BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Eshel Online - ECPv6.0.0.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.eshelonline.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Eshel Online REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260608T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260608T210000 DTSTAMP:20260619T000817 CREATED:20260515T215921Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T213136Z UID:165743-1780945200-1780952400@www.eshelonline.org SUMMARY:Book Talk with Orit Avishai DESCRIPTION:This June\, Join Eshel for a book talk followed by Q&A with author Orit Avishai! The Eshel Baltimore Chapter has been reading her book\, Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel\, as part of a book club but this special event is open to everyone whether or not they have read the book. So sign up below\, join us on Zoom\, and learn more about queer judaism from this incredible author. \n\n \n\nOrit Avishai is Professor of Sociology and Women’s\, Gender\, and Sexuality Studies at Fordham University in New York. She has over two decades of experience studying Jewish Orthodoxy and her work has been published in academic journals and public facing venues. She is currently writing about the Yeshiva University Pride Alliance Lawsuit in the context of a large study of religious freedom controversies in the United States.\n\n \nBook Synopsis: Until fairly recently\, Orthodox people in Israel could not imagine embracing their LGBT sexual or gender identity and staying within the Orthodox fold. But within the span of about a decade and a half\, Orthodox LGBT people have forged social circles and communities and become much more visible.  This has been a remarkable shift in a relatively short time span. Queer Judaism offers the compelling story of how Jewish LGBT persons in Israel created an effective social movement.\nDrawing on more than 120 interviews and extensive fieldwork\, Queer Judaism illustrates how LGBT Jews accomplished this radical change. The book makes the case that it has taken multiple approaches to achieve recognition within the community\, ranging from political activism\, to more personal interactions with religious leaders and community members\, to simply creating spaces to go about their everyday lives. Orthodox LGBT Jews have drawn from their lived experiences as well as Jewish traditions\, symbols\, and mythologies to build this movement\, motivated to embrace their sexual identity not in spite of\, but rather because of\, their commitment to Jewish scripture\, tradition\, and way of life.\nThough this is predominantly an Israeli story\, it provides insights for American LGBT Jews and their communities. URL:https://www.eshelonline.org/event/book-talk-with-orit-avishai/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260608T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260608T210000 DTSTAMP:20260619T000817 CREATED:20230926T162921Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251126T132119Z UID:158297-1780948800-1780952400@www.eshelonline.org SUMMARY:LGBTQ+ Support Group DESCRIPTION:A confidential space for LGBTQ+ adults who are Orthodox\, formerly Orthodox\, or Orthodox-adjacent to access peer support\, share their experiences\, and connect and gain insights from others. \n  \nSecond Monday of the month \n8:00 pm ET\, 7:00 pm CT\, 6:00 pm MT\, 5:00 pm PT \nRegister below for Zoom link and to receive notifications each month. URL:https://www.eshelonline.org/event/lgbtq-support-group-2-2024-01-01/2026-06-08/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.eshelonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Eshel-Support-groups-and-meetups.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260609T203000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260609T214500 DTSTAMP:20260619T000817 CREATED:20200218T173239Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251223T192554Z UID:163464-1781037000-1781041500@www.eshelonline.org SUMMARY:Women's LBTQ+ Support Group DESCRIPTION:Women’s New York Area Meetup on Zoom \nWhat: Meet other individuals who identify as female and who are exploring their Orthodox LGBTQ+ identities. \nWhen: Meeting Weekly: Every Tuesday from 8:30 pm – 9:45 pm \nWhere: For notifications and sign-in information\, register below. (You only need to register for this group one time.) URL:https://www.eshelonline.org/event/womens-lgbtq-support-group-2025-09-11/2026-06-09/ CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.eshelonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Eshel-Support-groups-and-meetups-14.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260610T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260610T130000 DTSTAMP:20260619T000817 CREATED:20200518T143444Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T192659Z UID:158308-1781092800-1781096400@www.eshelonline.org SUMMARY:Parents Drop-In Support Group DESCRIPTION:Drop-in every Wednesday to shmooze\, chat\, ask questions\, and hear topics of interest! \nFor notifications and sign-in information\, please fill out the form below. (You only need to register for this group one time.)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Subscribe to a Newsletter URL:https://www.eshelonline.org/event/parents-drop-in/2026-06-10/ CATEGORIES:Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.eshelonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Parents-Drop-In-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260611T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260611T190000 DTSTAMP:20260619T000817 CREATED:20260506T191537Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T164248Z UID:165701-1781204400-1781204400@www.eshelonline.org SUMMARY:The Holy Closet - Chicago Film Screening and Panel DESCRIPTION:What does the wedding ceremony of two religious Jewish gay men look like? Or a family of two mothers and 4 children? Or the pregnancy of a trans religious man? These are some of the questions raised in The Holy Closet\, a marvelous film by Moran Nakar and Avigail Sperber. The film features seven stories depicting life cycle moments of LGBTQ Jews who chose to remain religious\, building their daily lives\, relationships\, and families according to Jewish tradition. \nJoin Eshel for a film screening at the Skokie Theatre on Thursday June 11th.  This is a celebratory\, poignant and often funny representation of the lives of queer Jews who are reshaping Orthodoxy in Israel. After the film\, author/educator Rabbi Steve Greenberg will be joined by a panel of local Orthodox community members who will help us to explore an American version of this film’s message.  Please join Carol Gore\, an Orthodox mom of multiple gay children\, Richard Kahn\, an out and active leader in his Orthodox community and Rabbi Aaron Finkelstein of Anshei Shalom\, for a moving and engaging evening! \nSince we have limited seating\, please register for a seat. Tickets are $10. URL:https://www.eshelonline.org/event/the-holy-closet-chicago/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.eshelonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Chicago-holy-closet-June-2026-6.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR