Eshel Out Loud
News, Views, and Updates from the Eshel Community
Why Should We Be Excluded?
This Friday will be the 14th of Iyyar, exactly one month after Pesach. We celebrate Pesach Sheni, an ancient reminder of the value of inclusion. It originates the first year after the Exodus from Egypt. Bnai Yisrael are instructed to repeat the lamb offering they made the night that they went free: “you shall offer [more]
One Day at a Time
The season of sefira draws our attention to the passage of time. We mark each day with an account of the days and weeks that have gone by. This ritual timekeeping follows the joyous celebration of yetziat mitzrayim, which is marked by a very different relationship to time. After hundreds of years in bondage, when [more]
The Choice to be Visible
As an infant, Moshe was bundled up and sent down the Nile in a tiny raft. Yocheved gave him up, still in vital danger, but spared from certain death at home as a Hebrew boy. When he was found by Pharoah’s daughter, she recognized that he was a Hebrew baby - based on his circumcision, [more]Thinking About the Eshel Parent Retreat?
What is it? How do I know if it's for me? Eshel’s Parent Retreat is a supportive space for Orthodox parents with children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. You may be feeling a lot of things about having an LGBTQ child. Parents come to this retreat for many different reasons, and [more]