by Melinda Lejman | photos provided by Rabbi Horwitz
Rabbi Sarit Horwitz is a Conservative rabbi and the new religious leader at Beth Sholom Synagogue in Memphis, Tennessee. But don’t let the title fool you -her stance on LGBTQ issues is nothing if not progressive. In fact, as Focus has already shared with its readers in an earlier issue, Conservative Judaism as a whole continues to work towards inclusion of its LGBTQ members.
Growing up in Kansas City, Rabbi Horwitz didn’t know anyone from the LGBTQ community, but it didn’t prevent her from accepting diverse sexual orientations from an early age. When she learned that the mom of her
best friend at camp was gay, it wasn’t a shock or even something that she had to process, unlike some of her peers. “A lot of colleagues of mine had to go through this struggle, like ‘Oh, this is ok’,” she says. “I never had to have that kind of moment. It never felt transgressive to me, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Whether it’s due to generational differences or it’s simply her nature to be inclusive, Rabbi Horwitz sees her role as a religious leader in the 21st Century to make everyone feel at home in Judaism. “In deciding to become a rabbi and wanting to build communities, it was never a question for me that inclusiveness was an important part of whatever community I would be a part of,” shares Horwitz. Studying Jewish women and gender studies at Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), Rabbi Horwitz wrote her Master’s thesis on women’s sexual assertiveness in the Talmud (the collection of Jewish law and tradition).
Before she attended JTS, the school had gone through an extensive process to become more inclusive, including reversal of a decision that prohibited LGBTQ seminary students from enrolling. “The school has come a long way in embracing what it means to be inclusive and diverse,” shares Horwitz. “I really applaud them, because for an
institution enriched in religious tradition and one that’s more than 100 years old, that’s hard, and I want to honor that.” Before then, many rabbis had to wait until after graduation to come out.
“I remember thinking there are individuals who are going to be good leaders of the Jewish people, but we’re not
going to let them because they’re gay?” says Horwitz. “That just feels really wrong and it always felt like a no brainer to me.” In terms of her own congregation, Rabbi Horwitz sees offering diverse and inclusive programming as one way to send the message that LGBTQ congregants are welcome and needed. “I think synagogues are learning what it means to be inclusive,” says Horwitz. “I want people to know that I love them as
people and as Jews in their fullness.”
In her own synagogue, Rabbi Horwitz sees the value that inclusiveness holds for the children who attend along
with their families. “Some of those kids are gay. And they either don’t know it yet, or they haven’t told anyone yet, or they’re scared,” says Horwitz. “It’s important to show them what it’s like to be a healthy adult who is gay, who is in Jewish community, who is loved and who loves their Jewishness, and that it’s a safe place for them to be.” Rabbi Horwitz recalls her own struggle in realizing she wanted to become a rabbi while growing up at a time when female rabbis leading congregations wasn’t commonplace. “I never saw any models of women being rabbis, so I couldn’t imagine myself as a rabbi,” says Horwitz. “I want our kids t see gay couples and think, ‘Ok, that’s normal, and that might be me.’”
At a time when young LGBTQ Jews or those questioning their sexual identity might assume that Judaism has written them off, Rabbi Horwitz sees it as the responsibility of Judaism to send another message. “We need to do a better job of making sure the message is out there to young people that Judaism is a place for them, even in that search, that they can find themselves in the context of community,” says Horwitz. “Judaism at large needs to make sure that the message we’re sending is ‘We love you.’”
Rabbi Sarit Horwitz lives in Memphis, Tennessee with her husband, Rabbi Abe Schacter-Gampel. You can learn more about her by visiting bsholom.org.
