by Mark Cooper, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
(AJNews) – Alberta’s LGBTQ+ Jewish community and its allies must bolster its support networks amid growing exclusion within broader LGBTQ+ circles linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, community leaders say.
Organizers emphasize that solidarity gatherings, such as this year’s Pride Shabbat service at Calgary’s Temple B’nai Tikvah Reform congregation, have always been vital safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Jews to freely affirm their identity, but have become increasingly so during this “tense” period.
Senior Rabbi and Cantor Russell G. Jayne, the openly gay clergy leader of Calgary’s Conservative Beth Tzedec Congregation, said this unity is essential now, as many have felt unwelcome within broader LGBTQ+ circles following the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.
“I think it’s very important that we LGBTQ+ Jews find ways to support and uplift one another, find ways to strategize how to interface better with the larger LGBTQ+ community and find ways to help the community come back to the place where we can have true conversations about what it means to be queer in different spaces throughout the world,” said Rabbi Jayne, who will co-lead the service.
He considers himself fortunate to not have had any overt antisemitism directed at him by others in the broader LGBTQ+ community, but he knows others have not been so lucky.
“I can feel the tension that is there. And I have to admit there are times when I wonder ‘Do I wear my kippah going into an LGBTQ space?’ And that’s something I never used to think about prior to October 7th.
“And now I think about that more than I think about whether or not to wear some Pride wear into a Jewish space. It’s very much a shame.
“I really feel for all of my LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters that feel like they don’t have any community at the moment because they are in tension with their Jewish space and are in tension with their queer space.”
Edmonton’s Ashley Kravetsky, the keynote speaker at this year’s Calgary Pride Shabbat, knows all too well what it is like to have the broader LGBTQ+ community she thought had her back turn on her after October 7.
Kravetsky, a popular Alberta-based Jewish drag performer, was harassed and bullied online for her post-October 7 support of the Jewish community. She was subsequently cancelled entirely from drag performances after saying that Israel’s actions did not constitute a genocide.
“I started speaking a lot about what their words were doing to our community here at home and how they were creating conflict and creating tension within our Jewish community,” said Kravetsky.
“There were calls out from performers all over Alberta and Canada saying ‘this person should not be allowed to perform, this person is a terrible person, we need to not have her in shows. We need to boycott venues that are going to have her.’”
Her show’s co-director and partner encouraged her to leave.
“It was a general, overall, overwhelming consensus that I should not be allowed to be in this space because I was considered harmful and unsafe to other marginalized folks.”
At first, Kravetsky – who works as an Edmonton emergency room nurse – was devastated by the ordeal she faced.
She deeply believed she was an impactful community member who passionately advocated for the inclusion of both herself and others. Experiencing such hostility from a community that defines itself by mutual love, honor, and respect took a severe toll on her physical and mental well-being.
“I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t function,” she said, having lost 40 pounds over a three-month period.
Over time, she was able to recover and find clear purpose through a closer affinity with her Jewish identity.
“I think it really gave me that perspective of what it’s like to be hated or judged for an identity, rather than getting to know a human, as a human.
“I constantly share my story in hopes that people realize that if we come with open minds and an open heart toward each other that we’re always going to find community and unity.
“I think Pride Shabbat is that beautiful example of intersectionality, of love is love. It doesn’t matter your gender, your sexuality, your religious preferences or your political preferences. We need to learn how to love each other and work together to create a beautiful, strong and united community.”
Temple B’nai Tikvah Rabbi Mark Glickman agrees, adding Pride Shabbat is only one of a growing number of unifying examples of co-operation between Calgary’s reform and conservative synagogues.
“We’re thrilled to have Rabbi Jayne officiate at this event and our two congregations are doing all kinds of new things and doing more and more programming of various kinds to get together. And we love it,” said Glickman.
This year’s Pride Shabbat is co-organized and sponsored by the Calgary Jewish Federation which has taken on an increasing role since Pride Shabbat began in the mid-2010s as a modest, community-driven barbecue, sparked by the Temple B’nai Tikvah congregation and community advocate Jess Burke.
As interest quickly surged, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) stepped in, transforming the casual gathering into a formal, traditional synagogue dinner.
Rabbi Russell Jayne and Rabbi Mark Glickman.
For years, this dinner served as a prominent, nonpartisan political platform, attracting municipal, provincial, and federal leaders to address Calgary’s LGBTQ+ Jewish community. However, the post-pandemic era brought shifting expectations. Faced with a community weary of formal political speeches, organizers completely reimagined the event’s structure.
Now in its fourth year under a revitalized model, Pride Shabbat has shifted from a politician-centric dinner to an affirming, community-focused religious service.
Led by LGBTQ+ Jewish voices and keynote speakers, the event concludes with an informal dessert reception designed for connection rather than speeches.
Both Rabbi Jayne and Rabbi Glickman say it is important for the broader Jewish community to show its support for the LGBTQ+ Jewish community.
“It’s very important because LGBTQ+ individuals have always been part of the larger Jewish community and that identity needs to be celebrated. We need to celebrate the diversity of the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Jayne.
Added Rabbi Glickman: “It’s really an opportunity for all Calgary Jews to come out and stand proudly in favour of the value that this event represents.”
Pride Shabbat is free and open to everyone. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. The evening kicks off with Kravetsky’s keynote address at 7:30 p.m. followed by the service and dessert reception. Register here: https://jewishcalgary.crowdchange.co/59872
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