{"id":88184,"date":"2025-06-10T13:44:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T18:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=88184"},"modified":"2025-06-10T13:44:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T18:44:24","slug":"brooklyn-pride-interfaith-service-canceled-allegedly-over-synagogues-public-alignment-with-pro-israel-positions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/brooklyn-pride-interfaith-service-canceled-allegedly-over-synagogues-public-alignment-with-pro-israel-positions\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Pride interfaith service canceled, allegedly over synagogue\u2019s \u2018public alignment with pro-Israel positions\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By GRACE GILSON<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 The Brooklyn 2025 Pride festivities will not include an interfaith service this year after at least one group allegedly pulled out due to the hosting synagogue\u2019s \u201cpublic alignment with pro-Israel political positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill is known as “The Mother Synagogue” of Brooklyn \u2014 the oldest Jewish congregation serving the Brooklyn neighborhood in which it was founded, with roots dating back to 1856.(Ramin Talaie)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kane Street Synagogue, a historic Conservative synagogue in Brooklyn, was set to host the 15th annual interfaith service on Wednesday before it was canceled last week.<\/p>\n

Mickey Heller, a co-chair of Brooklyn Pride, said the cancellation followed low registration and after a number of participating organizations and choirs had \u201cfor whatever reason\u201d said they were unable to attend this year.<\/p>\n

In an email to Kane Street congregants on Friday, Rabbi Michelle Dardashti said that while the reason stated by organizers for the cancellation of the interfaith service was an inability to \u201cgarner sufficient involvement,\u201d an email sent by one participating musical group cited the synagogue\u2019s Israel politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leader of one of the musical groups which pulled out shared that, indeed, they did so both because many in their community (largely comprised on LGBT people of color and also immigrants) feel uncomfortable with police presence and also, that \u2018we were also made aware of Kane Street Synagogue\u2019s public alignment with pro-Israel political positions,\u2019\u201d the email read.<\/p>\n

Dardashti\u2019s email did not name the group that she quoted. Kane Street\u2019s leadership declined to comment further.<\/p>\n

Of the groups that participated in the service last year, only one responded to inquiries from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Rev. Micah Ma of the First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn, whose choir sang at last year\u2019s service, declined to comment.<\/p>\n

The cancellation of Brooklyn Pride\u2019s interfaith service comes as Pride celebrations commence throughout the nation \u2014 along with clashes over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In recent years, as queer activism has grown increasingly aligned with anti-Zionism, some Jews in the LGBTQ community have faced exclusion from Pride celebrations.<\/p>\n

At San Diego Pride this year, all participating Jewish groups pulled out of the festivities over the headlining performance by R&B singer Kehlani, whom they accused of antisemitism for her pro-Palestinian stances.<\/p>\n

New York City\u2019s Dyke March has also faced scrutiny from Jewish participants who have felt alienated by the march\u2019s anti-Zionist stances. Last year, the march\u2019s annual event was titled \u201cDykes Against Genocide,\u201d which spurred a group of Jewish lesbians to host their own Pride party.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Heller said the registration for this year\u2019s Brooklyn Pride interfaith service had only two registrations a week before its scheduled date, while in past years it would have had \u201cat least close to 100\u201d at that point.<\/p>\n

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A Pride flyer distributed by a Brooklyn church advertised the interfaith service scheduled for Kane Street Synagogue. (Screenshot)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He said that he could not speak to individual groups\u2019 issues with Kane Street, saying that it would be \u201cunfair\u201d to those organizations, and attributed the cancellation to a lack of interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to speculate as to why,\u201d Heller said. \u201cI\u2019ll only say that there\u2019s a lot going on all over the country these days, and there are some very disturbing ripples going on, and sadly, at this time, when we really do need to all come together, people are getting afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Past participants in the interfaith Pride service included several choirs as well as Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Zen Buddhist leaders. The list of participants for this year\u2019s interfaith service was not available online after the cancellation.<\/p>\n

Heller told JTA that he did not personally have information on the participants, and suggested that Brooklyn Pride could not comment on who the participants would have been due to confidentiality concerns.<\/p>\n

In the email to her congregation, Dardashti wrote she was \u201ccrushed\/offended\u201d by the \u201cdiscriminatory decision\u201d to cancel the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was both grateful for the transparency (and that this person had \u2018replied all\u2019 to the thread) and also crushed\/offended by the many assumptions made and the discriminatory decision to cancel without taking time to reach out and inquire or discuss,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Dardashti lamented the cancellation and articulated Kane Street\u2019s ties to Israel in an email to the group of clergy and musicians who would have participated in the interfaith service, which she excerpted in her email to congregants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m saddened that this event has become an example of bridges burned rather than built,\u201d she wrote, adding, \u201cI would be glad to share with you \u2014 with any of you \u2014 about our community; about the deep and complex relationships to Israel our members hold and our broad rejection of the current Israeli administration; about prayers we recite weekly for a cessation of the violence, return of the hostages and salvation for the civilians in Gaza; and about the Jewish community more broadly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardashti \u2014 who is the founder of a nonprofit aimed at improving discourse about Israel and antisemitism among Jews \u2014 told her congregants that she had also shared a recent New York Times op-ed about how recent attacks have exacerbated the fear that Jews are feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI explained that Jews are not only being vilified for any association with Israel (as Kane Street was by them in this instance and as is, sadly, not new), but also violently targeted as a result of that association, and that these extreme recent physical attacks are coming from the anti-Zionists,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Heller said Brooklyn Pride hopes to resume the interfaith service next year. He also said he was sorry that this year\u2019s celebration had been canceled so abruptly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the chair of Brooklyn Pride, I want to apologize to all people who have been so supportive to our interfaith over the years. I do want to give words of encouragement to everybody, I don\u2019t want to say especially our Jewish congregation members, but everybody, because we are in a time that is become, for certain reasons, fairly divisive,\u201d Heller said.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cAnd it\u2019s in those times when we have to, no matter who we are, we have to allow our lights to shine and come together and support each other, because there\u2019s a lot more we need to band together about than we need to bring us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

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