June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and the Kansas City Jewish community is working on improving inclusivity opportunities for LGBTQ+ Jews in the wake of data from the 2021 Kansas City Jewish Community Study.
In the study, some respondents described the Jewish community as open, welcoming, and accessible to all, but others identified opportunities for the community to reach those along the margins and improve upon the welcoming practices that our institutions already practice.
The suggestions served as the impetus for new professional development opportunities for Jewish professionals, such as the May 18 symposium hosted by Jewish Experiences, a collaboration of Federation and The J, featuring Keshet. Keshet is a national organization that works for the full equality of all LGBTQ+ Jews and their families in Jewish life. Keshet’s goals include equipping Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ+ affirming communities, creating spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and values, and advancing LGBTQ+ rights nationwide. The symposium hosted in Kansas City centered around opportunities to better affirm and include the LGBTQ+ community in our Jewish spaces.
The 2021 Community Study found that 6% of Jewish adults in Kansas City identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Thirteen percent of Jewish households include someone, Jewish or not Jewish, who is LGBTQ+. Still, members of the LGBTQ+ community (along with members of other marginalized communities) feel that Kansas City’s Jewish community is “missing out on opportunities to make our community inclusive,” as per one survey response. The professional development symposium offered such an opportunity, allowing for Jewish professionals of all backgrounds and experiences to come together to learn common language, best practices, and the Jewish connections that can be made between welcoming others and creating space for everyone in our organizations and beyond.
Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael and Isaac Young, both from Keshet, framed the symposium with the Jewish value of “b’tzelem Elohim” (all humans being created in the image of God). One participant shared that they took this to mean that “even though every person is different, no one is less valid or important” and that Jewish professionals “have the opportunity to bring out that Divine spark in everyone.” The morning began with a basic introduction and explanation of different concepts and terms around the LGBTQ+ community. In the afternoon, participants chose between sessions on issues ranging from allyship training to best practices for affirming and serving LGBTQ+ youth.
Ga’avah KC
Creating space and opportunities for LGBTQ+ Jews in Kansas City does not end with this symposium. Ga’avah KC, an affinity group of Jewish Experiences, a collaboration of Jewish Federation and The J, continues to offer events and gatherings for LGBTQ+ Jews. Established in 2020, Ga’avah KC has offered events including a happy hour in Westport, a fundraiser including movie showings, a pre-High Holiday lunch at the home of Rabbi Doug Alpert, and a morning working at Mitzvah Garden KC along with Federation’s Young Adult Division. The group’s private Facebook page has over 200 members.
Ga’avah KC is led by its volunteer leader, Brad Ordo. In April of 2021, he was asked to help organize a LGBTQ+ Lag Ba’Omer picnic held by Jewish Experiences. Attendees of the picnic were interested in forming a group, and Ordo became a community chairperson. The organization was officially created as Ga’avah KC (Ga’avah meaning “pride”) by the 2021 Pride Fest. Jewish Experiences remains its community support organization, but Ga’avah KC is run independently.
As Kansas City's only Jewish/LGBTQ+ affinity group, Ga’avah KC’s mission is to provide a non-affiliated opportunity for LGBTQ+ Jews to gather in communal unity. There is at least one group event per month, ranging from social gatherings to community service to Jewish events/religious services.
“Whatever your Jewish journey looks like, we are here to support it, even those contemplating or actively pursuing conversion,” Ordo said.
With the proliferation of laws targeting LGBTQ+ individuals in Kansas and Missouri, Ordo stresses the importance of allyship.
“On an individual level, we need our allies more than ever,” Ordo said. “Simply letting your friends and family know that they are cared for, supported and loved for who they are is impactful.”
Ordo also suggests that religious institutions and community organizations should employ a “tangible model of inclusivity” with a “three-prong approach” focusing on programming, policy and the cultural environment.
Community members are welcome to support Ga’avah KC at this year’s Kansas City PrideFest, being held from June 9 to 11. The organization will also participate in this year’s Jewish Culture Fest in October.
Those interested in learning more about Ga’avah KC can contact the group’s community chair, Brad Ordo, at or (323) 356-2835.
