Leaders and members of Bet Mishpachah, D.C.’s LGBTQ synagogue, have been reflecting on the positive impact it has had on their lives as its 50th anniversary celebration on Oct. 25 approaches.
The anniversary event, to be held at the Washington Hebrew Congregation’s gathering hall at 3935 Macomb St., N.W., will honor Bet Mishpachah as a “beacon of love, acceptance, and spiritual connection for LGBTQ+ Jews and allies in our nation’s capital and beyond,” according to a statement released by the synagogue.
“Founded by a small group of visionaries, we quickly grew into a diverse and thriving community that has supported hundreds of individuals and families over the years,” the statement says. “From the early days of meeting in living rooms and small venues, to our current home in the heart of D.C., Bet Mishpachah has remained steadfast in its mission to offer a spiritual home for all who seek it,” it continues.
“Throughout these five decades, we have witnessed profound shifts in both Jewish life and LGBTQ+ rights, and we are proud to have played a role in advancing both,” the statement adds.
Joshua Maxey, Bet Mishpachah’s current executive director, said the synagogue has about 190 members and holds its weekly Friday evening Shabbat services at the Edlavitch D.C. Jewish Community Center at 1529 16th St., N.W.
Longtime D.C. gay activist Joel Martin, one of Bet Mishpachah’s founding members, recalled that he first learned about the fledgling D.C. gay Jewish group through an ad in the then Gay Blade monthly newspaper in 1974 or 1975. A search of Blade archives shows a small ad appeared in the April 1974 issue. It stated: “JEWISH GAYS of Greater Washington-Baltimore is forming to help gay Jewish people to develop social contacts. They also intend to do consciousness raising amongst the Jewish Community to the problems of gay people.”
The ad included only a post office box number for more information and no contact name. Later, the July 1974 issue of Gay Blade featured an article titled “Gay and Jewish,” by Herb Gold and Jen Lib, describing the group as Jewish Gays of the Baltimore-Washington area with 35 members. The article noted that “all members prefer that their gayness remain undisclosed for professional and personal reasons.”
Martin told the Washington Blade that he does not recall whether the three or four men he met through the ad were part of that group, but they continued meeting in someone’s house or apartment and decided on the name Bet Mishpachah, a Hebrew phrase meaning “house of family.”
According to Martin, the group grew, likely due to additional ads or write-ups in the Gay Blade, and soon began seeking places to hold meetings and services, which had been held in private homes.
The group approached the organization that founded the D.C. Jewish Museum but was turned away. “We were told to go away,” Martin recalled, referencing the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, which had a policy of not allowing congregational services on their premises.
Sarah Levitt, spokesperson for the current D.C. Capital Jewish Museum, confirmed that the Jewish Historical Society had a policy against hosting congregational services at the time, explaining, “Certainly Joel and others felt a lot of cold shoulders from Jewish institutional life in that period.”
In a sign of progress, the current Capital Jewish Museum now features a special exhibition titled *LGBTQ Jews in the Federal City* which includes exhibits about Bet Mishpachah.
Shortly after, Bet Mishpachah secured a place to hold services at D.C.’s First Congregational Church at 10th and G Streets, N.W. Around that time, the church also welcomed the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, an LGBTQ Christian congregation.
The Capital Jewish Museum exhibition shows Bet Mishpachah held services at First Congregational from 1976 to 1978, then moved to Christ United Methodist Church near the Southwest waterfront. In 1992, the synagogue moved to the National City Christian Church at Thomas Circle before settling at its current location—the Edlavitch D.C. Jewish Community Center on 16th Street—in 1997.
Bet Mishpachah has prepared a booklet for the Oct. 25 anniversary gala, featuring statements from about 25 longtime members describing the positive impact the synagogue has had on their lives. The booklet also includes statements from Rabbi Bob Saks, the first rabbi of Bet Mishpachah, and Rabbi Jake Singer-Beili, the current rabbi.
“At the core of Bet Mishpachah’s founding was the idea that one should not have to hide one’s sexuality or identity in a Jewish space, and that all of us are created in the Divine image,” said Singer-Beili. “Its message was and is this: love is holy, the fullest expression of oneself is essential.”
He added, “We also proclaimed that we will celebrate these things as Jews and people who love Jews, in a dedicated Jewish space where everyone belongs. How awe-inspiring it is that we have made it to our 50th anniversary.”
Joseph Pomper, Bet Mishpachah’s current president, shared a similar sentiment about reconciling his Jewish and LGBTQ identities through the synagogue.
“My history with Bet Mishpachah goes back to 1980 when I moved to Washington, D.C. to attend graduate school,” he stated. “I remember stumbling across an ad for the synagogue in the Washington Blade. I could not believe it was possible for there to be a place where I could be both LGBTQ+ and Jewish.”
“While that may not seem like such a big deal today, back then it was hard to even imagine that a place where one could be both LGBTQ+ and Jewish actually existed,” Pomper wrote. “After much deliberation, I finally summoned up the courage to go to services one Friday, mainly out of curiosity.”
He became a regular member and later took on leadership roles. “Perhaps most important, I found my community at Bet Mishpachah,” he said, calling the people he met “an amazing circle of friends” who “remain among my closest friends today, 45 years later.”
Stuart Sotsky, a founding member since 1975, spoke of the early challenges Bet Mishpachah faced.
“With the major denominations still considering homosexuality as religiously prohibited and unacceptable, no synagogues accepted gay or lesbian people or relationships openly, and no synagogues would have sponsored or hosted our congregation in their facilities,” he said.
He shared how Bet Mishpachah evolved into a strong organization that developed ties with the wider Jewish community to fight for LGBTQ rights in both religious and secular spheres.
Like the broader LGBTQ community, members of Bet Mishpachah struggled to comfort those who lost loved ones during the height of the AIDS epidemic.
“Yet, as was true for the Jewish people wandering in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt, we were tested and strengthened as a community by our trials,” Sotsky wrote. “We not only survived but we were inspired toward social and political activism in the Gay and women’s liberation movement, and encouraged to risk coming out to our family, friends and co-workers.”
The statement announcing the 50th anniversary gala says the event will honor “visionary trailblazers,” including Rabbi Emeritus Bob Saks and nationally acclaimed LGBTQ rights attorney Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry, the organization credited with leading the successful campaign to legalize same-sex marriage.
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**Community Town Hall Discusses LGBTQ Issues and Future**
More than a dozen local and national LGBTQ advocacy organizations were represented among the 83 attendees at an Oct. 21 Town Hall Discussion for D.C.’s LGBTQ Community.
Organized by Team Rayceen Productions and held at 899 North Capitol St., N.E., the building housing D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the event centered on the theme, “Protest, Liberation & Pride: Preparing for An Uncertain Future.”
The six-panelist discussion was led by Team Rayceen leader Rayceen Pendarvis and included:
– Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs
– June Crenshaw, deputy director of D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance, organizers of WorldPride 2025
– Cesar Toledo, executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, which supports homeless LGBTQ youth in D.C.
– Heidi Ellis, director of the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition
– Patrick Algyer, executive director of Equality Chamber, representing LGBTQ-owned and supportive businesses
Ashley Elliott, inclusivity adviser for D.C. LGBTQ bar Spark Social House and Team Rayceen Productions official, co-moderated the event, engaging panelists and the audience with questions.
At the start, Elliott asked attendees whether they thought 2025 had been a “good year” for the LGBTQ community under the Trump administration; only a few raised their hands. In contrast, many indicated 2025 had been a “bad year,” citing Trump administration budget cuts that hurt LGBTQ programs and services.
Bowles explained that the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs was actively working to secure funds to mitigate the effects of these cuts.
Many panelists and attendees urged the LGBTQ community and its advocacy groups to support candidates in the 2026 congressional midterm elections who back LGBTQ rights and oppose Trump’s anti-LGBTQ policies, especially those affecting transgender people.
“I was overjoyed that so many amazing community members joined us for our town hall,” said Pendarvis after the event. “I hope our gathering is just the beginning of many conversations that will motivate and activate our community.”
Toledo reflected, “It served as a reminder that by working together, we can overcome today’s challenges.”
Algyer emphasized the importance of community engagement. “Now’s the time to join a board, volunteer, or support the organizations and LGBTQIA+ owned businesses that keep our community vibrant,” he said.
Team Rayceen official Zar highlighted the challenges of organizing the event but expressed hope for increased involvement within LGBTQ organizations.
Crenshaw noted, “The discussion around leadership, accountability, and engagement was especially impactful. It’s crucial to strengthen communication and address the needs of our most vulnerable members—those experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, or mental health challenges.”
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**Former Casa Ruby Leader Held in Jail amid Legal Proceedings**
On Oct. 14, a federal judge ordered Ruby Corado, founder and former executive director of the now-closed D.C. LGBTQ community services organization Casa Ruby, to be held in jail while awaiting sentencing on a wire fraud charge to which she pleaded guilty in July 2024.
U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden postponed the sentencing hearing, originally set for Oct. 15, after Corado’s court-appointed attorney withdrew due to an “irreconcilable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship.”
Following a private discussion, the judge revoked Corado’s pre-sentencing release, citing concerns she might not return to court. Corado disputed this, stating she has appeared for previous hearings and would do so again. The sentencing was postponed without a new date, with a follow-up hearing scheduled for Dec. 15 to arrange new legal representation.
Corado, who plans to retain private counsel, declined to discuss her case publicly due to restrictions but expressed regret to her clients for not being there to support them.
The charge stems from allegations that Corado diverted at least $180,000 of taxpayer-backed COVID relief funds into private offshore accounts for personal use. Prosecutors say Casa Ruby received no less than $1.2 million in federal aid during the pandemic, but Corado allegedly misused a significant portion, contributing to the organization’s collapse.
Corado was arrested on March 5, 2024, shortly after returning from El Salvador, where she reportedly relocated in 2022 amid financial irregularities becoming public. Prosecutors allege she fled the U.S. at that time.
As part of a plea agreement, additional charges including bank fraud and money laundering were dropped.
If convicted under wire fraud laws, Corado faces a potential maximum sentence of 30 years. However, prosecutors have recommended a 33-month sentence.
In an Oct. 10 interview with WUSA-9, Corado denied using the funds for personal expenses, stating she was working on establishing a Casa Ruby project in El Salvador to support LGBTQ migrants facing dangerous journeys to the U.S.
She apologized to her clients for her absence and expressed commitment to healing.
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*This article highlights the enduring legacy of Bet Mishpachah and ongoing challenges and activism within the D.C. LGBTQ community.*
https://www.washingtonblade.com/2025/10/23/bet-mishpachah-celebrates-50-years-as-d-c-s-lgbtq-synagogue/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bet-mishpachah-celebrates-50-years-as-d-c-s-lgbtq-synagogue