Feb 21, 2025 | Eshel in the News
FALLS VILLAGE, Conn. (RNS) — In many Orthodox Jewish settings, including the vast Haredi world, strict adherence to Torah and Jewish law has kept many closeted or unable to live openly in synagogue settings. At Eshel retreats they are embraced. The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Conn., was the site of an annual [more]
Jan 31, 2025 | Eshel in the News
By Asaf Elia-Shalev A person wears a pride-themed yarmulke in the West Village in New York City, on June 26, 2020. (Noam Galai/Getty Images) After trying for five years to dissuade lawmakers in Missouri from enacting laws he believed would endanger his son and other transgender youth in the state, Russel Neiss finally admitted defeat. The [more]
Dec 5, 2024 | Eshel in the News
By Lauren Costantino December 05, 2024 5:30 AM Daniel Gammerman, a lifelong Orthodox Jew, began noticing some changes at his South Florida synagogue. Gammerman, who is originally from Brazil but spent most of his adult life in Miami, was no longer being asked by his Rabbi to lead prayers or read the Torah during services — [more]
Nov 7, 2024 | Eshel in the News
Download Press Release For Immediate Release Contact: Raina Grossman raina@eshelonline.org 646-879-5859 ESHEL HOSTS FIRST-EVER WEEKEND RETREAT IN FLORIDA FOR LGBTQ+ ORTHODOX JEWS TO CREATE NEEDED COMMUNITY DUE TO POLITICAL POLARIZATION, NOVEMBER 15-16, 2024, HOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA – November 7, 2024 - Eshel, which creates LGBTQ+ inclusive Orthodox Jewish communities, is hosting its first weekend retreat [more]
Oct 7, 2024 | Eshel in the News
The idea that time is not a flat circle but a spiral is easy to see during Rosh Hashanah, the chaggim that follow it, and the other holidays on the Jewish calendar. If we’re lucky — and yes, not all of us are — we gather with family or friends, every year, to celebrate the [more]
Oct 2, 2024 | Eshel in the News
Daniel Gammerman poses for a photo on his balcony where he sometimes prays as he prepares to worship at home for the Jewish High Holy Days, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Updated 7:02 AM CDT, October 2, 2024 It was a heart-wrenching choice. But when Daniel Gammerman [more]