with Yom Kippur.
Understanding and partnership with the Jewish community affected this event. This decision made my day.
Lenore Lee is a member of Congregation Shir Hadash and serves on its fundraising and social justice committees.
Loading ...
