Mishkan Ga'avah: Study and Discussion Guide

The book Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells: A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual centers the voice and experiences of LGBTQ+ Jews. This collection of prayers, reflections, ceremonies, rituals, and essays widens the circle of Jewish religious experience. It will help people who have found themselves outside the mainstream or who have wondered if their Jewish experience could be honored as authentic breathe a sigh of relief. With prayers for affirming one’s queer Jewish spirit, for giving a Jewish voice to LGBTQ+ sacred moments and life cycle ceremonies, Mishkan Ga’avah broadens the definition of Jewish practice. The first book of its kind, Mishkan Ga’avah is not just a collection of prayers; it is the answer to many prayers. 

Mishkan Ga’avah may be new terrain for those unfamiliar with the struggles and history of LGBTQ+ people. Such readers may have questions about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in Judaism. The book gives readers permission to explore new ideas about inclusion and acceptance; about how we can actually honor all of God’s people and creation; and about how to ensure that Jewish LGBTQ+ voices are heard. 

Mishkan Ga’avah breathes new life into age-old Jewish liturgical formats. It encourages readers to be playful, creative, and innovative in addressing the holy and the Divine. The book teaches about LGBTQ+ Jewish history which may be unfamiliar to many. And finally, Mishkan Ga’avah is a prayer book with a theological framework at its core that expresses contemporary Reform Jewish ideology and values. 

To explore these questions and to provide tools for Jewish communities and communal leaders, Rabbis Denise Eger and Eleanor Steinman created this study guide in the hopes that Mishkan Ga’avah can be used to teach and enrich all of our Jewish lives. The lessons are targeted to those high-school aged and up, including college students and adults. Some of the lesson plans introduce the idea of inclusion around LGBTQ+ issues. Others take a deeper dive into questions of God, prayer, and Torah. Mishkan Ga’avah is versatile both as a siddur for personal prayer, communal prayer, and as an educational tool. We hope this study guide will help facilitate a deeper understanding of the LGBTQ+ Jewish experience and foster opportunities for communities and congregations to learn how to be fully inclusive and welcoming.

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