Ga’avah: LGBTQ+ Jews

Nicole Zador interviewed Ann Abrams on November 15, 2022, in Boston, Massachusetts as part of the Ga'avah LGBTQ+ Jews project. Ann details her upbringing in the Conservative movement during the late 50s and 60s, her journey of coming out, her influential role as the Temple Israel librarian supporting the LGBTQ+ community, her passion for musical parodies, co-authoring a book of Jewish folk songs for peace, and meeting her wife while working at the temple, reflecting on her life, family, and professional endeavors.

Nicole Zador interviewed Gilda Bruckman on November 10, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts as part of the Ga'avah LGBTQ+ Jews project. In this interview, Gilda discusses her upbringing, connection to the Jewish community, coming out experience, co-founding of the book store New Words and its evolution into a non-profit, as well as her extensive involvement in various volunteer programs and organizations, highlighting how her research into her family history as well as her relationship with her partner, Judy Wachs, strengthened her bond with Judaism.

Nicole Zador interviewed Priscilla Golding on November 9, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts as a part of the Ga'avah: LGBTQ+ Jews project. Priscilla recounts her family history, upbringing in Boston, higher education experiences, her brother's AIDS battle, her coming out journey and its reception, involvement with Am Tikva and outreach to synagogues, memories of the International Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jews, and reflections on the changes within the queer community, including her relationship and marriage to Barbara Berg.

In this oral history interview, Sue Katz speaks with Meirit Cohen about her life as a Jewish lesbian activist, martial artist, writer, and organizer, reflecting on her upbringing in Pittsburgh, political and social movements from the 1960s onward, international work in Israel and the United Kingdom, and her advocacy for LGBTQ elders.

On November 20, 2021, interviewer Shira Hartman recorded an oral history with Lisa Krinsky, documenting her childhood and Jewish upbringing, coming-out experience, career in social work and leadership in LGBTQ aging advocacy, intersections of Jewish identity and social justice, community activism, and reflections on family, resilience, and aging.

In this December 10, 2021 interview, Gladys Maged and Lorry Sorgman reflect on their working-class Jewish upbringings, evolving identities as lesbians, and nearly five decades of activism, including founding roles in Am Tikva and the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations, as they recount efforts to create inclusive Jewish spaces and advance feminist and LGBTQ rights locally and internationally.

This interview with Marc Maxwell documents his life as a Jewish architect and community leader, focusing on his decades of LGBTQ+ activism, volunteerism, and leadership within Boston’s Jewish institutions, and how personal relationships, privilege, and lived experience shaped his approach to advocacy and inclusion.

Mitchell Israel interviewed Dr. Susie Tanchel on November 19, 2021, for the Ga’avah: LGBTQ+ Jews project, in which she reflects on her South African upbringing, formative experiences at Brandeis University, career in Jewish education, and leadership and advocacy for LGBTQ inclusion within Jewish educational institutions.