Since it was established last year, one of the main goals of Jewish Experiences, a collaboration between Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and The J, has been to reach members of the Jewish community who have been underrepresented or marginalized. That includes members of the LGTBQIA+ community.
The first Jewish Experiences effort to reach out to this section of the community was an LGTBQIA+ Lag B'omer picnic that drew 40-50 people. After that success, it was decided to establish an LGTBQIA+ steering committee to spearhead future events. When the call for chairs for the committee was made, Brad Ordo and Damien Timms raised their hands.
“I had been looking for an opportunity like that myself, so when this came along I jumped on it and I’m very, very glad that Brad tentatively but positively raised his hand,” Timms said.
The duo realized that the first event, as with any new group trying to establish itself, is often one of the most successful in terms of attendance. To keep the momentum going, they’ve organized social events and volunteer opportunities each month. That includes a happy hour in Westport, an event at B’nai Jehudah with the Michael Klein Collection, a pre-High Holiday lunch at the home of Rabbi Doug Alpert and a working morning in the Mitzvah Garden.
One of their biggest events was hosting a booth at the Kansas City PrideFest this summer, with15 group members volunteering that weekend. Ordo said there had never been a Jewish booth at the festival before.
“We had a really great reception overall, and within the Jewish community a lot of people came,” he said. “We had a lot of people overall come up and ask about the name, that was really heartwarming.”
The group’s official name is Ga’Avah KC. Ga’Avah means “pride” in Hebrew.
The reception of Ga’Avah and the feedback from the LGTBQIA+ members of the community has been positive, and the group’s numbers keep growing. The private Ga’Avah Facebook group has more than 100 members and they have a mailing list of about 90 people.
One thing that’s helped the group grow is the dedication of Ordo and Timms and how well they work together.
“When we met, we were thankfully able to see that we had similar levels of energy and enthusiasm. We work well together, we’re able to bounce ideas off each other easily. It’s been work but it’s work that comes naturally to us,” said Timms. “We’re both really excited about the group and we’ve both really invested in the group, and I think that’s really playing to a positive result for the group.”
Ordo and Timms said that, as far as they know, there hasn’t had an LGTBQIA+ group since the late 70s or early 80s in Kansas City. People are happy to have some representation in the community. Ordo said that being a community-based group rather than synagogue-based has turned out to be a draw for some members.
“(Ga’Avah is) unaffiliated so I think that’s a positive element for some people who have felt marginalized or not included in their own synagogue world,” Ordo said. “I think they’re happy to know there’s not an agenda.”
Timms said the group includes people of different, varying backgrounds and observance levels, so being unaffiliated frees people from feeling that they have to gather within their own denomination.
“By being community-based and also supported by the Jewish community, it’s very attractive to them,” he said.
Ordo and Timms said they appreciate the support they’ve received from the Jewish Experiences team, giving compliments to Samantha Hammontree, Chief Operating Office of The J, and Annie Glickman, Development and Philanthropic Engagement Officer at Jewish Federation, who have helped oversee Jewish Experiences. Timms and Ordo are also looking forward to working with Ethan Helfand, the new Jewish Experiences director.
In the coming year, Ordo and Timms hope to continue the monthly Ga’Avah and possibly explore more “pop-up” type of events, events that are more casual and spur of the moment. And as the group gets more established, they’d like to do some collaborations or crossover events with other LGTBQIA+ groups in Kansas City.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about Ga’Avah can contact Ordo at or Timms at .
