Jewish Organization Equality Index

Jeremy Burton video of Joy Ladin

The Jewish Organization Equality Index (JOEI) survey is now closed. Thank you to all who participated. Please check back for more information on the 2012 Jewish Organization Equality Index Report.

The JOEI, one of the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) newest projects, is an innovative, first-of-its-kind effort to analyze and rate U.S. Jewish non-profits on their policies, practices and programs as they are pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees and members. The 18-month collaboration between the HRC Foundation and Jewish community organizations will include a survey to benchmark current practices, educational resources for improvement and a final report to highlight the advances made and the work still to be done. HRC's fair and achievable standards for inclusion are supported with informative resources, webinars, cutting-edge research and tools to help organizations along the way.

Why Organizations Should Participate

LGBT Jews make up approximately 7% of the Jewish community.
This project mirrors basic Jewish ideals, especially the ideas of b'tzelem elohim, that every person is created in G-d's image, and of kavod habriyot, that every person is deserving of basic dignity and respect.
Studies show that even organizations that think of themselves as "welcoming" are often not viewed as such by the local LGBT community.
HRC's work has shown that workplaces with inclusive policies and practices create more productive environments and help improve recruitment and retention.

Learn More About the Project

Resources

Creating an Inclusive Workplace

Advocating for LGBT Equality

Read more about advocacy and initiatives.

Programming for All

Read more about inclusive organizational programming and practices.

Eldercare Service Providers

Youth Organizations

Our Sponsors

The JOEI project is made possible by a generous grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and by supporting grants from The Morningstar Foundation, Stuart Kurlander –a leader in several non-profit Jewish and Jewish LGBT community organizations – and an anonymous donor.

Top 5 Things to Know

Keshet, a non-profit that works for the full inclusion of LGBT Jews in Jewish life, provides a large variety of trainings and resources for Jewish organizations around the country. Learn more about their work and other Jewish LGBT organizations.
The majority of Jewish denominations have come out in favor of LGBT equality. Read more in our resources section.
The 2008 Survey of New Jewish Organizations found that 57.8% of organizations did not have a non-discrimination policy.
One study found that only 52% of Jewish organizations in New York City reported having LGBT staff and 14% reported having LGBT board members.
LGBT Jews are overwhelmingly less engaged in the Jewish community than their heterosexual counterparts, primarily due to the fact that they are unsure of where they are welcome.

Human Rights Campaign

Real Pride with HRC

HRC Athletes for Equality

Americans for Marriage Equality