Collection

Bet Mishpachah Archive

Span Dates: 1963 – 2022
Bulk Dates: 1975 – 2022
Volume: 30 archives boxes; 12.5 linear feet

Description

This collection contains the institutional records of congregation Bet Mishpachah, as organized by the congregation’s archivist, Joel Wind. The collection consists of correspondence, flyers, pamphlets, meeting minutes, administrative materials, photographs, prayer books, and newsletters. It also includes a few objects, such as a cloth banner, award certificates, a deck of cards, a flagpole ornament, and a mezuzah. All of the newsletters have been digitized and are text searchable, and many of the photographs have been digitized and are available in PastPerfect. The collection is organized in five series: Series 1: Alphabetical Files 
Series 2: Newsletters
 Series 3: Board Materials
 Series 4: Photographs 
Series 5: Objects

Hist/Bio Note

Jewish members of the gay community in DC began discussing the creation of a gay synagogue in 1973. Some were frustrated by antisemitism in the gay community, while others sought a space to explore the relationship between their sexuality and Judaism, which they felt they could not do in other congregations. Conversations with other gay and lesbian Jewish communities around the country led to the emergence of a number of synagogues, including congregations Or Chadash in Chicago, ‎Beit Simchat Torah in New York City, and Sha’ar Zahav in San Francisco, and DC’s congregation Bet Mishpachah was officially founded in 1975. It was originally called Metropolitan Community Temple (MCT) Mishpocheh, in reference to the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) movement among gay Christians. This name was later changed to Bet Mishpachah in 1979. In its early days, the congregation met in various informal spaces, such as members’ homes, but as participation grew, they sought out a regular meeting place. After being rejected by various organizations, including the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, they rented space in Christ United Methodist Church. However, due to concerns about rent and neighborhood safety, the congregation later moved to National City Christian Church, and finally to the DC Jewish Community Center in 1997. Bet Mishpachah has been involved with various other LGBTQ+ and Jewish organizations over the years. Bet Mishpachah was an early member of the World Congress: Keshet Ga’avah (formerly the World Congress of Gay Jews), which held its first conference in DC in 1976 and in subsequent years. Additionally, Bet Mishpachah has worked with local organizations, such as the Washington Area Gay and Lesbian Interfaith Alliance (WAGLIA) and – although their initial application was rejected – the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). Diversity has been a consistent discussion within Bet Mishpachah. Although lesbian Ina Rodman was one of the founders of Bet Mishpachah, the congregation consisted predominantly of gay men in its first few years. Starting in 1978, Bet Mishpachah began offering women’s outreach services, and although these programs successfully increased women’s membership, they also generated discussion about single-gender spaces. Bet Mishpachah’s discussion of diversity is also displayed through its siddur. It published its first siddur in 1978, and in this siddur, God is never referred to with gendered language. This commitment to a gender-neutral portrayal of God is reflected throughout Bet Mishpachah’s service materials, as members explored first feminist and later transgender issues. Additionally, bisexual members were welcome within the congregation as early as 1986, although most discussions still focused heavily on “gay and lesbian issues.” Finally, in the late 1990’s, programming began to address bisexual and transgender issues, and in 1999, Bet Mishpachah’s tagline was changed from “DC’s Gay and Lesbian Synagogue” to include bisexual and transgender people, along with allies. Today the tagline describes the congregation as an “Egalitarian Synagogue Embracing a Diversity of Sexual and Gender Identities.” However, while Bet Mishpachah fostered a rich internal community and participated in important outreach to other Jewish religious organizations, it often struggled with the place of politics within the congregation. Although it participated in DC Pride celebrations, it did not allow its banner to be used in the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979, out of concern for losing its nonprofit status. In the 1970’s and 80’s, there were also continuing debates about whether or not to use members’ surnames in the congregation’s newsletter, and some members of other gay and lesbian synagogues criticized Bet Mishpachah members for being “closeted.” Still, Bet Mishpachah members such as David Green, Susan (Sue) Silber, Barrett Brick, Elke Martin, and many others participated in important LGBTQ+ activism in DC. Bet Mishpachah as an organization also advocated for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ victims of the Holocaust in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and held services for people with HIV/AIDS. Bet Mishpachah is still an active congregation and continues to meet at the DC Jewish Community Center.

Finding Aid

The finding aid is available online. Digitized items from collections are also available online. An exhibit, LGBTQ Jews in the Federal City may be found at: capitaljewishmuseum.org/exhibition/lgbtjews-in-the-federal-city/
https://cjm.catalogaccess.com/archives/6404

Location

This collection is housed at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. 575 3rd St NW, Washington, DC 20001
https://capitaljewishmuseum.org

Tags

Washington, D.C. | Jewish (ethnic, Reform, Reconstructionist, Orthodox)