The fourth annual Alvin H. Baum Jr. Memorial Lecture in honor of an LGBTQIA+ Jewish social justice activist was delivered by Rabbi Sydney Mintz. She gave a lecture titled “What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been: Rabbinic Tales of Resistance and Resilience.” Rabbi Mintz has served as rabbi of the historic Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco for the past 28 years. As a spiritual leader and activist, Mintz has been on the national board of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice and the advisory board of The Reimagine End of Life Festival; served as rabbinic scholar for the American Jewish World Service; served as senior rabbinic fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem; and is the founder of Emanu-El’s award-winning young adult program, Late Shabbat. Filled with music and uplifting energy, this creative and innovative program has engaged thousands of young adults as they have rediscovered and redefined Judaism on their own terms.
At this year’s lecture, the second student recipients of the Robert Holgate Pride Fellowship Award in Queering Religion, which spotlights student activism in queering religion on the USF campus were awarded. This award honors the ongoing generosity and commitment of Robert Holgate, whose support enables the queering religion ministry to create more inclusive programs and build spiritual communities.
