Eshel Out Loud
News, Views, and Updates from the Eshel Community
Contemporary Orthodox Rabbis Speak
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, in an article written in nearly twenty years ago, stated the challenge for rabbis in these words: “.... how can we deny a human being the expression of his physical and psychic being? If there’s a problem with the kettle, blame the manufacturer. Is it not cruel to condemn an individual from [more]
Rav Benny Lau “The Religious Community and Homosexuality”
I want to begin with a story from 26 years ago. It’s about 1993 and it was my first year as a rabbi in Kibbutz Sa’ad, in the Negev. We are a family of 4 children. I am the third and Amichai, my brother, is 8 years younger than me. I got a phone [more]
Shavuot and the Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Youth
For ten days last month, we accompanied two of our British colleagues from Keshet UK to five US states as they shared a rather unusual story. Dalia Fleming and Benjamin Ellis won the trust of the Chief Rabbi of England, and he theirs, in opening up dialogue in the Orthodox community about LGBTQ+ members. They [more]
The Day My Rainbow Got Kicked Out of Shul
I am an Orthodox Jew. I’m also an openly Bi-woman who is an active part of the Jewish LGBTQ community, particularly the Orthodox group for support and acceptance called Eshel. I also have a lot of awesome friends in the Orthodox community—friends who love and support me for who I am and believe in a [more]
Between Acharei-Mot and Kedoshim
My bar mitzvah date was totally messed up. The synagogue bureaucrat who assigned it gave me the double portion of Aharei-Mot/Kedoshim to be read on April 26, 1969. But I was born in late June! I'm not sure why they thought it was ok, but this was a full two months before my 13th birthday. By mistake, I was given [more]
