Our Voices

Tu B'Av, often described as the Jewish holiday of love, is a lesser known but deeply meaningful celebration similar to Valentine's Day. Falling in the height of summer, just after Tisha B'Av, it marks a spiritual and emotional turning point from grief to hope and from destruction to renewal. Associated with the idea of matchmaking and open-heartedness, Tu B'Av is a fitting moment for reflection.

One of the most profound acts of reclamation in LGBTQ+ history is the transformation of the pink triangle—a symbol once used by the Nazis to identify and persecute gay men. In the years following the Holocaust, queer activists boldly re-appropriated the triangle as an emblem of resilience, defiance, and pride. What was once a marker of shame and targeting became a banner of identity and solidarity, especially in the early years of the AIDS crisis when silence was death and symbols carried life-saving weight.

With summer hosting Pride Month, a time where voices of courage and love are amplified, Tu B'Av offers a spiritual layer to the celebration. The pink triangle, now often seen alongside rainbow flags and queer spaces in synagogues and schools, reminds us that transformation is possible—not only in symbols, but in hearts, traditions, and communities. In merging the stories of Jewish resilience and LGBTQ+ liberation, we find common ground in survival, memory, and love.