Priscilla Golding
Priscilla Golding was born in 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts to a working-class secular Jewish family. She served as a child welfare worker, a union official, a member of Northeast Women in Transportation (NEWIT), the director of Women in the Building Trades, and the Associate Director of Metro North Regional Employment Board. Priscilla was heavily involved in Am Tikvah, a Boston community whose goal was to bring queer Jews together in prayer and social celebration, as well as in the early years of the International Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jews. Priscilla is married to Barbara Berg.
On November 9, 2022, Nicole Zador interviewed Priscilla Golding for the Jewish Women’s Archive collection Ga’avah: LGBTQ+ Jews. Priscilla describes her family history, growing up in Boston in a working-class Jewish family, and her experiences in higher education. She recounts her brother’s battle with AIDS, and how this impacted his identity as a gay man. Priscilla describes how and when she came out, as well as the reactions of her family and friends. Priscilla talks about her work with Am Tikva, mentioning her outreach to regional synagogues and how her involvement deepened her relationship with Judaism. She also shares her memories of the International Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jews. She details her work experience as a union official and direction of Women in the Building Trades. Additionally, she mentions her relationship and marriage to Barbara Berg. Finally, Priscilla shares her reflections on the changes the queer community has undergone.
