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JOSHUA LESSER
College was a dark time for a deeply closeted Joshua Lesser, but it helped him become the man he is now. “I saw shame and hiding as corrosive to my soul and it began to shape what would become my decision to be an out clergy person,” he says.
And now he’s the rabbi at Congregation Bet Haverim, a spiritual leader with a serious activist streak.
How would you define your role in Atlanta’s LGBT community?
Since I was raised in Atlanta, I have always seen my role as much more than a spiritual leader for the LGBTQ Jewish community. I feel like someone who has taken on part of the responsibility for furthering the safety, the freedoms and the rights of the LGBTQ community and challenging the oppressive messages from religious voices and otherwise. I am an activist by nature, and deeply compassionate to those in need and marginalized because of their identities; which is why I see myself building bridges to the larger community and stepping in places that are not always obviously accepting.
What do you forecast for Atlanta’s LGBT community in the next 5 to 10 years?
We are making triumphs every day in the area of our rights and freedoms and yet our youth still feel the need to end their lives and our elders are relegated to the side dying lonely and ignored. As we gain rights and as we have more LGBTQ elected officials, which we will, our community will have more and more opportunities to assimilate and so we must make efforts to further queer and LGBT culture and sensibilities. In particular, transgender liberation will begin to move more into focus.
We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad. Tell us about a negative life experience you’ve had that you learned a valuable lesson from.
Much of college was a dark time for me, while it helped shaped my activism I had a hard time coming out, thinking that I was disappointing my family and my friends. I joined the football fraternity particularly to see if I could maneuver that world without everyone knowing. Instead of being able to call me, my first boyfriend was instructed to wait for me to call because I did not want my fraternity to brothers to discover I was gay. They would have beaten the crap out of me. By my senior year, I was suffocating and from that point forward I saw shame and hiding as corrosive to my soul and it began to shape what would become my decision to be an out clergy person.
How has being LGBT shaped your outlook on life?
It has made me a more loving person. Together with being Jewish, it has helped me step inside the shoes of “the other” and allow me to see the connections between peoples and work towards our common humanity. And for better or worse, it has helped me see irreverence at times is the most reverent choice.
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your hobbies? What are your goals?
My goal is to be better a person—a better boyfriend, a better son, a better friend and better rabbi. On a more practical level, I would like to study conflict resolution and peacemaking—even pursuing another degree is tempting. I also loved editing Torah Queeries, and would like to work on another book project.
My sabbatical in Hawaii was incredible. Working with the Wild Dolphin Foundation which enabled me to study them in their natural habitat and swim with them in the ocean was amazing. Volunteering on a ranch there helping children with disabilities learn how to horseback ride was totally joyful. There is a way that the islands have seeped inside of me despite the touristy facade. I would like somehow to keep a connection to the spirituality of the place and the people.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one book you would want with you?
Oy, there are so many books I love! And I can’t think of one that speaks to all sides of me so I don’t know if I could choose just one. Perhaps that would be the best time to take paper and pen and work on that next book project…
