A HISTORICAL TIMELINE
May 26, 2013
JQ and the Jewish federation of Greater Los Angeles launch the inaugural LGBT & Ally Taglit-Birthright Israel trip.
January 9, 2013
JQ’s is awarded a strategic development sustainability award of $60,000 by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
December 2012
JQ and the 2wice Blessed Project are awarded a $1,000 micro grant from the ROI Community to launch a new joint website.
October 29, 2012
JQ’s is awarded a strategic development sustainability award of $40,000 by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
June 2012
JQ Board member represents the 2wice Blessed Project at the ROI Community summit in Jerusalem.
December 1, 2011
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles recognizes JQ’s successful LGBT & Ally programming and invites JQ to be an inaugural member of the Community Partnership Program.
July 2011
The 2wice Blessed Project is founded with the assistance of Birthright Israel Next / Natan Social Entrepreneurship Grant.
January 15, 2011
JQ’s leadership develop and design the 2wice Blessed Project.
March 15, 2010
JQ members create the first Transgender Jewish Advocacy Committee charged with increasing Trans programming for the Trans Jewish community, increasing education and advancing inclusion within all JQ programming and the Jewish community at large.
October 3, 2008
JQ Launches Leadership Development Shabbat Dinner Series. Naomi Goldberg develops leadership development modules for JQ’s Leadership Shabbot Dinner Series. Each 30-60 minute module builds upon the last and fosters a space for new or prospective leaders to find roles to contribute to organizational, mission and community building success.
June 11, 2008
JQ Launches Inclusion Consulting. As the Jewish community-at-large seeks to become more inclusive of GLBT Jewish community members, Jewish institutions have turned to JQ International, Los Angeles’s GLBT trans-denominational Jewish organization, for guidance in serving and including GLBT Jews in all Jewish communities.
April 11, 2008
JQ International Creates First Fully Integrated GLBT Haggadah. A two year collaborative project between JQ International and the Institute for Judaism & Sexual Orientation created the first ever fully integrated GLBT Passover Haggadah.
August 17, 2007
JQ International is awarded Cutting Edge Grant. The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (JCFLA) recognizes the success of JQ International’s communal strengthening and awards JQ a $120,000 Cutting Edge Grant, allowing the organization the opportunity to further professionalize and further develop membership diversity and programming resources.
November 1, 2006
JQ Launches an Advisory Committee. Lead by Mark Meltzer, Executive Director/CEO of the Jewish Free Loan Association of Los Angeles, the initial Advisory Committee formed included Dean Hansell, Jeffrey Janis, David Levy and Bruce Maxwell.
October 14, 2005
JQ verified by the California Franchise Tax Board to be Franchise and Income Tax Exempt, under California tax code 23701d.
June 22, 2005
After a vigorous screening and application the IRS verified JQ International as a tax exempt organization under the IRS tax code 501(c)(3).
November 24, 2004
California’s Secretary of State approved JQ International’s incorporation.
August-September 2004
A Board of Directors application was distributed to JQ’s 250 members and a Board was assembled. The first board convened with Aaron Jacob Abrahamy, Jeremy Lane, Leor Mendel, Todd Rosenthal, Eric Rosoff, Wylie Tene and Elad Yifrach. The Board drafted Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
June 2004
QAJ’s new name: JQ. As the organization began to thrive, Lieberman and Gellis held a new name competition to solicit buy-in from the existing members and to launch a more comprehensive feel to the organization. Wylie Tene won the renaming competition with his suggestion of JQ.
May 2003
Asher Gellis, then the Regional Director of Hadassah’s Young Judaea, joined forces with Jeff Lieberman, and the two co-chaired QAJ. Over the following year the membership grew from 50 to 200 as the diversity of programs increased. The introduction of dynamic programming and simple marketing tools facilitated the growth of the organic movement.
December 2002
Just one month after its first event, QAJ held its second event and the first of what would become an annual Hanukkah Party. Resources doubled, and attendance tripled. The community has been growing ever since. QAJ held several events over the next year, each helped the organization grow in membership and vibrancy.
November 24, 2002
In conjunction with the Workmen’s Circle, QAJ leaders planned the first event, a Wine and Cheese Evening. The event hosted 27, and its attendees officially formed the new community and popularized QAJ.
November 2002
Jeff Lieberman & Franceil Masi founded Queer as Jews (QAJ) in November 2002. Although Los Angeles boasted two LGBT Synagogues, the co-founders noted the lack of young people in either organization.
