Join Eshel at Jewish Wisdom & Wellness: A Festival of Learning. You have TWO chances to catch us:
Workshop: Oy Vey! Can I be Orthodox and Gay?
Teachers: Miryam Kabakov, MSW and Yisraela Hayman, LMFT
Sponsors: Eshel and JQ International
Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Place: 1133 S La Peer Dr Los Angeles CA 90035 (corner of Pico Blvd. at a private home in Pico Robertson)
Description: Join this confidential discussion group that will cover a host of topics related to being Orthodox and LGBTQ facilitated by a licensed therapist. See more.
Trans-Torah: The Family Journey
Teachers: Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Jonathan Skurnik
Sponsors: Eshel and JQ International and Youth and Gender Media Project
Date: Sunday, May 3, 2015
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Place: Jewish Federation of Los Angeles; 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90048
Description: Family acceptance means everything. Literally. Through good science we now know what common sense already told us. Family acceptance of a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity has protective factors and rejection can have negative health and mental health implications for a child.
What’s it like to born with a mismatched body and soul? What’s it like to raise a boy who demands to wear dresses every day or a girl who refuses to wear them? Is there a Trans-Torah that can help us make sense of these realities?
Watch two short documentaries by the Youth & Gender Media Project that portray the realities of trans kids and the families that love them and hear from the film’s maker Jonathan Skurnik. Then Rabbi Steve Greenberg, director of Eshel will lead a session on three sacred texts that shed light on the meaning of gender. Finally, to bring together Jewish wisdom and real life experience, trans kids and their families will help us to better understand and navigate these contemporary realities of gender from a Jewish perspective. See more.