Schools and camps are at the heart of communal life, shaping how young people experience their Jewish identity, friendships, and sense of belonging. Learn how Eshel’s Welcoming Schools and Camps Project works with Orthodox institutions across North America to ensure that every LGBTQ+ student can fully participate in these vital spaces.
Through the WSP, Eshel works to:
Provide Counseling to Leadership
Offer Faculty & Staff Training
Guide School & Camp Leaders
Develop Resources
Orthodox day schools and camps across North America have little to no resources available to them in order to provide culturally appropriate inclusion for their LGBTQ+ students. While some schools and camps have created inclusive practices and policies, educators on the ground grapple with bringing these policies to life.
The Welcoming Schools and Camps Project supplies materials and training tailored to a school or camp’s specific needs.
It builds community and provides resources for individual teachers and staff who wish to take steps to ensure LGBTQ+ youth feel included. Eshel works to encourage more institutions to take advantage of these resources and opportunities for individualized counseling.
Eshel is equipped to guide leaders on a wide range of issues related to inclusivity in schools youth organizations.
Here are some common questions we hear:
From Educators and Administrators:
- How can I ensure LGBTQ+ students feel safe in my classroom?
- Students/campers are asking questions about diverse genders/sexualities. How can I address them? Do you have any resources?
- How can my camp include a non-binary camper?
- What should my school do when a child comes out?
- How can transgender students participate in tefillah?
- What can I do as a teacher or administrator to address bullying on the basis of LGBTQ+ identity or family structure?
- What do I say as a limudei kodesh teacher when teaching texts (e.g. Vayikra) or about Jewish lifecycles?
- How do I consider the diverse genders and sexualities that may be in the classroom when drafting curricula?
From Parents and Children:
- My child came out to me. How should I bring this up with their school?
- How can I get my LGBTQ+ child into an Orthodox day school?
- Which schools will accept a child with LGBTQ parents?
- How do I balance my child’s needs – academic, religious, LGBTQ+, and other – when choosing a school or camp?
- One of my children identifies as LGBTQ+. How can I get my other children’s teachers to stop making disparaging comments about LGBTQ+ people?
- My child would like their teachers to use their new pronouns. I need help advocating for my child with their teachers and administrators.
- Which seminary or yeshivah will accept me or my child?
In the summer of 2018 Eshel organized the High School Pledge Project. This campaign asked yeshiva day school alumni to create 30-second videos appealing to their alma mater to create a place for their LGBTQ+ students and take a pledge to create inclusion policies for them. The campaign strategy follows our theory of change: mobilize the grassroots, and leaders will listen.
Within six months, ten modern Orthodox day schools in the United States adopted inclusion policies and many others began considering new policies.
