MU ARE CORDIALLY
INVITED TO OUR
COMPLIMENTARY:
Underwriting
Gay Life
Chicago federation takes lead
in fund-raising for activities for homosexuals.
JULIE WIENER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
L
New York
JULY 3RD
JULY 10TH
The Bob DuRant The Rod Borke
Band
Band
The Phil Gram
Band
Panchito
and Orchestra
Tony Russo and Band
Refreshments will be served
Please RSVP to Libby at (248) 352-0208
Where Exceptional Service is Our Standard
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6/29
2001
26
Forest City Management Inc.. Apartment. Inc.. Apartment Division, does not discriminate on
the basis of handicapped status in the admission or access to or treatment. or employment
in its proarams and activities. Equal Housing OpportunitylEdual Opportunity Employer.
ike most single men, Bruce
Lederman gets a lot of
matchmaking offers from
people he meets in the
Jewish community.
When told, "I have a great sister,"
Lederman, 38, usually responds,
"That is nice to think of me. But I'm
gay. Do you have a brother?"
Lederman, who is on the board of
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Chicago and serves on the young
leadership division of the United
Jewish Communities, the
umbrella organization for North
American Jewish federations, says
his homosexuality has not been a
problem in either organization.
And he sees nothing controver-
sial in his latest effort to combine
two aspects of his identity: help-
ing to create North America's
first federation endowment for gay
and lesbian initiatives.
"I think it's as mainstream as
hamantashen," he said, referring to the
triangular Purim .:ookie. "It's about
Jews helping Jews."
Although some in the Orthodox
community are less than pleased with
the Chicago federation's Jewish
Lesbian and Gay Fund, it passed
unanimously through the federation's
board — which has a reputation as
conservative and risk-averse — and
has generated little controversy.
The new fund comes as lesbians
and gays in large cities are gradually
gaining acceptance, and even being
courted by, the mainstream Jewish
community.
In the past few years:
• The Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia hired Harold Goldman
as its executive vice president, making
him the first openly gay person to
hold such a high position in the fed-
eration world.
• San Francisco's federation has a
task force for gay and lesbian issues
and several federations — including
those in Boston, Philadelphia and
Albany — have sponsored programs
to sensitize the agencies they fund to
gay and lesbian concerns.
• The Jewish National Fund, which
until 1992 refused to post a plaque
for a forest dedicated by the Fourth
International Conference of Gay and
Lesbian Jews, recently sponsored a gay
and lesbian mission.
• The Reform movement's Central
Conference of American Rabbis
affirmed its rabbis' rights to officiate
at same-sex commitment ceremonies.
While such ceremonies are not
"It's about Jews
helping Jews."
Bruce Lederman
endorsed in the Conservative move-
ment, several rabbis officiate at them
without facing disciplinary measures.
• The UJC and the New York feder-
ation both offer benefits to partners of
gay and lesbian employees.
Orthodox Opposition
Modeled on the growing phenome-
non of women's foundations in feder-
ations, Chicago's Jewish Lesbian and
Gay Fund will solicit contributions
separately from the federation's regular
campaign and is an effort both to
attract gay and lesbian donors and to
step up services for this constituency.
Starting next year, it will allocate
money for educating the Jewish com-
munity about lesbian and gay con-
cerns, providing services for lesbian
and gay Jews and mobilizing Jewish
support for anti-homophobia initia-
tives.
Since an article on the fund
appeared on the front page of the
Chicago Sun-Times last week, federa-
tion officials say they have received a