HOW WE GOT STARTED

Our story began with a sense of urgency—an understanding that there needed to be a space where we, as LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, could bring our full selves, without needing to leave any part of who we are at the door.

Starting with a private Facebook group, we then began hosting pop-up Shabbat dinners in different people’s homes in New York City. These dinners have since become a cornerstone of our movement. They create a warm, welcoming, and dynamic space for us to build friendships, establish support systems, and bring our full selves as LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews to the Shabbat experience, which is something many of us have not been able to do for far too long.

As we have grown and expanded, so have the different ways in which we gather and build our community. We now host Shabbat lunches, Havdalah gatherings, learning programs, discussion groups, Shabbaton retreats, and many other community-driven programs—all of which have become opportunities for LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews to feel empowered as leaders and co-creators of our eclectic community.

Our community is a traveling one—showing up in the homes of our members, as well as in different centers that support our endeavors such as our long-established partner JCC Harlem.

Through our impactful work, we are filling a critical communal gap. In doing so, we are not only creating a necessary hub for a community that has been relegated to the margins, but we are also enriching the broader Jewish and LGBTQ+ worlds. Elevating the experiences of LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews benefits us all and adds to the rich mosaic of the Jewish people.