Eighteen:22 seeks to transform the world — for LGBTQ Jews and for the communities around us.
What is Eighteen:22?
Launching in August 2015, with a three-day think tank in Salzburg, Austria, Eighteen:22 is a global network of today’s emerging and established Jewish LGBTQ and ally visionaries who share a passion for advancing positive change and have demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBTQ issues across a variety of areas in LGBTQ Jewish life and beyond.
Riding a wave of popular support for LGBTQ human rights worldwide, and taking its name from Leviticus 18:22 in an act of reclamation and defiance, Eighteen:22 launches 11-13 August, 2015, in Salzburg, Austria, with a three-day think tank that brings together today’s next generation of international emerging and established Jewish LGBTQ and ally influencers at the Schloss Leopoldskron, home of the Salzburg Global Seminar — a world-class, global conference center that holds both Jewish and LGBTQ connections.
Through a combination of inspirational speakers, leadership and practical skills-building workshops, and peer-led case-studies, Eighteen:22 will cultivate a global network of visionaries who are actively pursuing positive change in a variety of disciplines — across the public and private sectors — and have demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBTQ issues in Jewish life and beyond.
Participation in Eighteen:22 is subsidized by the Schusterman Family Foundation and others.
Applicants to Eighteen:22 spanned a diverse array of professions and concentrations, and represented nearly 30 countries from around the globe. Each applicant was vetted by a panel of established thought leaders in the LGBTQ and Jewish worlds. Finalists were selected based on a number of criteria including:
-Demonstrated commitment to and impact in some area of LGBTQ Jewish life and/or beyond.
-Established in a decision-making position, or a position that consults with or counsels the decision-makers.
-A stand-out as an expert, leading talent, or other general star of their community or initiative.
-Currently active in work that targets the intersectionality of LGBTQ and Jewish life, in any field, through their paid profession or through dedicated service/unpaid activities.
Given the way many Jewish LGBTQ people have been excluded from cultural and religious communities in the past, and vice versa, Eighteen:22 continues to be particularly aware of, and sensitive to, the issues of representation. With this in mind, our goal is to create a gathering that reflects the diversity of LGBTQ and ally Jewry from the Global South and North.
In addition to evaluating each applicant based on the aforementioned criteria, our recruitment and selection process considered the following areas of representation: Jews of color, Jews by choice, person with a mobility issue, person with accessibility issues/special needs/invisible illness, non-Ashkenazi background, interfaith family, other identity.
Eighteen:22 only exists today, because of the many decades of activism, advocacy, and organizing that has helped make visible the stories and struggles of LGBTQ Jews, giving rise to the many flourishing LGBTQ Jewish communities around the world. We owe a great debt to all those individuals and initiatives that came before us, and to those that continue to make the world a
better place.
Their leadership and perseverance continues to inspire us as we set off on this next chapter.
Yet, in far too many places, the persecution and oppression of LGBTQ individuals continues under the veils of religious dogma and the preservation of societal values. In these locales, agents of intolerance remain steadfast in promoting cultures of hatred and violence — in some cases, reversing protections previously granted — against those different than themselves.
Given these cultural shifts, and understanding the value of interfacing in person in a world where increased interconnectivity has led to fewer opportunities to do so, Eighteen:22 recognizes that the need for a global network of Jewish LGBTQ and ally influencers — one that works in concert with Jewish and secular efforts — in order to find solutions that drive social impact and global change is more important now than ever before.
Together, we have the opportunity to facilitate the next wave of positive change by supporting and contributing to the great work already underway, and also, to be a model for LGBTQ inclusion for other faith groups and distinct cultural traditions.
Taking our name from Leviticus 18:22 in an act of reclamation and defiance, Eighteen:22 launches 11-13 August, 2015, in Salzburg, Austria, with a three-day think tank that brings together today’s next generation of international emerging and established Jewish LGBTQ and ally influencers at the Schloss Leopoldskron, home of the Salzburg Global Seminar — a world-class, global conference center that holds both Jewish and LGBTQ connections.
Through the creation of a vibrant, comprehensive global network, Eighteen:22 seeks to:
Connect distinct and remote LGBTQ Jewish changemakers, initiatives, and organizations around the world that are active, both regionally and globally, in the Jewish LGBTQ sphere.
Empower leaders in the execution of their ideas and change initiatives through in-person leadership and organizational development opportunities, and online resource sharing.
Give emerging LGBTQ/ally Jewish leaders increased access to the broader fields of leading Jewish and LGBTQ organizations, as they move into upper-level positions and gain influence, so that they may bring their transformative potential wherever they go.
Disrupt the patterns of isolation and burnout often associated with leaders and activists working on the frontlines by providing systems of support.
Create a forum whereby collaborations are fostered and accelerated across a variety of professions and areas of focus to increase individual and collective impact.
Form a comprehensive and ongoing understanding of “on the ground” LGBTQ Jewish movements around the world, and how this work fits into the larger global landscape of LGBTQ initiatives underway.
Become a first-line, multidirectional resource that links leading efforts with, and cultivates strategic alignment between, international and state bodies, prominent foundations and nonprofits, and grassroots networks in order to find solutions that drive social impact and global change together.
Give Jewish and LGBTQ organizations pathways to engaging our intersectional communities in substantive, culturally-competent, and meaningful ways.
With over ten years of experience in Israel and abroad, Shay Z Assor is helping organi- zations build and strengthen their communities and run meaningful, sustainable programs that help them better achieve their goals. Shay was born in Beer Sheva and spent most of his youth in Southern Israel. Upon finishing his army service, he began working with youth and young professionals, both in Israel and abroad. Working with geographically and professionally diverse groups, he realized that Israel, and Israelis, lack long-term thinking. The concept of follow-up as a strategy was almost non-existent in his society. Following that realization, Shay started working on creating and developing of Alumni communities for non-profits. Currently working closely with IGY (Israeli Gay Youth Organization) leadership on the foundation of its Alumni Community, to be officially launch on IGY’s 13th anniversary. In addition, he works with Ta- glit-Birthright Israel to build an Israel Community for the organization, reaching out to tens of thousands of Israelis who have joined the trip in the past. Together with these organizations he creates and facilitates break- through online platforms, events and conferences, helping activists and professionals network, learn from each other and work together.
S. Bear Bergman
Writer, Educator, & Storyteller
Award-winning writer, educator and storyteller S. Bear Bergman is the author of seven books as well as the founder of Flamingo Rampant, a children’s press focused on feminist, LGBTQ-positive, racially-diverse children’s books. His most recent book for grownups (Blood, Marriage, Wine, & Glitter) made several Best Of lists, has toured JCCs across North America, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Bergman is a much loved speaker and storyteller at universities and festivals alike, because his signature blend of wit and warmth brings all the people to the yard (regard- less of their sex designation, gender identity, or gender expression) (which he would like to remind you are not the same thing).
More About Bear
David Bilchitz
South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional
David Bilchitz is a Professor at the University of Johannesburg and Director of the South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public, Human Rights and International Law. He is also Secretary-General of the Inter- national Association of Constitutional Law. David has published widely in the field of fundamental rights law and has also written several pieces on the rights of LGBTI persons and the potential clash with religious associ- ational rights. He co-organised the first legal conference in China on LGBTI people’s rights in April 2015. David is heavily involved in the Jewish community: he is a founder of Limmud South Africa and is currently the chair of Limmud International. He has been vice-chairperson of Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue, has functioned as a lay religious leader for many years and currently heads the Jewish identity portfolio of his synagogue. David organised the very successful tour of the film, “Trembling Before G-d,” to South Africa which opened up discussion on same-sex sexuality in the Jewish community there. Shortly there- after, he was one of the original founders of the organisation Jewish OutLook: the SA Jewish LGBTI alliance which sought to provide support, a social space and political representation for Jewish LGBTI persons. David was the chief legal advisor to OUT LGBTI Wellbeing, which led the successful campaign for same-sex marriage in South Africa. He is also an out-going board members of the South African Centre for Religious Equality and Diversity.
More About David
Johnathan Bouzali Dayán
KUTER Production House
Jonathan Bouzali was born in 1984, son of Argentinean immigrants who settled in Mexico City. At the age of 14, he started his profes- sional career by giving guitar lessons, becom- ing the Principal of the music school where he began as a teacher in only two years. At the age of 18, Jonathan founded and directed his own music school, MUSIC-HOUSE (music- house.com.mx), where he also worked as a producer for concerts and music festivals. At that time he started receiving offers from Televisa (Mexico ́s leading television network) and advertising agencies to start working for them on national TV programs and other commercial, promotional and advertising projects. That’s when he decided to create KUTER (kuter.mx), his audio- visual production house. The first advertising campaign he produced was the Mexican Red Cross National Campaign, when he was 21 years old. With hundreds of TV, cinema and radio spots and media campaigns for well-known companies, he continued working in the publicity and production industry, accruing a diversified portfolio of projects while working with some of the best known national and international brands and companies. Next to KUTER, Jonathan has cooperated closely with foundations and institutions of social support in diverse areas such as gender equality, health, arts & culture, people with disabilities, urbanism, sustainability, eating disorders among others, sharing his experience and expertise in marketing and advertising to help share the right messages to society.
More About Johnathan
Tamás Büchler
The Jewish Agency
Tamás (Tomi) Büchler studied law at ELTE University of Budapest and Jewish studies at the Rabbinical Seminary. He is a graduate of the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the University of Haifa. His work in the Jewish community includes youth work for various organizations, such as the Israeli Cultural Institute, the Jewish Agency, the Haver Foundation and the Limmud Conference. Tamás has coordinated educational projects in the field of young leadership (MiNYanim ), social justice and human rights (Tikkun Olam project, Me2WeBudapest) for students and young adults. Tamas also works with the Roma community in various frameworks. He is a PresenTense Global Fellow, a Rene Cassin Fellow, a Schusterman Fellow and a member of the ROI Community.
Jewish Argentine Gays
Romina is from Buenos Aires, and exercises her profession as a lawyer in an independent firm. She is the general secretary of JAG (Jewish Argentine Gays), working for the inclusion of human rights.
More About Romina
Louis Cholden-Brown
NYC Legislative & Budget Affairs Office, Corey Johnson
Louis Cholden-Brown hails from New York where he brings his background organizing diverse communities to his government service with the City Council. A former student of urban planning and modern Jewish history, he has worked with faith and marginalized communities around issues of economic, reproductive, racial, spatial and social justice and conducted research on the role of faith-based organizations in the delivery of government contracts and provision of social services. Responsible for coordinating the activities of the Council Health Committee and LGBT Caucus, Louis has embraced the mantra of housing as healthcare to seek ends to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and youth homelessness, a commitment which also permeated his tenure as chair of the Center for New Activism. In December 2014, legislation drafted by Louis to allow transgender New Yorkers to amend the gender marker on their birth certificates was passed after a 8-year campaign.
More About Louis
Shana Cohen
Pride MN, Sweet Soiree Events & Entertainment
Shana Aviva Cohen is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated with her Masters in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 and is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP). She owns and runs her own event company called Sweet Soiree Events & Entertainment. She plans & hosts LGBTQ Jewish events in the Twin Cities and is excited to begin expanding into LA and NYC. When she is not planning a party, you can find Shana at the St. Paul JCC working as the Membership Director, working for full inclusion of LGBTQ Jews throughout the JCCA. Shana also volunteers for JPrideMN as the Outreach and Engagement Chair of the organization.
More About Shana
Evan Davidoff
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Global Partnership for Emerging Leaders (GPEL)
Evan Davidoff is the Executive Director and a co-founder of the Global Partnership for Emerging Leaders (GPEL). Evan holds a masters of social work degree with a concentration in international and community development where his master’s thesis was entitled “Social Works’ Role on Sexual and Gender Minority Rights in the International Arena.” His passions have led him to spend the last 10 years focused on engaging in work that upholds human rights worldwide and helping create a world where LGBTQ people live free of persecution and oppression. Evan has worked with CBST (New York’s LGBT Synagogue), Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, and just recently joined Kulanu, an organization dedicated to empowering Jewish communities around the globe, as their Program and Development Coordinator. Evan lives in New York City with his husband, Hugo, who has spent the last decade photographing queer men from around the world, and their cat, Clark. In addition to LGBTQ human rights work he is also a fervent animal rights supporter and activist. Since becoming vegan 5 years ago as a person “10 Days of Awe Challenge” Evan has grown even more interested in veganism and loves to swap recipes and try different vegan restaurants around the world in his travels.
More About Evan
Siegal Eli-Gers
Siegal is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She received her Master’s degree from the University of Michigan, with a certification in Jewish Communal Service She has been working for Response since 2005. Her specialties include working with adolescents and young adults. Siegal has focused her career on creating safe spaces for youth. Over the course of her career Siegal has been able to be a support and ally for many youth during their coming out process, as well as provide education, support and resources to their families. As part of the Response clinical team, Siegal has worked to create a culture of language and safety that is inclusive for all youth. Siegal is passionate about education, support and continuous evolution and change. SIegal is working on developing a gender support group as well as becoming trained in leading Rosh Hodesh groups to provide adolescents with as many options of support as possible. Siegal uses every opportunity she is presented with to provide education and support. Through her work at Response, Siegal has been able to be part of a team of people who have created a space that is gender inclusive and safe, providing counseling, activities, and parent support for youth and families within the LGBTQ community.
Dalia Fleming
Keshet UK
Dalia is an active member of the British LGBT Community. Having been an activist since university through their Students’ Union and the National Union of Students, they have continued to build communities and fight discrimination through a variety of means. As Education Co-ordinator at Keshet UK (LGBT Jewish forum working for the inclusion of LGBT Jews in British Jewish life), they lead a team who go into schools and help facilitate conversations and better understanding of what it is like to be an LGBT Jew. In academia they have researched homophobia in halls of residents at University of Nottingham and having worked six summers at summer camps in the UK and USA, they investigated gender policing of trans and gender non-conforming young people at Summer Camp whilst at the London School of Economics (LSE). They are passionate about supporting people’s development and helping the entire British Jewish community - with a focus on young people - understand the experiences of British LGBT Jews and build safer spaces for LGBT Jews themselves.
More About Dalia
Rebecca Fox
Rebecca Fox works as a Program Officer at Wellspring Advisors, a donor advised firm that coordinates grantmaking programs that advance the realization of human rights and social and economic justice for all people. Prior to coming to Wellspring, she was the Executive Director of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, leading organizations nationwide to work together to improve the lives and health of LGBTQ people through advocacy, outreach, and education. She was also an Adjunct Professor of Human Sexuality at the George Washington University. She serves on the board of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and is an active participant in the Selah Leadership Network for Jews engaged in social justice work. She is currently vice-chair of Funders for LGBTQ Issues. She has served on the board of Choice USA, a national organization that mobilizes and supports the diverse, upcoming generation of leaders who promote and protect reproductive choice, and Generations Ahead, which worked to engage a diverse spectrum of social justice stakeholders about the social and ethical implications of genetic technologies.
Yelena Goltsman is a Ukrainian-born human rights and LGBT activist. She is the founder and co-president of RUSA LGBT, an organi- zation formed in 2008 to establish a social network for the Russian-speaking LGBTQ community in the New York area and beyond. RUSA LGBT regularly organizes cultural and social events to unite the Russian-speaking LGBTQ community and to increase accep- tance and inclusion of LGBTQ people within the greater Russian-speaking US community. RUSA LGBT works toward social justice, human and civil rights for LGBTQ people in US and in the countries of Former Soviet Union (FSU). Yelena immigrated to the United States in 1990. She has BS and MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ukrainian Institute of Printing Technology in Lvov, Ukraine. Yelena is a 2012-2013 COJECO BluePrint Fellow. She is a recipient of the 2014 Brooklyn Lambda In- dependent Democrats Award. Yelena is a member of the prestigious 2015 COJECO Keystone Fellowship.
Warren currently serves as the Associate Director of Community Programming for the Center of Jewish Life and Learning at Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and is the director of Jewish Pride, Federation’s LGBT affinity group.. Prior to that he was the Senior Director of Programming for the Gershman Y in Philadelphia where the Jewish Exponent named him the “”next wave”” of arts and culture in the city. While in Philadelphia, he also founded Queer@TheCollaborative, Philly’s first social group for LGBTQ Jews in their 20s and 30s. He’s also a co-founder of Heymish, the longest-running havurah in Philadelphia. Warren also spent many years in the arts and served as the literary manager and dramaturg for Philadelphia Theatre Company where he dramaturged world premieres by Bill Irwin, Chris Durang, and Terrence McNally. In New York, Warren was the Associate Artistic Director of Jewish Repertory Theatre where he produced and dramaturged a season of Jewish musicals in concert. He was also a writer and reviewer for TalkinBroadway.com where he covered the Off-Broadway and cabaret scene. Warren is also a playwright and his work has been developed in New York, Philadelphia, and Dallas. In addition to working in the theater community, Warren holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of California-Santa Cruz and has taught at multiple universities. He earned rave reviews for his book The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture published by Syracuse University Press. His latest book is The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical.
Jason is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. He has been involved with J-Bagel since 2009, the Jewish LGBTQ student organization at the University of Pennsylvania. As Chair of J-Bagel, the organization transformed into one of the largest and most active Jewish LGBTQ student organizations in the nation. A fifth generation Pennsylvanian, Jason is the founding Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, the first and only statewide LGBTQ youth organization in the commonwealth. He has been a leader in the national LGBTQ youth movement for over five years, and has been named one of the top 12 LGBT Youth Leaders in the United States by Campus Pride. Through his personal interest in Jewish historical research, Jason has studied Yiddish at Penn and traveled throughout Eastern Europe. Jason grew up in a Conservative community outside of Philadelphia, and is actively engaged in Jewish life throughout Pennsylvania.
Shoshana Levin
Group Facilitator
Youth Mentor and Advocate
Shonna self identifies on Jswipe as a Rabbi’s Daughter. She has been a key contributor within a gamut of projects in the frum community and has worked on; a documentary on mental illness in the yeshiva community, an Orthodox ED equine treatment center, special needs inclusion, sex positive kallah programming and LGBT activism. She contributes to a secretive group of frum queer members who had, have or will have a measure of female/feminine identity, and organizes, recruits for and facili- tates their events. She enables discourse with influential members of the Yeshiva community to structure support for queer youth in Monsey, Brooklyn and Lakewood schools. This coming year, Shonna is planning on opening a drop in, peer run safe space for frum queers and students in Washington Heights and Brooklyn, as well as building Torah engaging opportunities for frum queer women.
More About Shoshana
Joseph Levin-Manning
Director of Engagement
University of Maryland, Baltimore County Hillel
Joe Levin-Manning is from Bridgeport, Connecticut by way of Raleigh, North Carolina. Since graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Carolina Scholar with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in Music in 2011, Joe has worked with several organizations in North Carolina, Florida, and Maryland supporting students of all ages. In his work, Joe has continually promoted inclusive and safe communities for those with mixed identities by being quite vocal about the intersections of his own identity. On cam- pus, Joe actively brings together the Jewish and LGBTQ communities for dialogue and personal exploration that builds a stronger and more inclusive community, reducing stigma by increasing overall understanding. Personally, Joe has been a competitive ballroom dancer, actor and performer, and loves to explore new places through cuisine and meeting locals. Currently, he is working on his Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Management and Leadership at the University of Maryland College Park’s Robert H. Smith School of Busi- ness. Professionally, Joe currently works as the Graduate Coordinator for LGBTQ Programs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Director of Engagement at UMBC Hillel. Joe currently resides in Baltimore where he is also tries to bring together Jewish young adults for Shabbat dinners at home, the best foundation to build an inclusive and supportive community.
More About Joseph
Mordechai Levovitz
Jewish Queer Youth
Rebellious and free thinking from the age of five, Mordechai insisted that he be considered a “boy-girl” on his first day at his ultra-Orthodox kindergarten. Throughout the next sixteen years in Orthodox yeshivas, Mordechai continued to challenge the gender norms of Orthodox Judaism, while developing a proficiency in Judaic studies. He was the first student in Yeshiva University to come out of the closet. In college Mordechai became New York’s first male Certified Rape Crisis Advocate. Mordechai was accepted early-decision to Stony Brook Medical School where he studied medicine for two years until taking a leave of absence to pursue a Masters in social work. Mordechai worked as a social worker for teens at the LGBT Center of Manhattan and as the LGBT consultant for the UN NGO Committee for Human Rights. Mordechai Is a member of Actor’s Equity and SAG, and has starred as lead actor in the US National Tours of Cabaret, Oliver! and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In 2002 he founded “JQY,” a nonprofit for LGBT youth in the Orthodox community, and currently serves as its executive director.
More About Mordechai
Jayson Littman
Hebro Travel
JAYSON LITTMAN is the founder of Hebro, an event production company targeting gay Jews in New York and has produced over 50 events since its inception in 2008. Jayson’s events and parties attract upwards of 1,000 attendees who travel to NYC from throughout the country to attend these unique events targeting the gay Jewish community. Hebro has also produced travel destination trips to Germany and Israel, and in April of 2014 organized its first Florida destination weekend that brought 80 gay Jews from 16 states and 3 countries.
More About Jayson
Robbie Medwed is assistant director of SOJOURN: The Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity, where he oversees their educational programming and outreach, including their award-winning suicide prevention workshops, Jewish education sessions, and training seminars. Robbie also leads the legal advocacy efforts of SOJOURN, including their successful blocking of the harmful, so-called ”religious liberty” bill in the Georgia legislature. Robbie holds a master’s degree in Jewish education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has written curricula and nationally-recognized inclusive programs for the Marcus JCC of Atlanta, BBYO, USY, Camp Ramah, the Jewish Teen Funders Network, Babaganewz, and JewishGPS.
Elias Gustavo Michanie
Gustavo Michanie has been working for more than 10 years in the creation and operation of JAG (Jewish Argentine Gays), and this year he has been elected once more as president. He has been part of the World Congress Jews LGBT. He is almost a full time activist for the Diversity and Inclusion Cause in Argentina. He also attended several American Joint Congress at which the LGBT issue was dealt with. Gustavo worked with many political representatives of the country involved in the discussion of the Equal Marriage Law that was finally passed in July 2010. He is one of the protagonists of the Documentary, “One Among Others,” which is a film describing the story of four gay members of the Jewish Community in Argentina.
More About Elias
Jessica Minnen
Seven Wells
Jessica Minnen grew up in a secular family in Kentucky, went on to study gender and sexuality at university, and worked in music journalism for five years before finding her way to Judaism. She founded Seven Wells in 2012 to create a space where Torah and classic Jewish texts serve as a framework for a larger conversation about gender, sexuality, and identity. In addition to her work with Seven Wells, Jessica is the Rabbi in Residence at OneTable, a startup initiative that supports young adults to end their week with intention around the Shabbat dinner table, and the founder of Ecstatic Mincha, a monthly Shabbat afternoon dance party in Brooklyn. (It’s as amazing as it sounds.) She is an alumna of Washington University in St. Louis, the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Paideia: The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, Baltimore Hebrew University, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was ordained in 2013.
More About Jessica
Matthew Mishory
Filmmaker, Commerical Director
Filmmaker Matthew Mishory (born 1982, Santa Monica) has been named a “rising talent” by Variety and “a new major figure in U.S. independent cinema” by French magazine Les Inrocks. His feature film debut, Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean (official selection: Palm Springs, Seattle, Guadalajara, Rio de Janeiro, Transilvania, and Reykjavik International film festivals, as well as dozens of LGBT film fests) was released theatrically in the United States, the UK, and Germany. Artforum pronounced it “a nuanced portrayal of an entire era,” and Film International declared that “Matthew Mishory has managed to capture an austere beauty of a kind little known and little understood by all but the likes of Baudelaire.” His follow-up feature, the documentary Absent, about the legacy of the Holocaust in a rural Moldovan village, will be released in late 2015. Matthew previously directed the award-winning short film, Delphinium, about the late artist and LGBT activist Derek Jarman. The film was recently re-released in the UK by the British Film Institute as part of its year-long Jar- man2014 commemoration and installed in the National Film Ar- chive. As a commercial director, Matthew has handled campaigns for major international brands such as Roku, TCL, Turkish Airlines, Haier, and Hisense. He has taught and lectured at a variety of institutions, film labs, and festivals around the world. Matthew lives in Los Angeles, where he is involved in his synagogue and the local Jewish community.
More About Matthew
Eli D. Nassau
Guimel
Eli was born in Mexico City and lived there until he was eighteen years old. After graduating high-school he traveled to Israel to work in a Kibbutz (Naan) and then in a restaurant in Tel-Aviv. Eli then moved to Los Angeles to study his undergraduate degree at the University of Souther California. He majored in Cinema Studies and minored in Theatre. While in college, Eli co-founded and directed JAGS, the Jewish Alliance for GLBTs and Straights--a student organization that bridges the Jewish and LGBT identities. JAGS won a University award for Best Religious Organization in 2012. After graduating, Eli moved to New York City to pursue a career in the Entertainment Business. He worked in the Tribeca Film Festival for a year. Eli also participated in several Jewish-Queer organizations and events such as JQY, Hebro, and CBST. In 2011 Eli moved back to Mexico City and soon after, in Feb- ruary 2012, created Guimel with a group activists. Guimel is an organization that gives support to Jewish Mexican LGBTs, their families and friends. Today Eli is the President of the organization, and has worked to help the Community accept and include its LGBT members. Eli also works as a Stage Manager for The Lion King musical production in Mexico City.
More About Eli
Juval Porat
Juval Porat was born in Israel, studied at the Bnai Akiva Yeshiva, earned a master’s degree in architecture and worked as an architect in Berlin. While in school, Juval served as a cantorial soloist at several congregations. The passion for singing and service leadership bred by those experiences led him to pursue cantorial studies at the newly established Institute of Cantorial Arts in Berlin, part of the Abraham Geiger College. He spent his final academic year at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, where he wrote a thesis on the development of the Friday evening liturgy in Germany. In June 2009 Juval was invested as the first cantor to be trained in Germany since World War II. Juval’s career at BCC (Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim in Los Ange- les) began when, while still a student, he served as BCC’s Cantor for the High Holy Days in 2008 and 2009. It felt so right, that he was hired as BCC’s Cantor the following year. In addition to leading services, Cantor Porat works with BCC’s family education program, directs the BCC choir, teaches adult educa- tion classes, produces concerts and works closely with Rabbi Lisa Edwards to meet the spiritual and musical needs of our congregation and in representing BCC in the larger LGBTQ and Jewish world. In 2012, Cantor Porat produced a celebratory concert and CD in honor of BCC’s 40th Anniversary and in 2015 he released his first album of original material named ”Optimism.”
Johanna Sanders is an extraordinary activist and community organizer who is passionate about social justice as well as providing spaces- particularly for young LGBTQ Jews- to come together, reaffirm their commitment to Judaism and form a welcoming community where everyone feels at home. Her career path is entirely dedicated to achieving justice- her current employment is with the legendary LGBTQ activist Urvashi Vaid at The Vaid Group working with social justice innovators, movements and organizations to address structural inequalities based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and economic status. Her future plan is to attend law school in the fall of 2016 focusing her studies on legal LGBTQ issues. Sanders has been a member of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah for just one year and has taken the synagogue by storm, building Aleinu, the synagogue’s 20s & 30s group, and creating the discussion series ‘Architects of the LGBTQ Movement’ which continues to bring in incredible activists. She has brought in countless new members and enjoys making CBST, Aleinu, the Chorus- all that she is involved in- accessible to all people.
Phoenix Schneider
LGBTQ Initiative, JFCS of Greater Philadelphia
Phoenix Schneider, M.S.W., has worked in the nonprofit sector for the past fifteen years, specializing in program development and direct services with LGBTQ individuals and communities. Phoenix is a thought leader in the area of LGBTQ youth and mental health and has extensive experience developing local and national programming for LGBTQ populations. Currently Phoenix is the Director of the LGBTQ Initiative with JFCS of Greater Philadelphia and responsible for designing and managing comprehensive programming to meet the current and growing needs of diverse Jewish LGBTQ communities in the Greater Philadelphia area. Phoenix oversees direct services, training and education, and community engagement with Jewish LGBTQ communities, families and allies. Prior to working with JFCS, Phoenix was the Program Director with The Trevor Project for six years and oversaw a safety net of suicide prevention programming for LGBTQ youth. Phoenix is trans, queer, Jewish and a lifelong advocate for LGBTQ individuals and communities.
More About Phoenix
Nadav Schwartz
Nadav, 33, is from Jerusalem. An educator, graphic designer, and advertiser, he is currently the vice chairman of Havruta - religious gays. Nadav volunteers in Hoshen, Shoval, & Shira trying to make a change through the world of education. He is further involved in a bunch of other organaizations that are both religious and secular. His blog, “זו לא את ,זה אני,” has been active for over three years, talking about different issues and experiences form his life.
More About Nadav
Steve Share
Spectrum Philly
Meet Steven Share! Steven spent six years at Lord & Taylor in Philadelphia, NYC, and Washington DC, where he developed his public relations and human resources skills. He then spent six years as Senior Consultant for a private Customer Experience Management firm, where he was a business and Human Resources Consultant, and prided himself on being the “CMO” (Chief Morale Officer.) Steven was also a volunteer for the one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ pride events serving on fundraising and special events committees for Capital Pride in DC for 8 years. Steven joined Tribe 12 as Spectrum Philly’s Project Manager in 2014 and is honored to be on the forefront of building a vibrant, exciting LGBTQ Jewish community in Philadelphia. He is also Tribe 12’s representative for JProud, a consortium of organizations working to become more LGBTQ inclu- sive, and is on the Young Friends board of the National Museum of American Jewish History.
More About Steve
Dave Shaw
Communications And Operations Director
Gay Jews in London
Dave is a founding director of Keshet UK – the charity that works for full inclusion of LGBT people in Jewish life in the British community. As the communications and operations lead, he steers a team coordinating website, social media, CRM, press, editorial, and events. Aside from this, much of his work is spent meeting with representatives of community organisations to advocate for diversity and scope the needs of projects to make their organisations more inclusive. Dave is also co-chair of Gay Jews In London, a group with over 600 members, providing a safe space through social activities for those identifying as gay and Jewish in London.
More About Dave
Yehoshua Shohat Gurtler
Legal Adviser
Shoval
Yehoshua is a founding member of ”Shoval,” a member and legal adviser of Havruta - Religious Gays and is active in the Pride Minyan. He is a founding member of Yachad, an inclusive Orthodox synagogue in Tel Aviv. He has also volunteered in Hoshen - Education and Change and in the Israeli LGBTQ support hotline. Yehoshua was a Major in the IDF’s Legal Corps and is now a partner in Israel’s largest law firm (Herzog, Fox & Neeman). He frequently speaks and lectures in different forums on issues related to LGBTQ rights and tolerance (including various US law schools and college campuses, where he has lectured at the invitation of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.). Yehoshua (34) is originally from Jerusalem and now lives in Tel Aviv with his partner Lior (38) and their twins Noa and Yuval.
Born and raised in Great Neck, New York, Mathew Shurka was 16 years old when he came out to his father about being gay. From that time until he was 21, he endured seeing four so-called “conversion” therapists in four different states. Today, the 27-year-old is open and proud, and since coming out in 2012, Mathew has been a strong national advocate for banning these destructive practices. Mathew is a dedicated full time advocate and Ambassador of the #BornPerfect campaign with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). The #BornPerfect team has promised to end conversion therapy in all 50 states by 2019. Thus far conversion therapy bans have passed in three states and Washington, D.C., paving the way for similar legislation to roll out across the rest of the country. More recently, Mathew joined Representative Ted Lieu to introduce a bill that has the potential to end conversion therapy on a federal level. Through his advocacy, Mathew shares his personal and traumatic testimony of his conversion therapy experiences, yet in the process, has also reconciled with his family, former conversion therapist and high school bully. Mathew Shurka is having a global impact by creating a conversation for love and acceptance through forgiveness and peace.
Trans Lifeline
Hannah is a medical student, marathoner, biomedical engineer, funny human being, devoted Jew, and transgender activist from New Jersey and now New York City. Since coming out, Hannah has contributed to numerous queer causes and communities, most notably working as a volunteer coordinator for the Trans Lifeline, a peer listening and crisis hotline created for and by members of the trans, nonbinary, and intersex communities. Hannah is also an organizing member for Shir HaMaalot Brooklyn, an independent monthly Havurah, and actively participates in many committees in Congregation Beit Simchat Torah of Manhattan. Hannah is also a writer on trans issues in religion and media, and has appeared as a commentator on MSNBC and Fox 5 (WNYW) New York.
More About Hannah
Zehorit Sorek
Yesh Atid Party
Zehorit Sorek, 39, established the Pride Minyan in Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur in 2009, after she felt like she had no place in her native, Orthodox synagogue. As a born-and- raised Orthodox Jew, Zehorit has dedicated her volunteer work to the creation of a proud Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender religious community. Besides her work for the Pride Minyan, she’s an active member of “Bat Kol,” the religious lesbian organization, and a former director at “Hoshen” an educational program for LGBT acceptance. Also, she’s a member of the advisory committee of the LGBT community center in Tel Aviv. In 2012, she got the honor of Distinguished Members of the LGBT Community. During the last year, she has served as the Chairperson of the LGBT caucus of the “Yesh Atid” political party. Zehorit holds a M.A. in History and Archeology in Israel from Bar Ilan University. Nowadays, she works in the education system training teachers. Zehorit currently lives in Tel Aviv, with her wife, Limor, and two kids, Tzvi-Bar (17) and Ariel (13).
More About Zehorit
Michael Tolkin
MAX Labs
Michael Tolkin is an innovator, entrepreneur, investor, and producer. He most recently served as CEO of IMAX Labs, the innovation arm of IMAX Corporation. As CEO, Michael led IMAX’s new venture efforts, developing and commercializing new products in the areas of media, entertainment and technology, with a focus on immersive platforms and virtual reality technologies. Prior to IMAX Labs, Michael founded and led Merchant Exchange, a loyalty marketing platform. Michael previously served as Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at IMAX and as an analyst at Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm. While in college, Michael developed his first startup, Foodilly Chocolate Factory, a gourmet customized candy bar concept. Michael received his B.S.E. from Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, and is the founder of NoMad Park, a proposed new park development in the heart of Manhattan.
More About Michael
Gal Uchovsky
Gal Uchovsky is a filmmaker, writer, LGBT leader, and TV personality. He is a household name and a celebrity in Israel, and one of the leading commentators on arts and culture. Mr. Uchovsky has been a vocal advocate of gay rights, becoming a role model for young people. He is known for his firm standing against closeted celebrities and is a big advocate for visibility. The monthly Pink Time named him in 2010 ”The most influential gay person in Israel.” Mr. Uchovsky is the president of IGY, Israeli Gay Youth Organization, he founded with Yaniv Waizman in 2002. IGY is the biggest LGBTQ organization in Israel. Mr. Uchovsky writes and produces films and TV shows with his part- ner director Eytan Fox. Their work includes: ”Yossi & Jagger,” “Walk On Water,” and “The Bubble.” As a culture journalist Mr. Uchovsky was one of the leading voices in the new-media revolution of the 80’s. As a writer and later editor in chief of ”Ha’ir” (The City) he was tagged a spokesmen for the new Tel Aviv. He now writes a weekly column for Mako (a leading web site). Mr. Uchovsky hosted several TV shows. For five years he served as a judge on ”Israeli Idol.” He was labeled ”The Israeli Simon Cowel.” This year he was the first gay participant on the reality show ”Goal- Star” as part of a celebrity soccer team. Gal Uchovsky and Eytan Fox live in Tel Aviv. This summer they cele- brate their 28th anniversary.
Michael Zimmerman is from Jersey City, New Jersey. He is an active member of the LGBTQ community and has recently taken on LGBTQ leadership roles within his organization, Jewish National Fund. He has led an LGBTQ Taglit Birthright through Israel this past summer. He is currently working on forming a National LGBTQ lay leadership, comprised of active donors from around the United States who are eager to pursue projects in Israel which improve life for the LGBTQ communities around the country. He is very excited to be attending this conference and to have been given the opportunity to meet other Jewish LGBTQ leaders from around the world.
Schloss Leopoldskron
Salzburg Global Seminar
Eighteen:22 will hold its inaugural convening at the Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria. Built in 1736, and surrounded by 17 acres of manicured grounds, Schloss Leopoldskron is nestled by a small, idyllic lake, and features majestic views of the mountains and the Hohensalzburg Fortress.
With 55 modernized rooms in the Meierhof, 12 suites in the historic palace, and two townhouses, Schloss Leopoldskron is an exclusive and discreet hideaway just 10 minutes from the Salzburg Airport (SZG) and less than 5 minutes from the Old Town of Salzburg.
Eighteen:22 is excited to provide participants with accommodations of two people per room. We will do our best to honor all roommate and other requests taken on the registration form. Single rooms will be available for an additional fee.
Salzburg in August is a magical time of year, with the Salzburg Festival in full bloom. The average temperature ranges from 73-86 degrees Fahrenheit (23-30 degrees Celsius), so we’ll try to spend as much time outside as we can.
We highly encourage participants to arrive early and stay after our gathering to truly enjoy the sites!
The Schloss Leopoldskron was commissioned as a family estate on the shores of an existing pond in 1736 by the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian (1679-1744), which he passed on in May 1744 to his nephew Count Laktanz Firmian.The palace had several owners during the 19th century, and was eventually purchased in 1918 by Europe’s most famous theater director and co-founder of the Salzburg Festival, Max Reinhardt.
By this time the palace was in urgent need of repair. With the work of local artisans, Reinhardt spent twenty years renovating the palace. Besides restoring the staircase, the Great Hall, and the Marble Hall, he created the Library, the Venetian Room, and a garden theatre. Reinhardt brought life to Schloss Leopoldskron in literal terms, with his theater productions, audiences, and friends. In the plays produced here Reinhardt put the Schloss to full use, moving audiences from one room to another, employing the magnificent rooms as sets in and of themselves. During the Reinhardt years, Schloss Leopoldskron was an important gathering place for theatrical producers, writers, composers, actors, and designers from Europe and abroad.
World War II brought an end to the Reinhardt era: in 1938 the Schloss was confiscated as “Jewish property.” Reinhardt, who escaped to the United States as actions increased against the Jews, and found work in Hollywood, never returned to Schloss Leopoldskron. He died in New York City in 1943. In 1945, after the war, the property was returned to the Reinhardt estate. The following year, Helene Thimig, the widow of Max Reinhardt, offered use of the palace to Clemens Heller, who founded the Salzburg Seminar, a “Marshall Plan of the Mind,” together with Scott Elledge and Richard Campbell, all Harvard graduate students.
Seminar lore has it that Thimig, who seemed to have had no intention of taking up residence in Salzburg again, had encountered Heller on the subway in New York, where she then resided. After listening to Heller’s idea with rapt attention, with a grand gesture of enthusiasm, she exclaimed, “Why you must hold it at Schloss Leopoldskron!” From this legendary exchange in a New York City subway, the bond was forged between Schloss Leopoldskron and what was to become Salzburg Global Seminar.
The “Salzburg Seminar in American Studies” (as it was first known and is still labeled on the front door of the Schloss) was founded as an international forum for those seeking a better future for Europe and the world. The first session offered not only education on American literature, art, history, and culture, but also a beautiful, calm setting, and nourishing food, enormously appreciated by those from countries long at war. This was later transformed into a “global forum.”
In 1959 the Salzburg Global Seminar purchased the palace, and in 1973 the adjacent Meierhof, which was part of the original Firmian estate. Since its first session in 1947, more than 400 sessions of the Seminars have been held on a wide variety of issues.
They connects the most talented people and the most innovative ideas, challenging governments, institutions and individuals at all stages of development and all sectors to rethink their relationships and identify shared interests and goals.
For more info, visit: 
The story of the von Trapp family has fascinated the entire world since the film version of The Sound of Music aired in 1965. When production began in Salzburg in 1964 nobody dreamed that this movie would become famous throughout the world. The leading actress, Julie Andrews, had recently made her successful debut in the Hollywood classic “Mary Poppins” and seemed predestined to play the part of a nanny.
Shortly after Max Reinhardt’s son, Wolfgang, bought the film rights from Maria von Trapp in 1956, the story was made into a German film. The musical version also enjoyed a huge success on Broadway, yet the worldwide breakthrough didn’t occur until Rodgers & Hammerstein’s film version was produced.
Schloss Leopoldskron was considered by the location-scouts as a filming venue most likely due to Wolfgang Reinhardt’s contacts. At that time a white music pavilion stood in the palace park and played an important role in the film’s romantic scenes. Since the number of tourists increased tremendously after the release of The Sound of Music, the pavilion was moved to Schloss Hellbrunn in order to reduce the congestion in the park at Schloss Leopoldskron.
Schloss Leopoldskron has been dubbed the “Sound of Music” palace for more reasons than its outdoor movie scenes: one of the main rooms of the palace, the Venetian Room on the first floor, was completely replicated in order to be used as a film setting. The magnificent handcrafted, gold wall panels and mirrors served as a model for the ball room scene in the film. It was also the backdrop for the private performance of the marionette theater.
In 1987, a special production called The Sound of Christmas was filmed at Schloss Leopoldskron, starring Julie Andrews, John Denver and Placido Domingo, thus re-establishing the connection to the movie. In 2015, The Sound of Music film celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Robert J. Saferstein
Founder & Co-Chair
Interested in the interfacing of ritual, experience, technology, and culture, Bobby has used his background in the arts and media to broaden the definition of what ‘Jewish’ can look like by building community and realizing new points of engagement across multiple platforms.
A leader in the LGBTQ Jewish world, Bobby has been an advocate for positive change for the last ten years through his work with both existing LGBTQ Jewish efforts, and the creation of new initiatives in North America. Named to the New York Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36,” Bobby is the recipient of two prestigious Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs (2013 & 2014) for his series of sophisticated Shabbat and holiday dinners for gay Jewish professionals, Friday Night Lights.
A firm believer in the importance and connective-power of Jewish ritual and custom, Bobby frequently serves as a baal koreh and tefilah. It is with this same zeal that he formed the largest Orthodox and LGBTQ friendly Megillat Esther reading in NYC in 2009, which attracts hundreds of people each year.
Eighteen:22, his latest initiative nearly two years in the making, is a global network of today’s emerging and established Jewish LGBTQ and ally visionaries who share a passion for advancing positive change. Together, Eighteen:22 seeks to transform the world — for LGBTQ Jews and for the communities around us. Formed in partnership with ROI Community and The Schusterman Family Foundation, Eighteen:22 launches 11-13 August 2015 in Salzburg, Austria, at the Schloss Leopoldskron, home of the Salzburg Global Seminar.
Currently the Market Development Director at Sh’ma Journal (prev. Online Editor), Bobby has overseen a strategic development process to develop, prototype, and test a new suite of products in different markets. Accomplishments include digitizing the journal’s archive with NYU’s Berman Jewish Policy Archive, forming the S Blog, and creating the world’s first virtual tisch.
Prior to Sh’ma, Bobby was the founding Creative Director of BroadwaysBestShows.com, a leading Broadway-based website, where he also designed and art directed websites that include Race and Superior Donuts.
A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Bobby has also made a name for himself in the world of arts and entertainment: with representation by Smart.MAGNA agency, his photographs of Broadway and off-Broadway shows have been featured in numerous international publications, including The New York Times; he is the author (book/score) of the musicals The Zegend of Lelda (Best Musical, 2011 West Village Musical Theatre Festival) and Oedipus for Kids (NYMF Next Link Selection 2006, licensed by Samuel French, Inc.); and his film-work includes Gun Hill Road (2010 Sundance Film Festival), Beware the Gonzo (2010 Tribeca Film Festival), and TiMER (2009 Tribeca Film Festival) among others.
He is a proud member of the ROI Community, and a PresenTense Social Start Trainer.
About Halley
Since 2010, she’s created and led over 400 diverse cultural programs with GLOE, attracting thousands annually. As the only full-time LGBT program at any JCC, GLOE is proud to serve as a resource for organizations, and Halley currently consults with Jewish communal organizations around North America on building vibrant, inclusive queer Jewish communities.
As an activist, scholar, and artist, she’s worked to strengthen diverse voices. As Chair of national conferences for InterFuture, a nonprofit supporting independent global intercultural research, she has created training systems in intercultural fluency for advanced young scholars and their teachers and trainers.
She holds advanced degrees from University of Chicago, La Trobe University, and American University. With essays and performances on race and gender in South Africa, community creation in Australia, and lost Jewish Lithuania, the Lambda Literary Foundation tagged her as one of 25 Emerging LGBT Writers in the US. Originally from Chicago, Halley currently lives in Washington, DC.
Beth Glick
Beth is Partner at ChangeCraft, a boutique consulting firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Having worked with organizational clients in over 15 countries on 3 continents, Beth’s expertise lies in working with organizations to maximize their strategic and operational impact in times of change, using a variety of techniques including coaching and consultation, training and facilitation.
Areas of work focus include strategy development, organizational restructuring, change management, and leadership optimization.
Prior to Beth’s work with ChangeCraft, she was Associate Director at Dasra, an India-based venture philanthropy fund maximizing social investments and building non-profit sector leaders across South Asia. Beth previously worked with Partners for Democratic Change, where she managed civil society and conflict resolution programs in Eastern Europe and Latin America and provided organizational development support to nascent non-profit organizations around the world. Beth has also held positions with Amnesty International and Sarvodaya (Sri Lanka’s largest nongovernmental organization). She hold a Master’s degree in Religious Conflict and Conflict Resolution from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the University of California, Berkeley.
Eighteen:22 is a first-of-its-kind convening that not only brings together today’s leading and emerging Jewish LGBTQ and ally influencers from around the world to address communal issues — including those working across disciplines, in both the for and non-profit sectors — but also interfaces Jewish and secular LGBTQ efforts in order to find solutions that drive social impact and global change.
Eighteen:22 can exist today, because of the many decades of activism, advocacy, and organizing that has helped make visible the stories and struggles of LGBTQ Jews, and has helped create LGBTQ Jewish communities around the world. We owe a great debt to all those individuals and initiatives that came before us. Their creativity and perseverance continues to inspire us.
There are so many of us working around the world at the intersection of LGBTQ and Jewish issues. Yet, we are all too often operating in our own silos, completely disconnected from one another. We don’t all know each other — and we should.
Eighteen:22 seeks to change this.
We understand the value of interfacing in person in a world where increased interconnectivity has led to fewer opportunities to do so.
We understand how important it is that individuals be included who don’t usually have the opportunity, because of political barriers, safety barriers, or a lack of financial resources.
We understand the necessity for a space where a plurality of voices can be expressed, and not only those that are the loudest or heard most often.
By placing primary emphasis on how we can best serve our fellows — i.e., through the creation of a global forum from the bottom up, that supports and bolsters the great work currently underway — Eighteen:22 can begin to facilitate the next wave of positive change for our Jewish, LGBTQ communities and for the world.
Then together, we create what comes next…
How is Eighteen:22 different from other gatherings, generally?
Don’t you hate going to conferences where you are surrounded by interesting people, but don’t have time to speak with them? Or how about going to an exotic location, only to be stuck in a generic looking conference room that could be anywhere in the world?
Yeah, we hate that too.
At Eighteen:22 we guarantee that you’ll have plenty of time to speak with, and learn from each other during and outside of the regular program. Also, we assure you that we’ll take full advantage of the beautiful rooms and surroundings at our hotel in Salzburg.
We know that in our line of work, there are long hours and few rewards. We at Eighteen:22, along with ROI Community, The Schusterman Family Foundation, and our group of donors want to show our appreciation by making sure you — who are so often focused on the needs of others — are taken care of yourselves. It’s just one of many ways we hope to say, “Thank You.”
Why Salzburg, Austria?
We at Eighteen:22 believe in the importance of relationships, and that in order to accomplish real change, we must work together. In seeking a venue for our first convening, we were looking for the following criteria:
Since the conference was to be truly global, the locale had to be as well — i.e, not just in the United States of America or Israel.
The space had to have both Jewish and LGBTQ significance — our selection of venue couldn’t be random.
It was important to use this as an opportunity to build a relationship with an existing, global initiative working in the LGBTQ space.
With the Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria, home of the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS), we found what we were looking for!
Not only has SGS demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBTQ human rights, including having created and hosted several conferences on global LGBTQ issues, but the campus holds Jewish ties as well.
Prior to World War II, the Schloss Leopoldskron was the former home of famed Jewish director, Max Reinhardt. During the Holocaust, the Schloss was confiscated by the Nazis, forcing Max to defect to the USA.
Following the war, the facilities were reclaimed, and turned into a global conference center whose mission would be to help facilitate conversations around important global issues, and launch initiatives that make the world a better place. Hence: The Salzburg Global Seminar.
As Jews, LGBTQ individuals, and a gathering with the name Eighteen:22, we couldn’t not be moved by this amazing story of reclamation!
If that weren’t enough, many scenes from the film, The Sound of Music (currently celebrating its 50th anniversary), were filmed on the premises. It doesn’t get much “gayer” than that, right?
Do I have to be an ROIer, or an alumnus of a Schusterman program to attend Eighteen:22?
No! Eighteen:22 is open to both ROIers/Schusterman alumni and non-ROIers/Schusterman alumni alike.
I’ve already attended the ROI Summit, or a Schusterman program. Am I still eligible to attend Eighteen:22?
Yes! Eighteen:22 is open to all ROI/Schusterman program alumni (REALITY, etc.). You will be able to use your Micro Grants for all travel-related expenses to attend Eighteen:22.
We know that travel to Salzburg, Austria is expensive, and are able to provide a number of subsidies to help defray the costs of attending. We won’t know how much that will be, until we have received all of the applications and selected finalists. Our goal is to remove as many barriers to attending, and we will do whatever we can to help you get to Eighteen:22 – so go ahead and apply!
If you are an ROIer or Schusterman program alumnus, you will need to use your Micro Grant to cover the costs of travel to Eighteen:22.
Other than travel-related costs and the participation fee, Eighteen:22 will cover all food, housing, and program costs for our attendees.
What do you mean by LGBTQ Jewish work?
Eighteen:22 is looking to build a global network of Jewish LGBTQ and ally “doers.” In order to have the greatest post-gathering impact, successful applicants will already be active in work that targets the intersectionality of LGBTQ and Jewish life, in any field, through their paid profession or through dedicated service/unpaid activities.
LGBTQ Jewish work can look like many different things. It could be:
A community organizer at an LGBTQ nonprofit/NGO who brings people together on Jewish community issues.
A singer-songwriter who shares their own LGBTQ life in their songs, but actively frames it through a Jewish lens.
An individual who works in entertainment, research, health, law, government, etc., whose Jewish values strongly inform the nature of their work.
The coordinator of an all-volunteer organization, who gathers LGBTQ Jews for social events.
Someone who works at a Jewish advocacy organization, who has helped their organization to pay attention to LGBTQ issues.
We know that in order to find solutions that drive social impact and global change, it is critical that we cultivate strategic alignment among international, national, and local initiatives that are both Jewish and secular in a non-Jewish way. In order to for Eighteen:22 to be most effective in this effort, it is important that our inaugural convening be focused on individuals who are Jewish or working the intersectionality of LGBTQ and Jewish life.
Matrilineal, Patrilineal, Part-Jewish, Jews by choice, Crypto-Jews, etc. — we don’t adhere to a single definition of who is a Jew. If you have any questions as to your eligibility regarding your Jewish background and identity, please contact info@eighteen22.com.
If you are not Jewish and feel deeply that this gathering applies to you and your work, please contact info@eighteen22.com.
Why must participants be aged 22-40?
ROI Community and The Schusterman Family Foundation are committed to developing the next generation of Jewish leaders from around the world — at Eighteen:22 and throughout their portfolio of programs. Across their many gatherings, they have identified this age range as one that works best for the kind of development that will take place at our first convening this August.
If you are outside of this age range and still feel deeply compelled to apply, please contact info@eighteen22.com.
Can I come for only part of the gathering?
No. We are asking everyone to commit to the entire period of the gathering, from Tuesday to Thursday, as we believe that being present for the entirety of the gathering is essential to the goals of both communal and professional development.
The electric current in Austria is 220-240 volts, C or F (most common), single phase, 50 Hertz, the same as in most of Europe. If your appliance does not work on 220 volts, you will need an adaptor.
How many people will be there? Where will participants come from?
Eighteen:22 will convene approximately 60 participants from around the world.
We are looking for strong representation from leaders coming from all over the world, as exciting and challenging work is occurring globally. In addition to those coming from North America, Western Europe, and Israel, we look forward to receiving applications from those working in the global South, Russia/FSU and Eastern Europe, and other locales not often represented at these gatherings.
How likely am I to be chosen? How do you plan to rank applications?
We’re thrilled that so many outstanding leaders are interested in this global gathering.
First and foremost, we are looking to bring together those change-makers who are dedicated, passionate, and making a real difference with work that is both interesting and innovative — and of course, those who want to connect with their peers from around the world!
Second, we are working hard to have a gathering that reflects the diversity of our community — participants from world-wide locations, Jews of color, Jews by choice, people with mobility issues, people with accessibility issues/special needs/invisible illnesses or conditions, Jews of non-Ashkenazi backgrounds, interfaith families, and more.
Other than demonstrating a commitment to, and impact in some area of LGBTQ Jewish life and/or beyond, there is no single most important factor that we are looking for when selecting finalists. Rather, we will be balancing a variety of factors with every application. Simply show us who you are!
With only 60 spots, selecting those who will attend this first gathering will be no easy task. We definitely won’t be able to take everyone we would like. Please know that if you are not selected, this is just the beginning for Eighteen:22, and that there will be many ways you can be involved in the future.
Our hope is that this inaugural gathering will be the first in a long line of ways by which Eighteen:22 can help support and facilitate positive change around the world for LGBTQ Jews and the communities around us.
In what language(s) will the gathering be conducted?
Eighteen:22 will be conducted in English, and all participants must be able to communicate (speak, read, and write) in this language — though we look forward to hearing many languages spoken during social conversations!
Will I be attending as a representative of my initiative/organization, or as myself?
Both! Please come prepared to share your work and yourself.
We want to create connections and develop skills that will last for years (and future initiatives) to come. That means we want to engage in what you’re doing now, and invest in who you are personally.
Connection Points is a series of local and thematic peer-led gatherings designed to empower participants to work in partnership to create new, and strengthen existing, avenues of Jewish experiences for themselves and their peers. Connection Points is an initiative of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.