Jewish Queer and Trans Seniors
Insights into the lived experiences and current needs
of self-identified Jewish queer and trans seniors
… Images to be added soon …
Jewish queer and trans seniors
Dignity Seniors Society (DSS) is a community partner of the JQT Seniors Initiative, a Community Response Network hosted by JQT Vancouver, a 100% volunteer-led Jewish queer and trans charitable nonprofit. The committee has been meeting monthly since March 2021 and was established in response to fears of antisemitism and queer/homo/transphobia expressed by interviewees (Jewish queer and trans seniors) about going back into the closet two-fold—as Jews and as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community—upon entering assisted living and long term care.
The mission of the committee is to make visible and close gaps in the care of Jewish queer and trans seniors by working collaboratively with Jewish, 2SLGBTQIA+, and healthcare organizations in BC. The goals of the committee are: 1) to increase collaboration among service and care providers, community organizations, and Jewish queer and trans seniors; 2) to provide integrated outreach to Jewish queer and trans seniors, whether they are affiliated or not with the Jewish community, and whether they are living independently or in care; and 3) to foster organizational learning through mandatory and continual staff training, and to the adoption of inclusive, diverse, and accessibility policies.
Here at Dignity Seniors Society, we are following research conducted by the JQT Seniors Initiative to better understand the history, culture and barriers impacting Jewish queer and trans seniors from accessing healthcare.
The BC Jewish Queer & Trans Seniors Resource Guide (2023) - this living document includes the most up-to-date information on end-of-life and funeral considerations. Several updates have been made to this document, the largest being the adoption of non-binary Hebrew ritual blessings for non-binary Jewish burials by the Orthodox-run Cheva Kadisha (Jewish burial society).
Outreach Survey Report (2024)
JQT Affirming Care: A Toolkit for Mental Health Providers (2024)
In 2024, the JQT Seniors Initiative hosted Florida! Ya Kill Me!, a one-woman theater show, following Berlin-based 96-year-old drag queen Nana Schewitz on the journey back to her ancestral home of South Florida to find a slice of retirement paradise. As Nana retells her true experiences touring South and Central Florida’s most eclectic and glamorous retirement abodes, she begins to uncover the equally glamorous stories and lives that reside in these purpose-built palaces of paradises. The 90-minute theatrical production in addition to the post-show discussion expanded dialogue about the nuances and challenges of aging and its effects on Jewish and Senior communities. Read more about the production in the Jewish Independent: https://www.jewishindependent.ca/highlighting-seniors-issues/
JQT Dying & Death - February 25, 2024. This is a recording from JQT Dying & Death (a townhall conversation on the status of Jewish queer trans dying and death services in BC), which took place on February 25, 2024 at the Celebration Hall in Mountain View Cemetery. Closed captioning available.
This is a recording from JQT Dying & Death, which took place on February 25, 2024 at the Celebration Hall in Mountain View Cemetery. (Closed Captioning available) - “Amazing and transformative JQT event … that brought together so many important voices to talk about the dying and death needs of Jewish LGBTQ+ community”
The goal of this community gathering was to provide a platform for the JQT community to find out what is and is not yet possible in BC in 2024, and to build bridges between various groups that are working towards making dying and death more inclusive for the Jewish queer and trans community at large.
If you have any questions, please contact us.