LGBTQ synagogue

LGBTQ synagogues (historically known as gay and lesbian synagogues) are synagogues primarily serving LGBTQ Jews. LGBTQ synagogues date to 1970, with the oldest extant one, Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC) in Los Angeles, established in 1972. Their religious doctrines vary, but are generally liberal; many affiliate with the Reform movement and one with Reconstructionism, while others, such as Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in New York City, are independent. Many use custom liturgy shaped by the LGBTQ experience and Jewish feminism, often using degenderized terms to refer to God. LGBTQ synagogues are largely found in the United States, although one, Beit Klal Yisrael, exists in London.

Early LGBTQ synagogues emerged alongside and with the help of the LGBTQ-affirming Metropolitan Community Church. The synagogues' growth was heavily shaped by the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, which in some congregations killed close to half of the membership. The ministry of Rabbi Yoel Kahn at Congregation Sha'ar Zahav was influential on liberal Jewish attitudes toward AIDS throughout the United States. LGBTQ synagogues mourning losses from AIDS created the modern Mi Shebeirach for healing, a prayer previously absent in most liberal Jewish practice. Debbie Friedman and Rabbi Drorah Setel, a lesbian couple with ties to BCC, debuted their well-known setting of the prayer in 1987. The prayer is now seen as central to liberal Jewish ritual.

BCC's admission into the Reform movement in 1974 was the first formal recognition of a gay and lesbian congregation by a national mainstream denomination of any world religion. The Reform movement has since become strongly LGBTQ-affirming, which has contributed to a decrease in attendance at LGBTQ synagogues as LGBTQ Jews feel more comfortable in non-LGBTQ-oriented spaces. At least three Reform LGBTQ synagogues have merged into larger Reform synagogues in the 21st century. At the same time, non-LGBTQ attendance has risen at LGBTQ synagogues, with some positioning themselves as homes for other marginalized groups. The largest LGBTQ synagogue, CBST, has about 1,000 members as of 2024.