Nehirim was a national community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

) Jews, families, students and allies that was founded in 2004. The organization ceased operations at the end of 2015.

History

Nehirim was founded in 2004 by

Jay Michaelson Jay Michaelson (born May 5, 1971) is an American writer, professor, rabbi, and podcast host. He is a writer for ''New York'' magazine, ''Rolling Stone'', and other publications, having been the legal affairs columnist at ''The Daily Beast'' for eig ...

. He served as Executive Director until 2010, when Michael Hopkins succeeded him. Rabbi

Debra Kolodny Debra Kolodny is a bisexual rights activist and congregational rabbi. They served in the past as Executive Director of Nehirim. Background Kondny came out as bisexual in 1984 and has continued to be open about their orientation in the context o ...

assumed the role in 2013. Nehirim's Board of Directors included Corey Friedlander, Rabbi Joel Alter, Rabbi Julia Watts Belser, Rabbi David Dunn Bauer, Dr. Joel Kushner, and Dr. Alyssa Finn. Nehirim means "lights" in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. The name comes from the

word

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

, referring to the lights of heaven and rainbow colors seen at sunset. Its goal was to create and foster a more just and inclusive world based on the values of the Jewish tradition. Nehirim's primary programs were intensive weekend retreats and service programming promoting LGBT inclusion and equality. It was also a member of the Coalition for Liberty & Justice organized by

Catholics for Choice Catholics for Choice (CFC) is a dissenting Catholic abortion rights advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Formed in 1973 as Catholics for a Free Choice, the group gained notice after its 1984 advertisement in ''The New York Times'' chall ...

and the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the United States, now comprised by over 180,000 members. As of ...

and the National Religious Leadership Roundtable as part of the

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force The National LGBTQ Task Force is an American social justice advocacy non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a ...

Retreats

Nehirim retreats offered a means for LGBT Jews and their families to connect, learn, and grow together. Retreats have included East Coast gatherings at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, a transgender gathering at the

Pacific School of Religion The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the Disciples of Christ, ensuring the scho ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, student retreats at Boston University, West Coast gatherings at the Walker Creek Ranch in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village na ...

, men's summer camps at the Easton Mountain Retreat Center in upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, queer

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

weekends in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

at the Jewish Community Center of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

, and women's retreats at the

Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center is a project of Hazon that sits on 400 acres of forest and meadows in the foothills of the southern Berkshires in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Isabella Freedman hosts organizational retreats, Jewish spiri ...

. Nehirim's first retreat for LGBT rabbis, rabbinic pastors, cantors, and students was held in 2014 in San Francisco.

References

{{reflist Organizations established in 2004 Defunct LGBT organizations based in New York City LGBT Jewish organizations 2004 in LGBT history 2004 establishments in New York City