Jun 29, 2026 | Eshel in the News
Only compassion can resist the political and cultural trends making our institutions less welcoming, writes an educator at Eshel. By SAUNDRA STERLING EPSTEIN For the past decade, I have been working, along with my colleagues at Eshel, to increase the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Orthodox Jewish world. This is our organization’s mission: to [more]
Aug 28, 2023 | Eshel Out Loud
As a new mom, things like news stories, divrei torah from the bima, even conversations with friends and community members hit differently. I can’t help thinking, “what does this mean for my child’s future?” I want my kid to have access to as many opportunities as possible and be loved, accepted, and celebrated by my [more]
Jun 18, 2014 | Eshel in the News
LGBTQ Jews need a place in community In 1952, my dad was a popular senior on his high school football team and my mother was a recent immigrant from war-torn France. It was my father’s protective instinct that caused him to intervene one day to help a newly arrived French girl navigate their American high school, [more]
Apr 26, 2013 | Eshel in the News
Gay Orthodox Jews Deserve Our Support A response to Brian Camenker, by Rabbi Zev Farber Letter to the Editor The Advocate The Talmud declares that anyone who has no compassion for others is not a descendent of our father Abraham. My mind went to this statement as I read Brian Camenker’s hurtful words. Gay Orthodox Jews [more]
Sep 15, 2012 | Eshel in the News
Senior Year: APs, College Prep, and Coming Out in My Orthodox High School When I tell my friends who are not Orthodox that I’m out of the closet and attending a Modern Orthodox high school, many of them do a double take. Why would I subject myself to that, they ask. One even asked why I hadn’t [more]
