A Wider Bridge is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

based 501(c)(3)

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

which has a goal of connecting

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term i ...

communities in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and advocating for

LGBT rights in Israel Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Israel are considered the most developed in the Middle East. Although same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1988, the former law against sodomy had not been enforced since a court dec ...

. Their tagline is "Equality in Israel and Equality for Israel.” The organization currently has offices in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

History

The organization was founded in 2010 by Arthur Slepian after a homophobic shooting in Bar Noar, a gay bar in

. Slepian thought that LGBT relations between North America and Israel should not only come in times of crisis, but that the communities in both countries should be more consistently connected. The group also focuses on the message that it is possible to be both LGBT and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. In 2011 A Wider Bridge was named an Upstarter by the group UpStart, a Jewish entrepreneurial group. In 2017 A Wider Bridge announced that they would be changing directors on January 15 of 2018 from Arthur Slepian to Tye Gregory. In July 2020 A Wider Bridge announced Ethan Felson as executive director.

Services

Education

A Wider Bridge does educational presentations at various places across the United States, including college campuses, to inform others about LGBT rights in Israel. The group brings LGBT activists and artists from Israel across the U.S. to help educate people about LGBT life and culture in Israel. A Wider Bridge also educates Jewish LGBT individuals in how to be better leaders.

Trips to Israel

A Wider Bridge plans and sponsors trips that take LGBT people from the United States to various places in Israel so that they can learn and connect with LGBT and other

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

organizations in Israel and develop their leadership skills. The groups also meet with LGBT

Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

and

Ethiopians Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

. A Wider Bridge has also partnered with

Olivia Travel Olivia Travel is a travel company that sells cruises and resort vacations marketed towards lesbian customers. It was founded by Judy Dlugacz in 1973 as a women's record label, Olivia Records. It offered its first all-woman cruise in 1990 and rema ...

to sponsor a trip specifically for women focusing on feminist and lesbian issues in Israel.

Refugee advocacy

A Wider Bridge hosts events specifically to educate the public on issues about LGBT refugees from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

. The group also works to raise money for organizations helping these same LGBT refugees.

Controversy

Creating Change Conference

In 2016, A Wider Bridge had planned to present with

Jerusalem Open House The Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance (JOH, he, הבית הפתוח בירושלים לגאווה ולסובלנות ''HaBayit HaPatuach'', "Open House" ar, البيت المفتوح في القدس للفخر والتسامح ''Al ...

, an Israeli-based LGBT organization, at the National LGBTQ Task Force's Creating Change Conference. The presentation was cancelled by the National LGBTQ Task Force because of an outcry from

anti-Israel Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestin ...

activists. A Wider Bridge called for the presentation to be uncancelled through a petition and press release. The presentation was then uncancelled. The presentation did go on, but was interrupted by protestors and was not completed. The National LGBTQ Task Force later condemned the protest for anti-semitism.

Chicago Dyke March

At the 2017 Chicago Dyke March, three women claimed they were expelled for carrying a

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. The LGBT flag introduced in 1978 is the most recognized ...

with the

Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the '' seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorat ...

on it, a symbol of representation for Jewish LGBT individuals. According to the three women, they were told by the march organizers that they were kicked out because the march was

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palest ...

and

pro-Palestine Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1 ...

and because others were feeling threatened. However, march organizers claimed that the flag was an Israeli flag superimposed on a rainbow flag while American flags similarly superimposed were also not welcome, and that the three women were expelled after repeatedly expressing support for Zionism. One of the women who was expelled was a regional director at A Wider Bridge, and the organization has since come out against their expulsion and has created a petition asking the organizers of the Chicago Dyke March to apologize. The

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

, and the

Simon Wiesenthal Center The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a Jewish human rights organization established in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The center is known for Holocaust research and remembrance, hunting Nazi war criminals, combating anti-Semitism, tolerance educa ...

, have also spoken out against the banning of the Jewish Pride flag and the expulsion of the women.

References

External links

A Wider Bridge's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wider Bridge, A LGBT organizations in the United States Organizations based in San Francisco Organizations established in 2010 LGBT culture in San Francisco A wider bridge LGBT in Israel 2010 establishments in the United States Zionist organizations in the United States