This roundtable discussion examines shifts in the Orthodox community towards greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ Jews. Panelists include Tal Bresler, Peninah Gershman, Rabbi Hyim Shafner. Moderated by Miryam Kabakov. We invite you to arrive at 6 pm to enjoy a light pre-program kosher reception. Co-sponsored by Eshel and Moment Magazine.
In partnership with the Beltway Vaad and JOFA.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Tal Bresler is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in neuroscience and currently applying to medical school. Born and raised in Kemp Mill, MD, she attended Berman Hebrew Academy through high school and spent a year learning at Nishmat in Jerusalem. Deeply rooted in the UMD Jewish community, Tal served as Rosh Beit Midrash at UMD and led Yavneh’s National Hillel Torah Bowl. She is also passionate about building spaces for queer frum students on campus, working to foster an inclusive and vibrant community where all identities are affirmed.
Peninah Gershman became involved in Eshel when her teenage son came out more than 10 years ago. She loves mentoring other Orthodox Parents of LGBTQ+ people and she has learned so much from all of them throughout the years. She is passionate about making the Orthodox world a more welcoming place for our LGBTQ+ young adults. Peninah lives in Silver Spring, MD with her husband and they are the parents of three twentysomething year old children. She has worked as a speech-language pathologist, a Medicare policy maker and is currently getting a master’s degree in Holocaust Studies.
Miryam Kabakov is a pioneering leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Orthodox Jewish community. As a founder and Executive Director of Eshel, a vibrant national organization supporting LGBTQ+ Orthodox individuals and their families, she has dedicated her career to building bridges and creating inclusive spaces within traditional Jewish frameworks. Throughout her career, Kabakov has worked at the intersection of Jewish tradition and LGBTQ+ inclusion, creating spaces for dialogue, support, and community building.
Rabbi Hyim Shafner is the Rabbi of Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue, in Washington D.C. Previously he served as Rabbi of Bais Abraham Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri, as Rabbi of the Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis, and as the Rabbi of India for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. He has Rabbinical ordination, an MSW in social work, and an MA in Jewish philosophy, from Yeshiva University and trained as a psychotherapist at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. Rabbi Shafner is the author of The Everything Jewish Wedding Book and has published widely in an array of Jewish journals, periodicals and books.
Image Credit: Photograph courtesy of Chris Ferenzi Photography.
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