Eshel Out Loud
News, Views, and Updates from the Eshel Community
If You Build It, They Will Come
Two of our three kids came out as LGBTQ a few years ago, one after the other, three months apart. As a pretty open-minded and still very frum couple, my husband and I took the first one in stride, got the support we needed, and since our son was then closeted, moved on with our [more]
Love and Liberation this Tu B’Av
The grape harvest is upon us! It is but one of many socially significant occasions to the Jewish people that coincide with the auspicious date of 15 Av, or the minor holiday otherwise known as Tu B’Av. Tu B’Av is more commonly known as a day of love. On this date in Old Judea, single [more]
You’ve Got to Have Faith
When LGBTQ people come out, the first questions they ask often have to do with place and belonging: where will my home be now, and who are “my people”—my family, my friendship circle, and my spiritual community? The experience of displacement is something that our community is all too familiar with. Tisha B’Av is the [more]
The God Who Hates Lies and the People Who Blame the Victim
Who is to blame for the destruction of Judea and the razing of the Temple? Every year during the three weeks, including the nine days and the ninth of Av, we blame ourselves. The land had been promised to Abraham and his children, and with fits and starts, that promise had been fulfilled and lasted [more]