This evening is designed for community members at large, and will familiarize them with the basics of building LGBTQ equality and belonging. This evening is best offered in support of new or ongoing work for LGBTQ equality and in tandem with staff- or leadership-specific training.
At the end of this evening participants will be able to:
– Identify and understand the core terms and concepts related to LGBTQ identities.
– Make connections between LGBTQ equality and Jewish values.
– Understand the importance of building explicitly LGBTQ-affirming communities.
– Identify concrete actions community members can take to build LGBTQ-affirming culture.
Jon Cohen (he/him) merges his dedication to community building with his personal mission for LGBTQ+ rights and representation as the Director of Community Mobilization of Keshet, a Jewish LGBTQ organization. By applying his own experiences, he revels in the opportunity to organize diverse communities through an intersectional Jewish lens.
After graduating from Florida State University, Jon applied his passions for the Jewish community and service as a Repair the World Fellow in Brooklyn, where he engaged young professionals in hands-on service and Jewish learning. Following the Fellowship, Jon served as the Interim Director of the Jewish Volunteer Center at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, executing community wide service events and organizing a young professional volunteer movement. He then returned to Repair the World as Program Manager for Repair the World Miami. In this role, Jon launched Repair’s sixth Fellowship city and spearheaded programs and new partnerships through local and national initiatives.
A South Florida native, Jon currently lives in Miami with his partner, Kevin. Outside of work, he can be found relaxing at the beach, reading, volunteering, and using online menus to plan the meal before getting to the restaurant.
Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael (he/him) serves as Keshet’s Director of Education and Training. Before Keshet, Micah had the position of Coordinator of Community Chaplaincy with the Jewish Family & Children’s Service of St. Louis, where he provided personalized support, connection, and meaningful programming for individuals throughout the St. Louis community. His work took him to hospitals, nursing care facilities, private residences, and many unexpected places!
Micah has his BA in Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and his MA in Talmud and Rabbinic Literature and Rabbinic Ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary. Throughout his career, Micah has advocated and educated for LGBTQ justice, leading trainings and consultations within his local community and the broader Jewish community nationwide. He is the founder of the Builders Beit Midrash, a traditional learning community in St Louis that centers the voices of LGBTQ learners. He has been awarded SVARA’s Transformative Talmud Teaching Fellowship (2018-2019) and JPRO Chesed Award (2017).
In his free time, he’s most likely cooking or baking. He lives in St. Louis with his wife Aviva, four children, and assorted pets.
