Synagogue hosts remembrance service
Transgender Day of Remembrance observed
Inside the stain-glassed chapel of Beth Sholom Synagogue, about 20 members joined together Sunday afternoon for Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Ariel Figueroa, chair of Beth Sholom’s Inclusion Committee, led the crowd in songs, poems and prayers as they remembered transgender people who have died from violence or suicide.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on this weekend in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance but people found our little place, and came to join us,” Figueroa said. “It was beautiful.”
During the service, the iconic blue, pink and white transgender flag draped over a chair in the chapel to represent a seat for transgender people who have died.
Whispers among the worshippers included, “My heart hurts,” “May they be in peace,” and “That gave me shivers.”
The group sang and prayed together as well as lit a Yahrzeit candle, a Jewish tradition honoring the dead on the anniversary of their death. The tall white candle stood inside a clear glass jar with a blue Star of David and a Transgender Day of Remembrance sticker on the front.
After the candle on the table was lit, people stood and prayed Kaddish, a prayer Jews say when in mourning.
“As much as it’s sad that there has to be a day like this, I’m happy that there is
one,” Figueroa said. “That if senseless and horrible violent transphobic things happen there is a day to (recognize) it. It’s not just ignored or swept under the rug.”
Sarah Siegel, an LGBTQ+ member a part of Beth Sholom, attended the service Sunday and it reminded her of the book “People Love Dead Jews” by Dara Horn. Siegel said any minority group, including transgender people, could replace “Jews” in the book title and it
would apply.
“I feel very ambivalent about this day,” Siegel said. “I just feel like we should be honoring transgender people who are alive more often than we do. If we did, we probably wouldn’t have as many dead trans people to memorialize and commemorate.”
Siegel has mixed feelings about the day, however she found the service welcoming, and she “loves these allies.”
Although many of the worshippers called the event beautiful and needed, a common feeling throughout the synagogue, 6675 Humphreys Blvd., was fear.
“There’s always a little bit of fear,” Figueroa said. “There’s a fear that somebody might, you know – like what happened Saturday night in Colorado Springs. There might be people with a gun or people saying horrible things, and this is a safe space and for someone to breach that safe space, there’s some concern.”
Five people were killed and at least two dozen were injured after a gunman went into Club Q on Saturday night and opened fire with an AR-15. Authorities in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said a 22year-old man has been taken into custody.
A security guard and Geo Poor, executive director of Beth Sholom, stood outside the synagogue as the service went on to ensure the safety of the worshippers.
The transgender event was the inclusion committee’s first service and Poor and Figueroa were not sure what would happen.
“Unfortunately, we always have to have someone at the door,” Poor, who joined the Synagogue seven years ago, said. “We screen people to make sure they don’t mean any kind of threat, which is always on our minds, unfortunately, and extra after Colorado Springs.”
Figueroa said the inclusion committee was born in the summer and plans are still underway. The committee does not have another event planned for now.
Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Amrodima.