Jared Saks

"Once I know that destruction is possible then I know that rebuilding is possible.” - Rabbi Jared Saks

This episode of Queer Spirit delved into the journey of Rabbi Jared Saks, following him from his upbringing in Reformed Judaism in rural New Jersey to his experience as a gay Rabbi in the largest Reformed congregation in Maine. "Both the Jewish and Queer community," Rabbi Saks concluded, "have a sense of obligation not just to wait it out until its better but to make it better for other people.”

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About

Rabbi Jared Saks, a New Jersey native, is the spiritual leader of Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland, the largest reform congregation in northern New England, where he has served since 2011. He lives in South Portland with his husband Kirk and their young son.

The Reform movement in Judaism has been an open and accepting place for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people for many years. That message of acceptance is inspired by core Jewish values and “really goes back to our narrative as people,” Saks has explained. “Thirty-six times in Torah, more often than any other commandment, we’re advised to care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger, which are the Bible’s metaphors for the weakest members of our society, the people that are on the fringes.” The message is, “Make sure you don’t leave other people there, that you watch out for people on the fringe.”

“Part of my responsibility as a Rabbi,” Saks has pointed out, “is to help inspire my congregation and the Jewish community to fix the world in which we live.”