ARIELLE SHTURMAN WAISS (ASW): Community service within the Mexican Jewish community has always been a part of my life. I moved to a Jewish school when I was 12 years old, and that’s when I became active in my community. For me, October 7 wasn’t a breaking point. I was already active, and I just did what had to be done.

CHEN SHMILO (CS): I’ve always been an activist — student council in high school and law school, and leading initiatives for my unit during my mandatory IDF service. October 7 made me think more about not just my life in Israel, but my identity as a Jew and Zionist, and the connection between my values and the way that I see Jewish life in Israel.

VOP: What does it mean to mark Pride Month after everything we as the Jewish people have gone through?

CS: As a gay guy who lives in Tel Aviv, this is a moment of sanity and a return to normalcy. The pride parade was canceled last year because the first war with Iran started on the same morning. So I’m hopeful that, God willing, we will get to experience this year’s festivities with no sirens and missiles. Just going out and enjoying the celebrations here in Tel Aviv.

AWS: Pride Month for me is just acknowledging that being this way is a part of nature and biology. I feel like talking about pride and Jewishness, what I think about above all is that we are all Jewish.

VOP: The past two years have been unlike anything most of us have lived through as Jews. How has this period changed the way you each understand yourself as Jews, as LGBTQ, and at the intersection of those identities?

ASW: If you could measure Jewishness on a scale from one to a hundred, I’d be a hundred and twenty. But when I realized there was this other part of me, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for being this way. At the first Voice of the People Conference, I was a mess. I was always the perfect Jewish woman. I sat down with a fellow Council Member who is an Orthodox rabbi, and I started crying. He helped me realize that religion is not fighting with this. He said, “God made each and every one of us, including you. God made you this way.” I found peace in being Jewish and being the way I am at the same time.

CS: In Israel, there’s always a big discussion on the way that Judaism accepts or does not accept LGBTQ identity. But that wasn’t the question after October 7th. I’ve been out of the closet since the end of my military service. When I would travel, I always went to Pride parades and parties and met people in the gay community who were not Jewish. I always felt like I was part of the LGBTQ global community. But after the war broke out, we didn’t get much support from LGBTQ communities and organizations worldwide. After October 7th, it was definitely worse than before.

ASW: The Mexican Jewish community is known as a model Jewish community with a low rate of assimilation. But still, sometimes it’s old-fashioned, and being Jewish and LGBTQ is difficult socially. I’m jealous (in a good way!) of the LGBTQ communities in Tel Aviv, the USA, Canada, and many other places. My girlfriend and I have even talked about relocating to another community when we decide to have children.

VOP: What does the broader Jewish community still not fully understand about LGBTQ Jews?

CS: Here in Israel, unfortunately, religion and politics are involved, and what makes me sad is that people use Judaism to oppose LGBTQ equal rights. My message is just let it go. Let it go. Judaism accepts us. Stop exploiting the way you see Judaism to make someone else’s life miserable. To the politicians, I say, you need to stop it. You’re hurting people in your community who are part of the LGBTQ community. Stop exploiting Judaism for political purposes.

ASW: For me, I don’t see it as political, because I don’t live in a Jewish state. People try to grab onto Judaism to justify not being comfortable with people being different than what they expect. And that’s not okay. It’s not okay to use something that’s supposed to unite us and surround us with love and turn it into a source of hatred.

VOP: The relationship between Israeli Jews and diaspora Jews has become more emotionally charged and also fragile over the past two years. What do you think each side still misunderstands about the other right now?

CS: There’s a huge knowledge gap between Israeli Jews and Jews abroad. We don’t know enough about each other. I was lucky to be part of an A Wider Bridge mission that brought Israeli LGBTQ leaders to meet with Jews in New York, especially other LGBTQ members. During that visit, I learned about the importance of reciprocity. We can’t just wait for them to support us here in Israel when something bad happens. Support has to be mutual. Now, whenever there’s a shooting in a gay or Jewish establishment, I make sure to check on the people I know in the area.

AWS: From my perspective, we don’t understand each other’s struggles regarding religion. Israelis are given Jewishness on a silver platter. You don’t need to do anything to be Jewish. Religion surrounds you. In the diaspora, it’s a constant struggle to be Jewish. When October 7 happened, we were already tired from fighting every single second to be Jewish.

VOP: You both are tackling antisemitism through your work with Voice of the People and the Council. How does your experience being part of another minority change how you view antisemitism?

AWS: Jewish communities are making a huge mistake. October 7th proved once again that we need to stand together. We should be standing together and protecting each other, no matter what. In the Jewish diaspora, people are starting to find things that make us different, and that’s causing us to split apart. Judaism has a place for everybody.

CS: There’s a famous saying by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: “The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews.” Fighting hatred, no matter what community is targeted, is very important for society.

VOP: Talk to us about contributions that you feel Jews who identify as LGBTQ have made to the global Jewish people.

CS: The vast majority of LGBTQ people in Israel are an inseparable part of public life here in Israel. We go to the army. We participate in all parts of public life, from parliament to high-tech. Actually, the biggest Israeli exit ever was made by Wiz. Of its four cofounders, two are a part of the LGBTQ community. We are active in every part of society. We contribute, we go to work, we pay taxes, but we don’t get full rights.

AWS: The Jewish LGBTQ community brings more diversity. The direct consequence is that the Jewish people become more tolerant. That makes us better than what we were yesterday.

CS: We also bring joy. We have the best parties ever in Israel and around the world. It’s just different vibes and energy.

VOP: What does the Jewish LGBT experience reveal about the future of the Jewish people?

CS: We are living proof that society can change while keeping our Jewish values. Our fight has been fruitful. That should be a positive sign for the Jewish people to keep fighting against antisemitism and for acceptance. The Jewish community at large needs to learn from the LGBTQ fight and learn from the parts of our people that learned, adapted, and changed their way of thinking without giving up on Jewish values.

AWS: The Mexican Jewish population is estimated to be about 40,000 people. We’re tiny, and sometimes people see us as unicorns. When people find out that I’m Jewish, I’m often met with “wow, you’re different.” Identifying as bisexual in a traditional Jewish community can feel the same way. These experiences have taught me that being different is never the problem. More so, it’s a reminder that the diversity within our people is what makes us richer and stronger.

VOP: What is giving each of you hope right now?

CS: My family, my friends, my community, and Voice of the People. It’s all about the people.

AWS: I was actually really scared when I showed who I truly am, especially to my family. I’ve been surprised that I’ve never had something hurtful said to my face. What gives me hope are the people who surround me and the advancements being made in society to make us feel welcome. Thank you to Voice of the People for being this diverse and open to all Jewish people. Because when we say this is the voice of the Jewish people, it’s the voice of all the people.

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