June in the Twin Cities means Pride. It is one of many areas across the nation that hosts Pride festivals in June. They are all connected to the Stonewall Riots that broke out the night of June 27, 1979, at the Stonewall Inn in New York. The Inn was a popular spot for the GLBTQ community and it wasn’t unusual for the police to raid it. The raid on June 27 became a milestone event because Inn-goers fought back against the police.
Pride festivals like the one in the Twin Cities are all part of the effort to organize for equality. J-Pride, a Twin Cities organization for GLBTQ Jews and their allies, is part of that effort to bring positive change to the community.
J-Pride will be participating in the Twin Cities Pride Festival and Parade this Sunday, June 24, and we hope you’ll join us and more than 25 other sponsoring organizations to be part of the “Marching Menchem.”
“Our participation at the Festival is visible evidence that the Jewish community welcomes all,” said J-Pride organizer Neil Meyer. “We treat others the way we would want to be treated ourselves.”
Parade line-up is at 10:30 a.m. sharp at Loring Park in Minneapolis and our “Hora on Hennepin” will begin at 11 a.m. J-Pride is out to break the record for the number of Jews on Hennepin Avenue dancing the Hora on a Sunday morning. Last year 60 people participated and we are hoping for more this year.
Eisner Klezmorim, a live Klezmer band, will provide the music so you can dance down the parade route, finishing at the J-Pride community booth with bagels and cream cheese.
“The Pride Parade demonstrates the importance for visibility and equal rights for all,” said Shana Cohen, Young Leadership Engagement and Outreach Manager for the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
“The Jewish community has a unique opportunity to show their support by participating in the J-Pride section of the parade or volunteering at its booth.”
To join the parade as a participant, call 952-542-4871 or e-mail [email protected]. Join J-Pride on the 24th to show your support for the GLBTQ community.
The J-Pride Festival booth is sponsored by Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Amos & Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School, Bet Shalom Congregation, Beth El Synagogue, Hadassah, Herzl Camp, Hillel at The University of Minnesota, Jewish Community Action, Jewish Community Center of the Greater St. Paul Area, Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, Jewish Family Service of St. Paul, Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul, Beth Jacob Synagogue, Jewish Recovery Network, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Mount Zion Temple, National Council of Jewish Women—Greater Minneapolis, Or Emet—The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Sabes Jewish Community Center, Shir Tikvah Congregation, Sholom, Talmud Torah of Minneapolis, Talmud Torah of St. Paul, TC Jewfolk, Temple Israel and Temple of Aaron.
Beth Jacob Congregation is also a sponsor of the J-Pride Festival booth – sorry for the omission.