Jerry Silverman

Jerry Silverman has played many roles within Philadelphia’s Jewish and LGBTQ communities - as an organizer, educator, and the founding president of the city’s first gay synagogue. Born and raised in Philadelphia in a traditional Conservative Jewish family, Silverman attended weekly services and Hebrew school, and has maintained this connection, establishing a lifelong commitment to Jewish life and learning.

From an early age, Jerry remembers certain same-sex attractions, and eventually decided to publicly acknowledge his sexual orientation while in college. Following his studies at Temple University, Silverman taught public high school mathematics in Jenkintown and Philadelphia, while simultaneously teaching in numerous area Hebrew schools, eventually becoming a part-time Hebrew school principal. Though his sexuality was never a secret in the workplace, the 1970’s and 80’s created several difficult incidents that he successfully overcame. Alongside his professional work, he remained active in LGBT activist circles throughout the decades. Silverman earned a Bachelor’s degree in Hebrew Literature and a Masters in Jewish Education from Gratz College, and completed additional coursework in Bible Studies, History, and Education during a year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

After traveling regularly to New York's Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, an LGBT synagogue founded in 1973, he realized he was not the only one making the same journey. In 1975, Jerry spoke with a fellow member of the local Gay Activists Alliance, Bill Cohen, about their common NYC experiences. They advertised a meeting in a Philly gay newspaper, three people joined them in Jerry’s home, and that was the official beginning of a 40-year run. Within a year, there were 35 members, and the congregation continued to grow to over 100.

As the congregation’s founding president, Silverman steered Congregation Beth Ahavah (meaning House of Love) through its early years. The group met biweekly at first, and then more regularly; the first major event held was a Purim dance, which attracted over 150 people. Beth Ahavah created its own prayer book, acquired a Holocaust Torah, celebrated Shabbat and High Holiday services, hired several part-time rabbis, and began educational and social programming. The congregation quickly became part of a growing Jewish LGBT network, with many members traveling to NYC to attend the world's very first conference for gay and lesbian Jews.

In 1979, members attended another LGBT Jewish conference in Israel, which was met with opposition, including pushback and protests in Haifa. The conference was forced to relocate when its initial space, a kibbutz, learned of the nature of the organization and withdrew its hosting agreement. To secure an alternative venue, the organizers renamed their conference the “International Conference of Travel Agents”. Two years later, Silverman helped bring 150 attendees from mostly North America to an LGBT Jewish Conference in Philadelphia, further establishing the city as an important center for LGBT Jewish life.

In 1989, Congregation Beth Ahavah officially affiliated with the Reform movement after the Union of American Hebrew Congregation (now the Union for Reform Judaism) had voted in 1987 to encourage Reform congregations to accept and welcome queer Jews. Outside of Beth Ahavah, Silverman continued making significant contributions to Jewish education. From 1992 to 2004 he served as Educational Director of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, where he oversaw religious educational programming and learning. Silverman also played an important role in expanding opportunities for adult Jewish learning in Philadelphia. He helped start a Philadelphia chapter of Limmud, a Jewish learning community, bringing the internationally recognized model of volunteer-driven educational conferences into the city for several years. He has also been active in the Center City Kehillah, an initiative connecting approximately ten synagogues in downtown Philadelphia. Each year members and guests spend one day studying, touring, and taking classes offered by members of the Jewish community regardless of denomination. In 2007, Congregation Beth Ahavah lost its lease and, in 2015, merged with nearby Congregation Rodeph Shalom after forty years of life. Rodeph Shalom is now home to an LGBT organization known as pRiSm.

After retiring from classroom teaching in 2008, Silverman remains deeply involved in public education by coaching new teachers in the region. Working as a tour guide for the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Hidden City Philadelphia, Jerry leads tours of historic synagogues, murals and public art, Philadelphia history, the subways, and Jewish history. He is an active member of Society Hill Synagogue, where he leads educational talks, chants Torah, and offers historical tours.

(This biographical statement was written by Malena Glover from an interview with Jerry Silverman and was edited by Silverman.)

Biography Date: July 2026

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