LGBTQIA+ Task Force

The LGBTQIA+ Task Force was established in 2021, and our purpose is to build on Or Shalom’s mission to meet the diverse needs of our congregants within a caring, inclusive, and supporting environment. Guided by Reform Judaic practices and principles, we aim to fully embrace, equally value, and support all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We will do so through education and programming initiatives designed to build a sense of acceptance, belonging, and inclusion, in a safe and caring environment. We meet on the third Tuesday of each month, and work together to attend and create events to ensure all members of the community feel a strong sense of belonging.  Check out some of the things we have done to date below.

BE PROUD TO PARTICIPATE IN AND SUPPORT THE LGBTQIA+ TASK FORCE

June is Pride Month. It’s a great time to get out and share our support for our diverse and inclusive community.

Please join us at these upcoming free events. We really are stronger together!

BUFFALO GROVE PRIDE PARADE

Sunday, June 1 | 9:00am Staging/Decorating, 11:00am Step-Off

Come march with us in the 7th annual Buffalo Grove Pride Parade! This year’s theme is “Pride is Natural” - celebrating the beauty in all families who are nurturing, caring, and loving. Being part of the LGBTQ community is as natural as it gets. If you’d like to join us and march together, please register HERE. We ask each family coming to bring a bag of candy to distribute to parade-goers. Nina Hoffman will provide blue Or Shalom bags for you to use to carry your candy. We will have a car in the parade this year, for the first time, and it must be fully decorated. Come help us make it beautiful at 9am!

LAKE COUNTY PRIDE FEST

Saturday, June 14 | 12:00pm

Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center

Support Or Shalom and the greater Lake County LGBTQIA+ community at Lake County Pride Fest! The festival runs from 12-8pm, and we will be running a booth there from 12-5pm. Be sure to stop and visit on a terrific, fun day full of entertainment, booths, food, and more!

HAWTHORN PRIDE EVENT & MARKET

Saturday, June 21 | 2:00pm

Hawthorn Mall (Outside by Dave & Buster's)

Hawthorn Mall is hosting its second annual Pride Event and Market this year!

We will have a booth here again. Please come support Or Shalom AND your local community.

PRIDE SHABBAT SERVICE 2025

Friday, June 27 | 7:00pm service

Celebrate Pride Shabbat with us this June, hosted by Or Shalom’s LGBTQIA+ Task Force. Share in worship, readings, and music celebrating our beautiful, diverse LGBTQIA+ community. We will be welcoming Kristal Larson, Executive Director of LGBTQ+ Center Lake County, as our guest speaker, and there will be a Pride-themed after the service. Please join us! No registration needed.

For more information on any of these events, please contact Nina Hoffman.

"I SUPPORT" T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE

Show your Pride  in Congregation Or Shalom and our greater LGBTQIA+ community by wearing an "I Support" T-shirt!                                                                                                

We have a limited number of shirts available, from $15-$18 each, depending upon size. 

To order, please contact Nina Hoffman.

BUFFALO GROVE PRIDE PARADE 2024

2024’s Buffalo Grove Pride Parade theme was “Drag Us to the Polls” - hoping to encourage people to register and vote in their local and national elections! We lucked out with great weather once again, and marched together with many other Jewish organizations in solidarity. We marched in 2023 and 2022 as well.

LAKE COUNTY PRIDEFEST 2024

LGBTQ+ Center Lake County hosted their third annual PrideFest this year, and Or Shalom was proud to participate! This event welcomes folks from all over the greater Lake County and surrounding communities in a terrific, fun day full of entertainment, booths, food, and more! We’ve had a booth at this event each year since 2022.

HAWTHORN PRIDE FEST 2024

Hawthorn Mall hosted its first Pride Fest in 2024, and Or Shalom’s LGBTQIA+ Task Force was proud to run a booth for their inaugural event. We had tons of fun, lots of foot traffic, and perfect weather.

PRIDE SHABBAT DINNER & SERVICE 2024

For the third year in a row, Or Shalom’s LGBTQIA+ Task Force hosted Pride Shabbat, and this year, we were fortunate to have ChiTribe sponsor the evening. This event blended the spirit of Shabbat with the values of inclusivity and community, offering a dairy Shabbat dinner and meaningful services. It was a beautiful opportunity to honor diversity within our Jewish community.

WE PUBLISHED A BOOK! 2024

Or Shalom’s Poet Laureate, Bill McNulty, organized our LGBTQIA+ Task Force to help create a wonderful new book, When The Name Changes. To quote Bill: “The world is changing. A few decades ago, open discussions about gender and sexuality didn’t easily happen… Now we use pronouns to identify everyone. At times, with a new identity, comes a name change. Some can accept the changes, and some cannot. There are those who want to preach and other who want to regulate. I hope this book can be an expression of love and acceptance.” You can order the book here.

SAFE ZONE TRAINING 2022

We hosted SafeZone Training through LGBTQ+ Center Lake County to help our Task Force, clergy, and staff - as well as members of the congregation at large - begin to gain an understanding of advocacy and allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. We hope to host future trainings as well, to take a deeper dive into those concepts and learn about what discrimination, prejudice and privilege can mean.