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Houston Hillel regrets Rice Pride’s decision to no longer partner with Houston Hillel, the only egalitarian, pluralistic, and inclusive Jewish campus ministry at Rice University. Beginning in 2016, Houston Hillel has been the only campus ministry offering programming for Rice’s queer students – Jewish and non-Jewish – that highlights the positive connection between faith and queerness.
Houston Hillel does not accept that we live in a world where students need to pick only one part of their identity to celebrate. We believe in building communities where one group's inclusion does not come at the expense of another’s. This decision by Rice Pride not only alienates queer Jewish students and leaves them unsure of their own acceptance in Rice Pride spaces, but also damages the campus climate for all Jewish students.
We wish that Rice Pride’s leadership had pursued a conversation with Houston Hillel students or professionals during their internal discussions. We feel that had they done so, Rice Pride’s leaders would have learned that the conclusions they drew from outdated sources and various Hillel websites do not reflect current Houston Hillel policies or practice. Houston Hillel welcomes a conversation with Rice Pride now or in the future.
Rice Pride’s action brings politics into an area of queer student life that focuses solely on the intersection of religion and queerness. Houston Hillel’s programs provide a space for queer students to speak with a religious leader who supports their identities. For students not yet comfortable with their own identity, or who experience tension between their queer and religious identities, this is a powerful thing, and the end of this partnership removes an affirming space for Rice’s Jewish and non-Jewish students.
Houston Hillel looks forward to continuing to create an environment that nurtures respectful conversations centered around faith and queerness for all of Rice University’s students – queer and allies, Jewish and non-Jewish.
Rabbi Kenny Weiss
Executive Director
Houston Hillel
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