Chutzpah, which means confident in Yiddish, will engage college students on University campuses nationwide to welcome LGBTQIA+ Jews.
Problem
How can we make an inclusive community for LGBTQIA+ Jews?
Research
LGBTQIA+ Jews are ostracized and isolated within their community.
An LGBTQ club was denied recognition at Yeshiva University because of specific values from the Torah.
Thus, individuals with these dual identities often find themselves either caught between two communities or lost without any community that will accept them for all aspects of who they are.
Rachel Shapiro Safran, Student Researcher at Seton Hall
SAFRAN, RACHEL SHAPIRO, and Rabbi Joel Roth. “A Multidimensional Assessment of Orthodox Jewish Attitudes Toward Homosexuality.” eRepository @ Seton Hall, 2012, https://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2809&context=dissertations. Accessed 16 October 2022.
Stack, Liam. “Yeshiva University Must Recognize L.G.B.T.Q. Club, Judge Says.” The New York Times, 16 June 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/nyregion/yeshiva-univ-lgbtq-club.html.
Assistant Director of The Kean University Holocaust Resource Center
Sarah Coykendall
I think leading with others in mind can create an inclusive space. So asking PRISM (LGBTQIA+ club on campus), for example, just hear their perspective and get feedback, asking for suggestions.
Competitor Analysis
Insights
LGBTQIA+ Jews are isolated with no community of their own.
Orthodox Jews and religious institutions are denying LGBTQIA+ Clubs.
Listening to LGBTQIA+ Jews will enhance inclusiveness.
Solution
Raise the voices of LGBTQIA+ Jews through a college organization.
To break the ice at events, students are asked to complete a survey identifying their interests. Based on their answers, students will receive a name badge with a unique pattern.
