being our whole selves.

Arthur is the writer of this post.

It has been an amazing weekend with 150 LGBT Jews at the Eshel Shabbaton. So much joy, warmth, hopefulness and inspiration.

The energy and joy of people who have waited a long time for the chance to be together. And I’ve met so many wonderful people. Just some highlights: I’ve participated in two workshops with Rabbi Steve Greenberg, prayed Shabbat morning with about dozen folks in a beautiful egalitarian minyan, and attended a workshop today on what halacha has to say about sex-change surgery.

Yesterday I acted in a play about Parshat Yitro (I was Elder #2, the boy who played Moses was 7, and the girl who played Yitro was only a bit older), and read a poem from Siddur Sha’ar Zahav at a talent show emceed by “Sylvia Sparklestein”.

The diversity here, in terms of gender, geography, age, Jewish observance, etc. is remarkable. There are people here from all over the country and the world (London, Brazil, Canada). I did not travel the farthest to get here, but I am glad I came.

It was -2 degrees F last night, but not too windy and the icicles hanging from the buildings are beautiful.

This note was written by Arthur Slepian on Sunday 1.23.11 and reposted with his permission today 1.28.11. You can learn more about Eshel’s mission and activities as well as find Orthodox Jewish LGBT resources here.

Winter at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut. It's beautiful!

We are in continuous gratitude to the many teachers and leaders that helped make this first-ever Shomer Shabbaton of its kind welcoming gay and transgender frum (or formerly frum) traditional Jews happen. A particular heart-felt thank you needs to be extended to Elaine Chapnik, Yitz Pries, Chani Getter, Mordechai Levovitz, Rabbi Steven Greenberg, Chasiah Haberman, Erez Harari, Miryam Kabakov, Professor Joy Ladin, Jessica Smith, Justin Spiro and Michael Hopkins.

 

running in heels

The real beginnings of the content overflow begins in Jerusalem at 8am in heels. Looking fabulous for my first full day of lectures and meetings at the Department of Foreign Affairs I am lost and I am late. I begin to run from the building that I mistakenly went to instead of the building I am supposed to already be at 5 minutes prior.

I decide at this moment that unless I can understand directions given to me in Hebrew that from now on I will give myself an 15 extra minutes to get through security plus an additional 15 minutes to find a translator when I can’t get through security and another 15 minutes to get out of security once security realizes that I am not supposed to be there in the first place.

So after my short run I arrive at a beautiful building with ornate pieces of agate surrounded by Jerusalem stone that resembles the building in the picture I have in my hand. I wait in the lobby another 15 minutes for my passport to be scanned and I am granted access into the seminar room.

I arrive into the press room for our day of lectures and everyone waves to me kindly from their seats. I might be a few minutes late but the lectures have not yet began. I get a seat next to my new friend from New York and our day begins packed with the following leaders:

Our seminar at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs begins with, "You are the young Jewish professionals on the move and you as leaders need to continuously prove your leadership in your communities. You can not stand still."

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Member of Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) Daniel Ayalon speaks to us in the Press Room he quoted Ben Gurion, "In order to be realistic you have to believe in miracles..."

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister MK Daniel Ayalon shares that "Dual loyalties are very normal in the complex global world we live in. Today in a global pluralistic world it is an advantage to have the determination to hold onto and find pride in our dualistic identities."

Professor Sergeio della Pergola tells us in his lecture The Demographic Situation of World Jewry, "In a rapidly changing and transnational world, the Jewish diaspora provides an example of long term adaption, innovation and change."

Professor Sergeio della Pergola speaks about the changing and breaking down of the demographics of the Jewish community from 1945 with 11 million Jews worldwide to 2010 with 13 million Jews worldwide. The chart listed here gives us the following numbers of Jewish individuals living in the following countries: United States 5,275,000; France 483,500; Canada 375,000; Brazil 95,60; Ukraine 71,500; Hungary 48,600; South Africa 70,800; Mexico 39,400; Belgium 30,00; Netherlands 30,000; Italy 28,400; Chile 20,500; Israel 5,696,900....

Professor Sergeio della Pergola presents his views on contemporary Jewish Populations...

The Arab - Israeli peace process presented to us in an hour by Daniel Taub the Principal Deputy Legal Advisor at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

More photos of the day can be found here.