Cantor's Corner

Last month, I, along with Rabbi Emeritus Kadden and Rabbi Tiwy, as well as 16 congregants, celebrated at the first ever LGBTQ+ interfaith gathering. The event was one of two faith events offered by Tacoma Pride this year.

As a member of the Tacoma Pride Planning Committee that began meeting in October 2020 to create all the events for Pride, I thought about offering our Pride Shabbat again this year. But I wanted to expand the event with more voices, more community connection, more visibility for LGBTQ+ people and allies who embrace faith. That is how I came up with the idea for an interfaith gathering event for this year!

As chair of this event, I had a great team of clergy to work with on the programming, including Reverend Ben Robinson from Urban Grace-The Downtown Church, Pastor Tad Monroe from Immanuel Presbyterian Church, and Reverend Dave Wright, who is the Chaplain at the University of Puget Sound and who arranged for the event to take place on campus.

Seventy-five people came to the event where we shared personal stories in large and small groups, heard sacred texts from different religious perspectives, sang two Jewish rounds that I led, marveled at queer poetry, learned an Israeli folk dance, and most importantly, explored the ways our faith communities lift us up and how we, as queer congregants and allies, lift our communities up.

In one group, I talked about the joy I have experienced as clergy in being able to officiate at gay and lesbian weddings and to provide other blessings to our LGBTQ+ community here at Temple Beth El and in the greater Tacoma community.

When I taught the rounds, it sounded like a heavenly choir! Having so many people present, the joining of voices through the language of music created a truly sacred moment.

I do not want to stop the work of creating community between different houses of faith. You may remember a few years ago, I created the first Interfaith Choral Festival. Looking ahead, I would like to develop some “group singing” nights, open to everyone, that would occur at different houses of worship. This year, maybe we can do four events, and if people love them, expand next year! I envision asking my fellow clergy to find simple universalistic songs and rounds that we will teach when we sing as one large choir at each event.

I hope you’ll join me and sing to God a new song!