THE PROVERBIAL GOLD AT THE END OF THE PRIDE RAINBOW
By Nicole Lupiloff
JSL is proud to provide inclusive residential communities and we encourage people to be their true selves, especially during Pride Month. Pride is defined as “consciousness of one’s own dignity” and “satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.” If we are good people and try hard to be helpful and kind, we can be proud of ourselves, in what we do, in who we are, and in what we believe and with whom we associate.
As part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have immense pride in myself and in those who came before me. I have a ‘rainbow’ interior, I am proud of the family who raised me and the friends and coworkers who support me.
I created and facilitate a monthly Women’s Discussion Group with the objective to create a safe space for LGBTQ+-identifying women. A place to feel comfortable – proud in who we are, or who we’re trying to be. During the last group session, I asked the participants, “What Does Pride Mean to Me?” We discussed our answers: To have a community. To be visible. To be heard, seen and respected. Pride, to me, is to feel validated and visible; To be a part of a group of people. To be a significant and active member of our world.
When I consider being Jewish, I think of community. I am proud to be seen as part of this group and practice Judaism with pride. We Jews are a group of proud people – past, present and future.
Pride should be celebrated for more than a month. I am proud to work at JSL, to be a contributing member of a lively and progressive community many call home; a place where respect and validation are prevalent in all forms. This is the pot of gold – and all colors of every community residing here at the end of the JSL rainbow – this month and always.
Shabbat Shalom.
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Nicole Lupiloff is the Development Manager at Jewish Senior Life, assisting in compiling the weekly newsletter, annual event coordination, JSL website and calendar edits, social media posting and management, donor stewardship and administrative tasks, and overall department project management. In her spare time, she enjoys ping pong, tennis, reading, movies and lives with her fiancé, Dana, in Midtown, Detroit.
