Harvey Milk (1930-1978) was named the Humanistic Jewish Role Model for 2022-23. He was the first openly gay elected official in the history of California when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. During his political career, Harvey Milk supported anti-discrimination bills, free public transportation, and the development of a board of civilians to oversee the police. He spoke out on state and national issues for LGBT peoples, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other marginalized communities. Tragically, Milk was assassinated along with mayor of San Francisco George Moscone on November 27, 1978. A close friend remembered him as “very much a cultural Jew…. proud of being both Jewish and gay. He loved what Judaism and tikkun olam was about.”

Please join us on this webinar celebrating the life and legacy of Harvey Milk and looking to the future of LGBTQ+ advocacy with a current leader and advocate, Stuart Milk.

Stuart Milk is an international human rights activist, LGBT rights speaker, government relations consultant, and youth advocate. He is the co-founder and Executive Chair of the all-volunteer Harvey Milk Foundation. As the nephew of Harvey Milk, the iconic civil rights leader, Stuart has taken his uncle’s message of authenticity, example of courage, and the power of collaboration onto the global stage supporting local, regional, and national human rights struggles and emerging LGBT communities on five continents.

Stuart successfully led campaigns for the establishment of the now annual Harvey Milk Day holiday (May 22, his birthday) in California and Milks’ induction into the California Hall of Fame and he accepted on behalf of his uncle the highest civilian honor in the US, the Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama. Stuart continues to lead efforts to have the legacy of Harvey Milk taught in public schools, memorialized on buildings, LGBT Centers, monuments and parks. He is a regular television commentator on LGBT rights and the broader global human rights struggle for NBC Universal affiliates MSNBC, being seen frequently on national US broadcast and cable TV as well as on international broadcasts by the BBC, SKY and VTV in Asia. Milk is also a contributor to the Huffington Post.

Speaking with Stuart Milk will be:

Jaimie Krass, as Keshet's Director of Youth Programs, brings a decade of creative curriculum design experience, an innovative spirit, crisis management skills, and boundless energy to this holy work of building a more just, affirming, and celebratory world for LGBTQ+ Jewish youth. Prior to joining Keshet, Jaimie served as a Hillel campus professional for seven years (two at Muhlenberg College Hillel in PA, and five at Columbia/Barnard Hillel in NYC), creating and leading immersive experiences, reimagining Jewish tradition, and empowering students to seize ownership of their journeys and become leaders in their communities. She received her B.A. in political science and Jewish studies from the University of Florida, and her M.A. in experiential education and nonprofit professional leadership from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Throughout her career—and extending back to her teenage years—she has advocated for LGBTQ+ justice and inclusion, facilitating trainings at a variety of conferences, JCCs, and synagogues, and creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Russian-speaking Jewish teens in Brooklyn, NY. She is a dedicated crisis counselor with The Trevor Project, a proud Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies alumna, and lives in Manhattan with her wife and their dog, MishMish.

Paul Golin is executive director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, the community-organizing umbrella of a movement that combines a humanistic philosophy of life with Judaism as the cultural and historic experience of the Jewish people. He also serves as lead staff for SHJ’s pluralistic social justice initiative, Jews for a Secular Democracy, mobilizing Jewish voices to defend the separation of religion and government. Paul is a writer, speaker, advocate, and consultant on issues including secularity, intermarriage, disaffiliation, and inclusion. He co-authored two books and his writing has appeared in the Forward, Jewish Week, Huffington Post, and elsewhere. He is the white Ashkenazi half of a “Jewpanese” (Jewish/Japanese) multiracial household and administers the Jewpanese page on Facebook.