Shabbat shalom. As we say in Brooklyn on Pride Shabbat, chag sameach. I’m so jazzed to be back home as Temple Emanuel’s gay-in-residence this Shabbat. 

Growing up at Emanuel, Schechter, and Ramah, I was frequently asked the same question: am I a Jewish American or an American Jew. Twenty years later, I can safely say…its a really odd question for a 5th grader.

The real problem with the question is that it presumes my Jewish identity and my American identity are separate. But really, they build on each other and amplify each other. Core to my Jewish identity is a belief in egalitarianism, which is only really possible in America with its multiple mainstream movements of progressive Judaism. Core to my experience of being American is the balance of the privileges of being a cis white man with the marginalization of being a religious minority. My experience of being Jewish and my experience of being American are both inextricable from the unique experience of being Jewish in America.

When I came out a decade ago, I realized that my Judaism is also really related to my queer identity. We often talk about Judaism and Queerness as opposites, and how Jewish communities are not inclusive of Queer Jews. There’s a lot of truth in this, especially in how our shul can be more inclusive of trans Jews and queer Jews of color. But stopping the conversation here is like asking a 5th grader if they are a Jewish American or an American Jew. It doesn’t allow us to embrace the beautiful ways these identities can create a whole greater than the sum of the parts.