Dec 1, 2025 | Eshel Out Loud
At my first Eshel retreat in 2010, I remember feeling like the idea of queer Orthodox community, or a true observant future was unfathomable. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that parents would support their children coming out. I assumed the shuls and schools I grew up in would never engage in conversations [more]
Nov 10, 2025 | Eshel in the News
In this powerful and deeply personal 93rd episode of No Hair, All Heart, Mookie Spitz sits down with Ely Winkler, the Director of Advancement at Eshel, an organization devoted to LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Orthodox Jewish community. Their heartfelt conversation cuts through theology, tradition, and identity with candid honesty and unexpected joy. Ely shares his remarkable [more]
Oct 28, 2025 | Eshel Out Loud
Over the past few months, Eshel has had the honor of being featured in the Capital Jewish Museum’s exhibit “LGBT Jews in the Federal City,” which celebrates more than a century of LGBTQ Jewish presence in Washington, DC. Walking through the exhibit this past week, I felt deeply moved by the stories and the legacy [more]
Oct 5, 2025 | Eshel in the News
In this conversation, Miryam shares her journey of growing up in a modern Orthodox community while grappling with her LGBTQ identity with Brian. She discusses the challenges of acceptance within her family and the broader Orthodox community, and how these experiences led her to found Eshel, an organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ Jews. Miryam emphasizes [more]
Jun 26, 2025 | Eshel Out Loud
I was married three times, to the same person. Our first wedding was almost everything I could have hoped for - spiritual, communal, religious, and deeply meaningful. The only problem was that legally, it was meaningless. In 2004, Mara and I got married in front of 240 of our closest friends and family. It marked [more]
