Sinai and Sexuality: LGBT Jews Talk about G-d, Torah and Personal Identity
Following our panel on LGBT and Orthodoxy in May (you can watch it here), we were overwhelmed by the response and the number of people it touched.
We were approached to do a follow-up, this time focusing on hearing the voices of young, observant LGBT Jews.
In this honest and groundbreaking panel discussion, Dr. Elliott Malamet talks with four young and deeply-engaged LGBT individuals about how they understand and live with the challenges, tensions and opportunities of encountering Judaism.
Is it possible to affirm their authentic sexual identities and their commitment to a tradition that has historically articulated a consistent opposition to the manifestation of that identity? How do they feel about God, about Torah, the halachic system and the Jewish communities in which they are involved?
Please listen to this conversation about the complexities of remaining connected to Judaism and true to oneself.
Click here for bios of our speakers.
Listen to this class
Watch this class
Meet the speakers
Gidon Feen
As the founder and editor-in-chief of “CYHSB Weekly” (The Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys) Gidon brought homosexuality to the forefront of his high school Orthodox community in Memphis, TN. Since then, he has continued to champion Jewish Orthodox LGBT rights, joining Eshel’s speakers bureau. Gidon has been invited to speak at Brandeis University, the University of Maryland, and to numerous parent groups and communities. He is now in his senior year at the George Washington University, studying International Affairs. On campus…
Joanna Halpern
Joanna Halpern grew up Modern Orthodox in Calgary, one of the few religious Jews in her age group. For her last two years of high school, she convinced her parents to support her in moving to Toronto so that she could attend Ulpanat Orot High School for Girls and be immersed in a strong modern orthodox community. After high school, she went on to learn at Midreshet Moriah in Jerusalem for a year. She is now in her senior year of software…
Miriam Herman
Miriam is an advisor for Jewish women in tech at Yeshiva University, where she is pursuing her masters degree in mathematics. Her research interest is in software, analytic topology and Biblical exegesis. Miriam grew up in Thornhill and attended some of our communities prestigious Torah day schools before heading off to Seminary in Israel and Yeshiva University.
Andrew Dale
Andrew Dale is a financier - previously one of the youngest executives on Bay Street - turned entrepreneur, who recently founded a fashion brand, LeDaveed. He is a two-time nominee of the Out on Bay Street Emerging Leaders award, which recognizes LGBT business leaders, and graduated in the top 1% of his class from the Schulich School of Business in 2009 with an Honours BBA, specializing in finance. Andrew is deeply involved in Jewish causes. He is a volunteer with Eshel, an American organization which…
Dr. Elliott Malamet
Dr. Malamet received his doctorate in English Literature from the University of Toronto, where he taught from 1987-1993. Dr. Malamet's work in the field of spiritual education has been featured in the leading Canadian newspapers and he has appeared on Canadian radio and television. He has run seminars on teaching Judaism to young people in the United States, Canada, England and Israel and is consulted by people worldwide on the subject of Jewish education. A sought-after speaker in Canada and overseas, Dr.…