JULY 21 • 2022 | 27

Congregation Shir Tikvah of Troy celebrated 
Pride on June 3, by hosting a Pride Shabbat 
service. Rabbi Alicia Harris led the service 
in their outdoor sanctuary and felt it was 
important to remind her congregants of those 
who came before us while showing love for 
the community. 
“It’s not just about rainbows and celebra-
tion. It’s also a moment to remember all the 
people who fought for people to live exactly 
as who they are,” Rabbi Alicia said. 
The congregation hosts Pride Shabbat 
services annually where in the past Rabbi 
Arnie Sleutelberg, the congregation’s first 
rabbi, would help lead the service. 
“Our first rabbi is gay, and we have a lot of 
LGBTQ+ families and kids. To be the kind of 

place where people can feel comfortable being 
themselves, I think it’s an essential part of 
who we are, and it was wonderful,
” she added. 
Following the Pride Shabbat services, the 
Reform congregation also participated in 
Ferndale Pride on June 4. 
“It was really an interesting experience 
because people who are not part of our com-
munity, who are not Jewish, came up to our 
booth,
” Rabbi Alicia said. 
“People would say to me, ‘it’s so cool that 
you guys are here!’ And I had a lot of mean-
ingful conversations with people who are 
Jewish. I also ran into a lot of kids from the 
congregation who were surprised to see me. 
It was such a joy to say hello and say, ‘we sup-
port you exactly as you are!’” 

 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SHIR TIKVAH

Congregation Shir Tikvah’s 
Pride Shabbat

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

faces&places

Rabbi Alicia Harris and, who they were 
told, was, the “Pope of Ferndale.”

Keith Hurwitz and 
Herschel Poger

Sarah Chisholm, Rachel Chezick, Joyce 
May, Rabbi Alicia Harris, Herschel Poger, 
Lillian Jacob-Yager and Jan Laurencelle.

Rachel Chezick, Jan Laurencelle, 
Sarah Chisholm and Herschel Poger

