Come celebrate Pride with a colorful, family-friendly afternoon of unity and togetherness! Braid rainbow challah, make special crafts, and enjoy music and some light bites and drinks! Rakhel Silverman-Gitin from Keshet will lead a discussion with author Jeff Bender about his book Apparel Has No Gender. Amram Altzman, Keshet’s Associate Director of Youth Programs, will explore the meaning of allyship with our teens and tweens.

People of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and identities are welcome to join the fun! Rainbow-colored clothes and accessories are encouraged!

Register here: https://jccmw.org/event/pride-jccmw/

About the Book

When Jeff Ben­der’s child Court­ney, who was assigned male at birth, asked for her first dress at one and a half years old, all Jeff saw was the smile and delight on his child’s face. Lit­tle did he know that he and his fam­i­ly were about to embark on a jour­ney of learn­ing, growth, and accep­tance that would include issues sur­round­ing cloth­ing, bath­rooms, and sports teams.

Par­ent­ing in today’s world is chal­leng­ing, but par­ent­ing a gen­der-non­con­form­ing or gen­der-ques­tion­ing child can be con­fus­ing as well. Jeff opens up about his fam­i­ly’s expe­ri­ences with hon­esty and com­pas­sion, detail­ing the strug­gles and joys of par­ent­ing two gen­der-flu­id chil­dren. Along with his own sto­ry, Jeff shares the view­points of oth­er par­ents, grand­par­ents, and even his own wife.

Appar­el Has No Gen­der also pro­vides guid­ance for par­ents want­i­ng to learn more about gen­der iden­ti­ties and expres­sion. Any par­ent will ben­e­fit from Jef­f’s lessons on how to grow in under­stand­ing and par­ent with uncon­di­tion­al love and support.

About the Author

Jeff Ben­der is the father to two of the most incred­i­ble kids in the world. He and his wife have been mar­ried since 2005 and reside in the St. Louis area. Jeff found­ed The Lion and The Owl, a com­pa­ny cre­at­ing a com­mu­ni­ty for LGBTQ+ youth to feel safe in while nor­mal­iz­ing the idea of gen­der-neu­tral cloth­ing. The Lion and the Owl’s mis­sion is to sup­port and cel­e­brate inclu­siv­i­ty and diver­si­ty among our youth through appar­el, com­mu­ni­ty, and education.

About the Presenters

Rakhel Silverman-Gitin is the New York education and training manager for Keshet. Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and families in Jewish life. We strengthen Jewish communities. They equip Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities; create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued; and advance LGBTQ rights nationwide.

 

 

Amram joined the Keshet team in 2017, where he works to make empowering, liberatory spaces for LGBTQ Jewish teens and young adults across the country. Prior to joining Keshet, he spent three years writing for New Voices, an independent, online magazine created by and for Jewish college students, and was part of the Brandeis Precollege Programs community education team. He earned his bachelor’s degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University, where he studied Jewish history and sociology and his master’s degree in Jewish Professional Studies from the Spertus Institute in Chicago. He brings a passion for justice, Torah, writing, and the social sciences to his work as an educator and organizer. A New York native, Amram lives in upper Manhattan with his husband Jamie and their two cats, Perle and Herschel. He likes to live his life with an unironic, unwavering love of cats, kale, coffee, and pop music.