A week ago, Wednesday, March 26th, was the first anniversary of the Jewish Theological Seminary’s decision to admit openly gay and lesbian rabbinical and cantorial students, following on the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards’ December 2006 vote. In celebration, the students of JTS’s Committee on Inclusion a fantastic program called “Hazak Hazak V’Nithazek: Celebrating Strength Through Inclusion.” The goals of the program were clear: “We believe “Hazak Hazak V’nithazek” will capture the excitement of marking a special anniversary, a time to reflect, study, and celebrate historic changes, as well as the urgency to begin the next chapter with renewed hope and vision to make the culture of JTS fully inclusive of Jews of all sexual orientations and gender identities.”

It was a celebration and a call to action.

The urgency to begin the next chapter carried through most of the program. Significantly, rather than rehashing old debates, the program tried to answer the question of next steps. It focused on changing the culture of the rabbinical and cantorial schools, developing an inclusive Jewish sexual ethic–Katherine Ott of the Religious Institute of Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing spoke about changing the terms of the discussion from “who is doing what with whom” to “creating sacred relationships,” which resonated very well with the crowd–and the challenges of actually creating an inclusive community, rather than just talking about it.

I was glad to see that the program focused on inclusion, rather than on tolerance. A tolerance model would mean no cultural change, no recognition of difference and of the unique contributions of every member of the community. Dr. Joel Kushner, Director, Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation, HUC-JIR, Los Angeles and Dr. David Shneer of the Center for Judaic Studies and the University of Denver, challenged a speaker who hoped for a day when “no one had to indentify as anything,” and reminded her how that kind of tolerance can serve to make people invisible. Kushner and Shneer had wonderful advice of the kind that needs to be heard in the Conservative Movement: that synagogues cannot just want to seem inclusive but actually have to take real steps—from having LGBT people in visible positions of leadership to thinking about how we discuss families in our classrooms—to really be inclusive.

The focus on inclusion did not ignore the fact that JTS itself has not become fully inclusive: bisexual and transgender Jews are still not admitted to the rabbinical and cantorial schools. The students of the Committee on Inclusion presented a 10 point platform called Darkhei Noam that called for an end to discrimination at against openly bisexual and transgender Jews, and was comprehensive in seeking to end discrimination against people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in placement, synagogue memberships, academic curricula. I thought it was telling that while the students and presenters used the language of “all sexual orientations and gender identities,” this was not present in the presentations either of Chancellor Eisen or the rabbinical and cantorial school deans. I often feel that the JTS administration is so focused on patting itself on the back for its own internal process that led to the policy change that it fails to see all that did not change.

I found many sacred moments during the course of the day, a day that I wasn’t sure I would ever see before I was ordained: hearing the word queer used in the sanctuary at JTS as a positive term; honoring the stories of Conservative rabbis and cantors who had been in closet while at JTS in the past; hearing Conservative rabbis discuss same-sex marriage and cheering for marriage equality; and seeing generations of student leaders who had led Keshet together in one room, dancing and singing.

And the cake and the rainbow confetti were fun, too.

Of course, it seems that nothing good the Movement does can happen without something negative, and the events in Israel at Machon Schechter on the 26th were disturbing. I don’t really have the words to describe how I feel about what happened there. The homophobia that has come out of Machon Schechter since the CJLS decision is inexcusable. Jewschool has reported more fully. I am waiting to see how the JTS deans respond.

I am incredibly proud of the students, gay and straight, who by their actions are ensuring that JTS cannot rest on its laurels and assume that the conversation about LGBT ordination ended on March 26, 2007. JTS’s strength has always been the passion of its students. These students keep reminding us that this fight in the Conservative Movement has always been about real people and how we value them in our communities. As I prepare to be ordained in 7 weeks, I know I have left the fight at JTS in good hands, because there is so much more to be done.

Hazak Hazal V’nithazek.