Miryam Kabakov, MSW

Co-Executive Director

Miryam Kabakov has been involved with organizing LGBT Orthodox communities for two decades.  Miryam is a graduate of the Ramaz Upper School, attended Stern College for Women as an undergraduate and received her masters in social work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.  She founded Orthodykes NY, a social and support group for Orthodox and previously Orthodox, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender women and was one of the founding members of GLYDSA (The Gay and Lesbian Yeshiva Day School Alumni Association).  Miryam has been on a national book tour with her anthology Keep Your Wives Away From Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires (North Atlantic Books, May 2010) to raise awareness in the Jewish community about the challenges and joys of LGBT Orthodox Jews.  Previously, she was National Program Director of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps and Coordinator of LGBT programming at the Manhattan JCC.  Miryam is one of the founding Co-Directors of Eshel and brings with her a background in organizational development, social research, program  evaluation,  and a passion for community building.  Contact Miryam at Miryam@eshelonline.org

Rabbi Steven Greenberg

Co-Executive Director

Rabbi Steven Greenberg is a Senior Teaching Fellow at CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.  Steve has worked with communities around the world to make Orthodox Judaism more inclusive of gays and lesbians.  Steve is the author of the groundbreaking book Wrestling with God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition (University of Wisconsin Press, 2004), which won the Koret Book Award for Philosophy and Thought. Steve is one of the founding Co-Directors of Eshel.  Contact Steve at Steve@eshelonline.org

Members of the Board

Aviva Buck-Yael

Aviva Buck-Yael is the director of Information Technology for the City of Richmond Heights. She was raised in St. Louis where she attended the local Yeshiva High School followed by Seminary at Neve Yerushalayim in Jerusalem.  Aviva and her partner have two children and are active members of St. Louis’ Bais Abraham Orthodox Synagogue.  Aviva brings to the Eshel board a great love for all people and a passion for building safe, enriching, and Jewish spaces for observant LGBT Jews. Contact Aviva at Aviva@eshelonline.org

Dana Friedman

Dana Friedman comes to the Eshel board with a great deal of not-for-profit volunteer experience.  Dana has been a leader in Business Network International, was Vice President of New York CyberQueers—a business networking group for New York area LGBT technology professionals— and was Vice President  of the New York City chapter of the ICCA—Independent Computer Consultants Association.  She served as a chapter advisor in Junior and Senior NCSY (Etz Chaim/NJ Region), as well as in Heritage of Pride—organizers of New York City’s Gay Pride March. With 20-plus years of technology consulting and web implementation experience, Dana assists Eshel by addressing a wide variety of technology, web, and social media challenges. Contact Dana at Dana@eshelonline.org

Steve Kay Kupietzky

Steve Kay Kupietzky received his law degree from Boston University, and now is president of an international tourism consulting business.  Steve worked with his family’s kosher catering business, Kay Caterers, for 30 years.  Steve is one of the original members of GLYDSA, attended Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, Yeshiva University’s High School in Manhattan (MTA), and studied at Yeshivat Hakotel in Jerusalem.   Steve has been involved with Limmud NY since its inception and has sat on the Board of Directors for several years.  Steve brings with him a talent for organization building as well as legal expertise in the non-profit world.  Steve was also the first professional rollerblader to appear in a Broadway Show.

Yitz Pries

Yitz Pries is director of GLYDSA, The Gay and Lesbian Yeshiva Day School Alumni Association. GLYDSA’s purpose is to provide a safe space for people of all ages to integrate their Jewish and gay identities, in a self-affirming, positive manner, through discussion, socializing, and other activities.  Yitz has been involved with organizing for the LGBT Orthodox community for almost twenty years. Contact Yitz at Yitz@eshelonline.org

Intern

Amram Altzman

Amram Altzman is a senior at a Modern Orthodox high school in New York, where he founded the first gay-straight alliance-type club at his school. He blogs for the Huffington Post Teen section.  An aspiring journalist and advocate of the queer Jewish community, Amram is also working to create programming for queer Jewish teens in the New York area.  Eshel is proud to have Amram join us in his capacity as an intern.