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Looking for a synagogue
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Anonymous
| We are a 33 and 34 year old gay male couple with 2 young children looking for a conservative synagogue in DC proper that we will feel comfortable with. A preschool would be a big plus. Other gay male couples would be very nice, but not required. We are not interested in a reform or orthodox synagogue. |
Anonymous
|
Adas is a conservative temple, but I don't know how many gay and lesbian families are there. It has a great preschool. My husband and I are thinking about joining, but haven't quite got ourselves organized enough to get to a service/seder/anything.
DCJCC has a great gay community and that community is really active. It's obviously not conservative. It also has a great preschool. My husband and I join and do a lot of things, but this is much more of a reform environment. It strikes me as less family focused than Adas, but that is just a feeling, because I haven't been to Adas. |
Anonymous
|
Agree with 6:49. DC JCC meets two of the three requirements--gay-friendly with a great preschool (with many gay parents). Not conservative, though.
Don't know how Addas treats gay families. I would assume, just being in DC, that it would be welcoming. Excellent preschool. Conservative. |
Anonymous
| Temple Sinai in NW is also gay friendly and with a fabulous preschool, but is reform. I've heard great things about Temple Micah but not sure what denomination it is - probably reform. |
Anonymous
| Temple Micah is reform. |
Anonymous
|
The only 2 conservative synagogues that I know of in DC proper are Adas and Tiferet Israel (on upper 16th St). Adas has a preschool and TI doesnt. I dont specifically know any gay male couples at either place, but you'd certainly be welcome to attend service at both places to feel out your level of comfort before you commit to membership.
There is also DC Minyan, which meets in the DCJCC. It is not a traditional synagogue, but might be good for you as well. There are lots of young families and I am pretty sure they'd be "gay-friendly." |
Anonymous
| Etz Hayim on Rt 50 has a number of DC couples. Two out of three: Conservative, Gay Friendly, and really not that far away. |
Anonymous
| Micah is reform but it is a bit more conservative than you might expect. Maybe you should try out services, especially family services, at the various choices and see how you are received and if you fit in and feel welcomed? |
Anonymous
| 14:17 here, I meant conservative in terms of services/liturgy/feel. It is very gay friendly. |
Anonymous
Etz Hayim is a great choice - it's turned into a really awesome place. Wish it was like that when I was a kid!! lol |
Anonymous
|
I belong to Micah and love the place. However, Micah is anything but conservative in terms of the service. I grew up conservative and the service at Micah is so much more lively and participatory than any conservative service I've ever been to. There is also more English than a conservative service.
OP, I highly recommend checking out Micah, even if your heart is in a conservative synagogue. It is a great welcoming place. It doesn't have a preschool at the moment, but I've heard discussions about getting one up and running. It is also incredibly gay friendly. The rabbi was performing gay marriages long before the Reform movement sanctioned it. There is also a special "tot shabbat" held once a month. You might also want to check out regular services. I wish you all the best in your search. |
Anonymous
| Another rec for Etz Hayim. Not in DC proper but close and meets your other requirements. |
Anonymous
| If you are willing to commute to VA and try reform Temple Rodef Shalom is definitely gay friendly. I can't recommend the preschool if your child is at all "spirited", but otherwise I think your family would be happy there. Best wishes. |
Anonymous
| i just saw that you are not interested in Reform. Sorry I missed that the first time. Best of luck in your search. Sounds like there are good options. |
Anonymous
|
Adas is very kid-friendly. The main rabbi is fairly young, has only been there a couple of years, and seems relatively socially progressive. You might consider talking with him as well as attending a couple of services. He gave a sermon last year or the year before on welcoming interfaith families, and while that is obviously a religious not a social issue, to me it indicated that he is interested in outreach to various groups - so my guess is he would be receptive and welcoming.
We don't have kids yet but I've heard the Adas pre-school is great. |