This blog is for queer Jewish youth. It's run by Emily and Galia, two bi Jews. We want young queer Jews to know that they are accepted and to create a place where they feel safe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
It’s World Mental Health Day! (October 10th.) So I thought it might be useful to compile mental health resources for the Jewish community into one post. If you know of any that aren’t listed, please feel free to add them.
RELIEF – connects/refers Jewish people to therapists and other mental health resources (focuses mainly on the frum community)
Elijah’s Journey - suicide prevention for the Jewish community (Facebook page)
The Aleph Institute – provides spiritual support for Jews in institutional environments such as prison, health facilities, and rehab
No Shame On U – aims to de-stigmatize mental illness by providing comprehensive education
OHEL - comprehensive services for those facing mental health issues, with professionals fluent in English, Yiddish, and Hebrew
Yad Rachel - for mothers facing postpartum depression, also helps educate family and health providers
Shema Koli - support for victims of abuse
Frum Support Forums - for mental and physical health
(NY) The Jewish Board - provides services for a number of things, including crisis support, supportive housing, and mental health services.
Torah and the Twelve Steps - spiritual-based rehab for those recovering from substance abuse
(UK) Jewish Helpline - 0800 652 9249
(Mexico) Jewish Crisis Line - 1118
(The two following aren’t specifically mental health resources, but I still felt they were important to add.)
A list of Jewish LGBT+ organizations
Keshet - Jewish LGBT+ educational resources
Many cities also have Jewish Family Services, which will often be able to refer you to a therapist or other local resources.
Sometimes a design grabs hold of me and won’t let go until I’m finished with it. This is one of those times.
The Torah teaches that we are all created b'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, and sometimes we need reminders of that. One of the most wonderful things - the most cherished things - about my journey into Judaism and through Torah has been feeling for the first time that I was made in the image of God, and that HaShem truly cherishes me as He made me: queer as the day (that He also created) is long.
Find this design and all my others at nerdykeppie.etsy.com!
So the issue that I run into with my embroidery machine is not that it can’t do Hebrew - it can - it’s that the program I use is… really… bad… at setting Hebrew text. It has a native Hebrew font which is quite pretty, but wants to take English written left to right and just change it into characters that sound the same in Hebrew written right to left. Which is mostly okay for names and things, but for whole sentences? Not so much.
I can set it with a Hebrew keyboard, if I go in and type it in the wrong direction, and MOST of the time it will correctly reverse it and put things in the right order. But this software does not know how to just let me write in Hebrew. If I copy and paste Hebrew text into the box? It’ll reverse it, so my ‘written right to left Hebrew in Word’ becomes ‘garbage characters written left to right because the software thinks it should reverse the words.’
Every one of my patches that has Hebrew on it, each character was individually set in place. I literally just typed it out one character at a time and placed those characters.
Now, that’s relatively easy to do on a straight line? But trying to do that in a nice arc would probably end with me wailing and gnashing my teeth.
So the tl;dr there is: yes, I’ll be doing them in Hebrew, but the Hebrew will probably be set in straight lines above and below, and not in arcs, because the software I have is completely clueless at how to handle Hebrew.
After spending several hours today testing yesterday’s designs (and breaking needles on them!), I was forced to admit that the Star of David I’d chosen for that design wasn’t working the way I would have liked.
Hopefully these will work out better – and if they do, I’ll be adding them to the shop right away, and then working on re-adding the text. (Next step… Hebrew text… )
(Note that these aren’t the only ones available, just the ones I made for testing.)
Oh my G-d you guys I DID IT. I literally sat here and cut and pasted each freaking letter one at a time and placed each letter one at a time, BACKWARDS, into this program, so that it would spit it out in the right order. I’ve been looking at these letters so long that I’m not sure I can see them in any coherent order, so I’m praying I didn’t make some inadvertent typo, but I’m PRETTY sure this is right. @renegadefemmeshep, as requested. :) Once I do the test stitch, this will be in the shop!
[Image Description: A black color block and pink color block in a vertical row with text that reads “protect queer jewish people / don’t allow antisemitism to exist in queer spaces”]
So, it’s coming up to that time of the year again.
I would like to remind people that not fasting on Yom Kippur is not a bad thing if you have physical or mental health issues that would put you in danger.
Personally, I have not fasted on Yom Kippur since I admitted to myself that I’ve an eating disorder. For me, the act of deliberately eating is more of an effort than fasting.
It is more important to be healthy, physically and mentally, than to observe the fast.
I choose to have a partial fast, sipping water throughout the day, because otherwise I can get dangerously dehydrated. The years that I’ve done the full fast, I’ve been nearly delirious by Yizkor. Not a great way to have a meaningful observance.
Remember, G-d wants you to be healthy first and foremost! He doesn't want you to hurt yourself for Him! Have a happy and safe Yom Kippur and Rosh HaShana. -Mod Galia
I think sometimes people forget that the closet ≠ shame.
you can be incredibly proud of your sexuality and still not come out for personal or safety reasons. The choice is a personal one and no one has the right to pressure or ‘out’ you!
btw all those posts that support religious mlm don’t just support christian/catholic mlm we’re here for muslim mlm, jewish mlm, hindu mlm, sikh mlm, if you consider yourself boy who likes boys and also consider yourself apart of any religion, i support you
If they “don’t think people are really bi/ace,” or if they think they can’t trust you because you’re bi/ace, you deserve better. Invalidating your identity or using your identity against you is not okay, and having a partner who does that might feel like it comes with the territory of being bi/ace, but I promise you it doesn’t.
Hey y’all - wanted to let Philly-area Jewish folks about the upcoming Trans Health Conference and their Free Shabbat Dinner on September 8th (2017)!
My roommate is trying to see if she’s able to volunteer her time for the Trans Health Conference, and as she was looking at the site, she linked me to their Shabbat Dinner page and told me to share it with anyone who might be interested! Honestly, I am going to look to see if I can volunteer my time too. This is REALLY COOL, and I don’t want anyone to miss out who might be interested. They also say their site for the dinner is wheel-chair accessible!
Here’s the website’s information for their shabbat dinner and also the Trans Health Conference in Philly as a whole:
Trans Health Conference - Mazzoni Center: Join us for a FREE Shabbat dinner on Friday, September 8th.
Shabbat Dinner and Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Bruchim ha Ba’im! Shalom! Welcome! Don’t know challah from halvah? Haven’t had a matzah ball in years? That’s fine, bubbeleh! You can still enjoy Shabbat dinner and the Kabbalat Shabbat Service at the Philly Trans Health Conference.
Join us for Shabbat dinner at PTHC! Dinner will be vegan/vegetarian with gluten-free options. Dinner will be available beginning Friday at 5:45pm. Cost is free, though donations are welcomed and appreciated (cash or checks payable to Mazzoni Center). Please RSVP by Thursday at Noon so we can be sure to have enough food for everyone, although we will attempt to welcome walk-in’s if space allows.
At 7:00, we’ll enjoy a beautiful and inspiring Kabbalat Shabbat Service.
Location: John C. Anderson Apartments. 251 S. 13th Street. John C. Anderson Apartments are Philly’s LGBT senior apartment community. The building is wheelchair accessible. Groups will be meeting at the Transfaith/Contemplation Room table to walk over together before and after the last workshop session.
Thanks to Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia for their support and sponsorship of this annual event, as well as to the program team, Shelley Kapnek Rosenberg and Phoenix Schneider.
Check out the whole conference even if you aren’t Jewish! The opening reception is at The African American Museum in Philadelphia, and they even have professional development events. Registration is completely Free, and I noticed that the online registration includes space to request accommodations like an an ASL interpreter or wheelchair.
If you aren’t in the Philly Area, and/or want to show support, you can donate here specifically to keep the Trans Health Conference free or you can donate here to the Mazzoni Center for LGBTQ Health and Well Being in general!
The Mazzoni center provides our LGBTQ community with invaluable tools and resources for all kinds of things, including but not limited to: free walk-in HIV and STI testing, PrEP/PEP clinic, Women’s Health, adolescent health, Trans Health, various support groups (including those for addiction recovery, trans support networks, social anxiety, teens/youth peer groups, art therapy, etc), a food bank for HIV positive folks, a legal services team for LGBTQ issues, training/resources and like, so so so many other good and valuable things!
Orthdox Rabbi discusses how Transgender people are to be dealt with, Halachically, communally, and in the spirit of Torah
Hey all so I found this pretty awesomely groundbreaking article about a Rabbi whose super orthodox and apparently trying to raise awareness for trans issues. Basically, he highlights very certain things:
1. Trans Jews are, first and foremost humans who are made in the image of Hashem, with all their strengths and challenges. Secondly, they are Jews, whose souls were present at Har Sinai, and are Jews even if they go off the Derech.
2.In the times we live in, with the ardent antisemitism engulfing the world once more and the Jewish community struggling to stay connected as it is, we should NEVER NEVER EVER toss out a fellow Jew, never drive them from the Torah, especially if they don’t want to abandon tradition. Never drive someone away from our community, lest they be assimilated and lost into goyische cultures.
3. There is past history within rabbinic, Halachically observant Judiasm and such topics as gender and sex. Under normal circumstances, we are prohibited from self injury or major modification, prohibited from cross dressing, ect. However, since gender dysphoria is directly tied to suicide and self harm rates, it can be classified as a medical need for mental and physical health, indeed a potentially life saving procedure, to go through with every step of the transition process.
4. That said, from the (generally) Orthodox perspective, the sex determined at birth IS the sex, from the Halachic POV. This is not to say on the social level we mistreat trans people, but only in instances of Halacha does this arise. Essentially, gender and sex are separate, and while some trans people want to change their sexual attributes to better match their gender identity, the Torah still sees the sex. Since in this case the crossdressing is allowed, the major issue is that of tznuit. Since for a transwomen, and any post OP trans man, there is not bleeding, the mikvah is not needed in this regard and we can completely avoid the topic of “men“ seeing women during purification and in nudity, in this space. Since to the outside observer, the post-OP trans person would not appear as their birth sex, the observer is not violating laws of tznuit by being around them. (Of course, this topic would naturally become much more complex if you factor in nonhet trans people, but there aren’t really any orthodox answers for what nonhet people in general do in this situation.)
5. The transwoman is obligated for Tefillin, the transman in not (though may choose to due to the fact that Niddah for the post-OP is not a concern).
6. Trans people should sit on the sides on the machitzah consistent with gender identity and presentation.
7. Shomar is an uncharted issue here, much as it is with gay/bi/pan/ace/ect cis Jews.
“The way I see it is that the Torah is both a Torat emet — a Torah of truth conveyed through laws and values, as well as a Torat chesed — a Torah filled with compassion. A religious Jew is compelled to grapple with this dialectic and integrate both components,” Topp said. “With this issue, it means that we adhere fully to our tradition of Jewish law without denying the commandments inherent in it. At the same time, we recognize that a core element of that tradition is to appreciate — with compassion and respect — the humanity of every single individual and act accordingly.”
Friendly reminder this is for adherents of ORTHODOX Judaism. Reform Judaism doesn’t even have most of these rules to begin with, so the discussion doesn’t need to happen to begin with. Conservative Judaism generally holds that Trans people that choose to be observant can be so in the exact same way their cis counterparts do, ruling that halacha is based on gender identity, not sexual attributes. Overall, this is a HUGE step for Orthodox Jews. Mazal Tov <3. I hope this precedent spreads like wildfire throughout the Jewish community, as this Rabbi is part of the Orthodox Union.
The Jewish New Year is a two-day holiday that starts on 20th September and heralds the seventh month of the Jewish calendar, Tishri.
As well as offering families a time for gathering celebration, it’s a time of personal reflection and prayer.
The 10th day of Tishri is also time for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
the Torah – Leviticus – describes Rosh HaShanah as Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets, or the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar.
It’s a traditional anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve. God balances a person’s good deeds over the past year against their wrongdoings, so the day marks a time of reflection and penitence, and worshippers ask God for forgiveness. It’s also the start of the agricultural cycle of sowing, growth, and harvest.
It’s a Mitzvah to hear The shofar being blown. It’s a minhag to eat symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to evoke a “sweet new year”.
Dates, pomegranates, black-eyed peas and a whole fish with the head intact may also appear on dining tables. Round Challah is eaten to symbolise a circle of life and the new year.
Holiday candles are lit on both nights, and kiddush and sumptuous holiday meals are enjoyed on both nights and both days of Rosh Hashanah. We don’t go to work, drive, write, or switch on or off electric devices. We are permitted to cook and to carry outdoors (except on Shabbat).
Many of the Rosh Hashanah customs are symbolic of the type of year we hope will come our way. On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, we eat a slice of sweet apple dipped in honey. We eat pomegranates, with a prayer that this year we will be full of mitzvot as a pomegranate is full of seeds (there are 316 seeds in a pomegranate). And for good measure, during all Rosh Hashanah meals, the challah (bread) is dipped in honey. If symbolism isn’t enough, we verbalize our wishes, wishing family and friends a shanah tovah, a wonderful and sweet year.
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, there is an age-old tradition to go to a body of water that contains live fish and perform the Tashlich ceremony. The word tashlich means “cast away.” We say a little prayer and shake the corners of our clothes, asking G‑d to cast away our sins. Water is a metaphor for kindness, and the lidless eyes of the fish symbolise our hope that G‑d’s watchful eye should always be upon us. If the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, Tashlich is done on the second day.
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