Student Programming: NUJLS
Welcome! NUJLS, the Nehirim Student Program, is the National Union of Jewish Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer Students. NUJLS was founded in 1997 by a small but dedicated group of thirty students. We are Jewish students and young adults of diverse sexual and gender identities who empower our communities and ourselves through education, support, and outreach.
On June 1, 2010, NUJLS became a program of Nehirim, the leading national provider of programming for LGBTQ Jews, partners, and allies. Directed by Sasha T. Goldberg, Associate Director of Nehirim, NUJLS remains true to its origins as a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization, and is committed to developing LGBT Jewish student leadership.
Click here to read a letter from Sasha T. Goldberg about the merger between NUJLS and Nehirim
Programs
NUJLS Conference. Since 1997, NUJLS has held a national conference each year a different university around the United States. These conferences feature speakers, text study, and workshops on topics such as Judaism and queerness, activism, relationships, ethics, coming out, and politics, as well as providing an opportunity for students to build community, network, and practice Judaism in a queer context. The next NUJLS conference will take place in the Spring of 2011. The NUJLS Conference at USC on January 15th-17th was a fabulous success! About seventy students from all across the US and Canada joined us for mostly sunny weekend featuring services, workshops, a night of comedy with Dana Goldberg and a keynote with Rabbi Brad Artson. Participants discussed queer Jewish genders, campus activism, Biblical texts, and Jewish ritual from a queer perspective. You can listen to Rabbi Artson’s keynote speech here.
Support for Student Groups. Student group support provides the generational memory and institutional development to queer Jewish student groups. This includes access to a program database, help working with campus administration, and connections to other queer Jewish student groups around the country. Skill trainings are custom tailored for student groups to help them fulfill their missions better. Topics include starting a campus group; fundraising; working in your local Jewish community; building coalitions; and organizing methods.
On-Campus Programming. Nehirim/NUJLS offers a variety of on-campus programming including religious services, workshops on a variety of subjects (examples include Judaism and homosexuality, Lesbianism and halacha, Queer Jewish poetry, Kabbalah and gender, Queer Jewish Heroes, Sexuality in the Talmud, GLBT people in the Bible, and much more), and counseling and networking.
Nehirim Retreats. Nehirim retreats are pluralistic, multi-generational, inclusive, and innovative, and students are an integral part of the Nehirim community. We have student programs at all retreats, student scholarships and travel subsidies are always available, and the application process is easy. Find out more at nehirim.org/aid
Affiliated Groups
NUJLS is affiliated with the following local organizations:
Ahava
University of Michigan’s student group for LGBT Jewish students. They’re famous for they’re Annual Flaming Menorah Hannukah party.
http://www.umhillel.org/index.php?page=additional_groups#ahava
Hamsa
University of Maryland’s group for LGBT Jewish students.
http://www.marylandhillel.org/site/pp.asp?c=evKSLdMYIvG&b=4096249
J-BaGeL
University of Pennsylvania’s LGBT Jewish social and education group. They also have a private online listserv.
http://pennhillel.org/social-cultural-sector#8
Jewish Queers
Stanford University’s LGBT Jewish student group. They are best known for their Coming Out of Egypt seder.
http://hillel.stanford.edu/content/view/17/41/
Kehilat Keshet
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s LGBT Jewish student group.
http://www.illinihillel.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=45
Keshet
Indiana University’s LGBT Jewish student group.
http://www.iuhillel.org/groups/ (scroll down)
Keshet
NYU’s group for LGBT Jewish students.
http://www.nyu.edu/bronfman/new/?page=clubs#13
Kulanu Toronto
A Toronto Canada area group that reaches LGBT Jews of all ages and religious backgrounds.
http://www.kulanutoronto.blogspot.com/
Mishpacha
UC Los Angeles’ group for LGBT Jewish students and their friends.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200402136
Queers and Allies of Faith
Oberlin’s campus group for LGBT people of all religious backgrounds.
http://www.oberlin.edu/stuorg/quaf/
Shalem
Brandeis University’s LGBT Jewish student group.
http://people.brandeis.edu/~drsinger/index.html
Testimonials
from NUJLS Conference Participants
“NUJLS has helped me grow spiritually and has provided a welcoming environment for me to meet other people just like me.”
“At NUJLS I discovered that being gay and Jewish is a gift and that they fit together.”
“At the NUJLS Conference I learned we are all similar no matter how different we may feel, and all different no matter how similar we feel, and kosher Chinese is amazing!”
“At NUJLS I discovered a community where I didn’t know one existed.”
“To be immersed in an all encompassing queer Jewish environment like that of NUJLS was by far one of my most invaluable experiences. I’ve never felt so comfortable to just be me. It was a tremendously amazing and empowering weekend and I really look forward to attending next year’s conference!”
“The NUJLS conference was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. I don’t really think I knew what to expect at all. I learned so much about myself that weekend—and I really feel like I helped push my self-understanding to a new level. It’s weird to think about…it’s like I was blind for so long in a way I could never have seen myself but…I can understand it now. I realize that I dropped off certain parts of the religion because of the pain and pestering that I felt from junior high school and high school, and even dating back to my elementary years.”
“This conference is so important for many reasons, not the least being the incredible sense of community and the feeling of family…I’ve gotten a lot of ideas and energy from this conference to work with my Jewish LGBT group at home.”
“I feel like I no longer have my other half with me [since leaving the NUJLS conference].”
“At NUJLS I discovered a kehilah unlike any other, in which everyone shared a common experience and identity.”
“NUJLS has helped me reconcile internal conflicts; helped me to accept who I am and flourish; taught me how to become active and start forming communities where I live, work, study, and play.”
From Nehirim Retreat participants
FAQ
What is the history of NUJLS?
NUJLS was founded in 1997 by a small but dedicated group of thirty students at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Conferences have been held in such locations as Texas, Michigan, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Connecticut, and Chicago. In 2010, NUJLS became part of Nehirim.
Who can be a member of NUJLS?
NUJLS does not have formal membership. We have participants like you!
I do not know anything about Judaism. Will I be welcome at NUJLS and Nehirim?
Yes! Nehirim is a non-denominational organization that welcomes Jews of all backgrounds! Our programs are accessible to those who do not speak or read Hebrew or have any familiarity with Jewish ritual.
I am an observant Jew. Will I be welcome at NUJLS and Nehirim?
Yes! Nehirim takes special care to respect and plan for members of all levels of observance. Kosher food is always made available.
Where have NUJLS conferences taken place?
2010- University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, CA
2009- University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA
2008- Columbia University/Jewish Theological Seminary/Barnard College, in New York, NY
2007- Washington University in St. Louis, MO
2006- Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT
2005- University of Chicago in Chicago, IL
2004- George Washington University in Washington, DC
2003- University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA
2002- San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Center in San Francisco, CA
2001- Yale University in New Haven, CT
2000- University of Texas, Austin in Austin, TX
1999- Smith College in Northampton, MA
1998- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, MI
1997- Columbia University in New York City, NY