This year, I had the pleasure of attending three spectacular weekends: the Eshel in Israel Parent Shabbaton, the National LGBTQ+ Retreat, and Eshel Parent Retreat. While each is unique in their own way, these Eshel weekends are the crown jewels of our work. Each time we come together for a retreat weekend or smaller Shabbaton, we are able to hit all four pillars of our mission in 48-72 hours of work: community building, advocating, supporting, and educating, to make the greatest impact for participants and attendees to take back to their lives.
Having just returned from the 2026 Eshel Parent Shabbaton, I was moved by this year’s theme of “Yes, AND.” Each parent who joined us was acknowledging and navigating the complexities of saying “Yes, I am frum, AND my child is LGBTQ+.” As Orthodox Jews, we engage in Yes, AND, every day by saying “Yes, we are religious, AND we engage in the larger world around us.” These parents were able to apply that lens to a range of topics and difficulties they face in their own families.
Almost 90 participants from across the US and Israel had the opportunity to discuss topics surrounding their children’s identities with not only leading voices from the Eshel staff, but also from leaders in the Orthodox community, including Rabbi Dov Linzer, Rabbi Chaim Marder, and Suzie Marder, LCSW. These experts helped make room for honest conversations about what parents face in their Orthodox communities while trying to navigate their commitments to living an observant life and their families. Together we spoke about topics ranging from family building to halachic questions facing trans and nonbinary individuals to studying Torah.
By beginning programming Thursday night and Friday, participants had the opportunity to get to know one another before spending the full Shabbat together. Through this warm environment, attendees were able to experience meaningful conversation, joyful activities, and most importantly, they all continue to report feeling less alone in their own lives and experiences, after spending time with the Eshel community.
As one parent described, “I would never miss this opportunity to see my friends and support each other and each other’s families. It’s always hard to normalize when I get back home, but I’m leaving with so many new friends.” Thank you to our incredible parent volunteers who organized the retreat, our incredible staff, educators, foundation partners and supporters, for helping us all say “Yes, AND” to the complexities of our lives, and to more inclusive Orthodox communities.
Ely Winkler
Director of Advancement