Shelly Weiss is a long-time political activist, raised working class in Brownsville, Brooklyn. From earliest organizing efforts against the Vietnam War, including the bombing of Haiphong Harbor, and 55 years ago being a teacher on the frontlines working during the Ocean-Hill Brownsville strike for community control of education. She was raised in a household where her dad davened every day, but ran away from Hebrew school like Pinocchio running away from the Land of the Donkeys.

Shelly was the Spokesperson during the 1993 historic New York City Children of the Rainbow Curriculum battle against the Religious Right. Shelly was one of the organizers of the progressive Jewish response to Orthodox Jewish objections that led to the passage of NYC’s gay rights bill after failing to pass for 19 years, and organized the historic conference, “Lesbian and Gay Jews in the Jewish Community in 1986. 

Since 1994, she’s piloted OUTmedia, an org deeply committed to the promotion of diversity within mainstream and LGBTQ+ culture, giving voice to African American, Latino/a/x, Asian,Trans, Non-Binary, Jewish and women artists. 

Weiss longed for a shul where she could be her authentic self…queer, an activist for Palestinian justice, and real. She found that and so very much more in the awesomely rich caring community of Kolot. She’s served as the Co-chair of Social Justice where she worked on fighting Islamophobia, the fight for $15 hr, and Jews for Black Lives Matters. She’s been a member of Gemilut Hasidim since joining, and has been lifted up repeatedly in the deepest ways imaginable by its gluey communal protective tallit. She’s worked on galas, fundraising events, a member of WAAG (White Anti-racist Affinity Group), the Queer & Trans Working Group, and ardent about working on the Kolot Oral History design team. For 2 years she’s been a Co-Coordinator of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s Poor & Working Class Caucus, and for 5+ years, a leader in its Caring Majority Campaign fighting for the needs of home care workers, seniors, disabled, ill,  and injured folks of all ages.

Not a performer, more a schtetl queer, Shelly has been spurred on to tell stories including the Kolot Queer and Trans, From Generation to Generation, StoryCorps, “Eulogy for a Dyke Bar,” “Rocky & Rhoda’s Lesbian Past,” NY Historical Society, Judson Memorial Church, Yiddish NY, “Hineini” and “Queer Memoir.”

Listen to: Shelly’s interview with Lisa Hoff