Apr 13, 2013 | Eshel in the News
LGBT and Observant: St. Louis Jewish Light covers Eshel event Elissa Kaplan says deciding 10 years ago to tell her two oldest children, then ages 9 and 11, that she was gay still stands as the “scariest decision” of her life. It not only resulted in her children knowing, but also, quite unexpectedly, the head [more]
Apr 12, 2013 | Eshel in the News
Tough Love is Needed In response to Eshel’s retreat for Orthodox parents of LGBT people, Brian Camenker wrote this letter to the editor of Boston’s Jewish Advocate. A response by Rabbi Zev Farber appeared two weeks later. See full article.
Apr 6, 2013 | Eshel in the News
Gay Orthodox Jews to gather and discuss challenges they face When Hyim Shafner first started working as the campus rabbi for St. Louis Hillel at Washington University in the mid-1990s, he was approached by a male student with an unusual request. “I’m having trouble meeting guys, rabbi,” Shafner remembers the student saying. “Can you fix [more]
Mar 20, 2013 | Eshel in the News
Retreat set for parents of LGBT Jews: Event was inspired by local mother’s request When Shabbat begins on April 26, Orthodox parents and adult relatives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) children will gather for a retreat to discuss their own concerns and challenges, and to formulate strategies for full inclusion of those children [more]
Mar 14, 2013 | Eshel in the News
Orthodox Parents of LGBT Children Navigate Their Own Coming Out Process A weekend retreat inspires advocacy for gay Orthodox Jews and creates a support network for families in religious communities It was telling that Eshel—the national organization offering community and programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews and their families in Orthodox communities—held its second [more]
Dec 12, 2012 | Eshel in the News
At Hanukkah, rejoicing over peaceful victory for same-sex marriage Loving couples triumphed over wrong beliefs, just as Jews did over the Greek army in ancient Israel. PORTLAND — We Jews are now celebrating Hanukkah. Long ago in ancient Israel, a small band of Jews fought against a much larger Greek army and the Jews won. While [more]
