Susanna & the Ahava Collective
At the JCC, inclusion is more than a value. It’s something you can feel in the intention behind each program and the communities that continue to grow year after year.
The AHAVA Collective, the JCC’s LGBTQIA+ community initiative, is a powerful expression of commitment to inclusion: a space where people are invited to show up fully as themselves and to connect across shared and diverse identities.
The roots of LGBTQIA+ programming at the JCC date back to 2015, when the organization partnered with Keshet and local Jewish organizations to create meaningful experiences for LGBTQIA+ Jews across Denver.
After changes in grant funding and a pause during COVID, the JCC reimagined the program and reopened it to broader community involvement. Since then, AHAVA at the JCC has grown into something much larger than a single organization’s initiative. In 2021, when Denver Pride celebrations were still on hold due to COVID, the JCC Denver served as one of the city’s few selective Pride hub sites, which welcomed more than 20,000 visitors over one weekend.
Today, the JCC continues that spirit of collaboration by showing up at Pride not as only the JCC but as “the Jewish community,” inviting organizations across Denver to participate.
That kind of inclusion is at the heart of the AHAVA Collective’s mission. And it has attracted a great group of motivated people.
When Susanna Y. first moved to Denver in 2018, she was searching for something many people hope to find: a community where all parts of her identity could exist in the same room.
She explored Jewish spaces first but often didn’t see people who shared some of her other lived experiences, particularly being queer and in an interfaith relationship. Then she found a queer Shabbat event at the JCC Denver.
“It was an amazing feeling being in a space where so many intersectional experiences were represented,” Susanna shares. “I knew I wanted to get more involved.”
That experience eventually led her to the AHAVA Collective (formerly the LGBTQIA+ Committee), where she has become a beloved volunteer leader known for bringing both heart and creativity to the community.
If you’ve attended an AHAVA Collective event and thought, Who came up with this?, there’s a good chance Susanna had something to do with it. One standout example? Joseph’s Techno Color Dreamcoat—a techno dance party-meets-Hanukkah celebration. It was reflective of what AHAVA does best: creating Jewish experiences where people can show up fully as themselves.
Daniel Siegel, Director of Engagement & Jewish learning who works closely with the AHAVA Collective, says Susanna is often the first person to jump in when extra hands are needed. Whether helping with logistics behind the scenes or warmly welcoming newcomers at events, she brings authenticity and enthusiasm to everything she does. “She understands both the practical side of operating events and the emotional and interpersonal considerations that make programs meaningful and inclusive for everyone involved,” he says.
For Susanna, her favorite part is seeing familiar faces return year after year. “Looking around a room full of other young queer Jews and knowing that this is not an experience that all Jewish people get to have championed by their communities, is such an empowering experience,” she says. “We are so lucky to have such a welcoming community here in Denver and at the Denver JCC, who puts their money where their mouth is in terms of championing intersectional programming. It’s one thing to say you are an inclusive environment, and another to consistently put resources into ensuring these events happen and are accessible. I feel very proud to be part of this community.”
Her story is a reminder that belonging doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built intentionally through welcoming spaces like AHAVA Collective, thoughtful ecosystems like the JCC, and people like Susanna who help make community feel possible for others.
We were honored to recognize Susanna with the Gerald S. Gray Award at our recent Evening of Gratitude celebration. This honor is presented when an individual truly embodies the same spirit of generosity, leadership, humility, and deep commitment to community that Jerry Gray demonstrated through his longstanding support of the JCC. Susanna’s dedication, compassion, and unwavering belief in the power of community make her a deeply deserving recipient of this special recognition.