On Saturday, June 13, the Rev. Joe Hart had the distinct privilege of preaching the Torah portion at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland, as part of the congregation’s Pride Month celebration.
Fr. Joe’s sermon, entitled “Holy Audacity: A Journey from Pain to Pride,” spoke to the gathered community with pastoral courage and personal depth. The invitation came through a deeply personal connection: Fr. Joe’s husband, Michael L. Gottlieb, has been a devoted member of Adat Shalom for more than 30 years, and it was through that longstanding bond that Senior Rabbi Scott Perlo extended the warm welcome to the bimah.
Founded in 1987, Adat Shalom has long made diversity and inclusivity central to its identity, welcoming interfaith households and LGBTQ+ members and families from its earliest days. Guided by Reconstructionist principles, the congregation embraces its tradition’s call to pursue justice and peace values that made Fr. Joe’s Pride Shabbat message a natural fit for this community.
That an Episcopal priest was invited to interpret Torah for a Jewish congregation during Pride Month is a testament to what becomes possible when relationships are built across difference over many years.
We celebrate this beautiful interfaith witness and give thanks for the bonds of friendship and faith that make connections like this possible.
This article was written and submitted by the Rev. Joe Hart.
