Rainbow Havdalah

Our religious school warmly embraces our LGBTQIA+ families: our students, our parents, and our loved ones. We recognize what a challenging time this is for our community as we approach a presidential election that will change the trajectory of our country. In order to provide love and support – and to find sources of queer Jewish joy to anchor us through these times – we are partnering with Keshet to host a community listening
session for our religious school families. The session will be led by Eli Lurie Sobel (Keshet) and Jen Zak. Parents and students are welcome to attend – we would love to hear from you! Desserts and light refreshments will be served.

The conversation is geared towards older students (12+ years old), and siblings are welcome. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jen Zak at
jenzak@sinaibrookline.org. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we will be using this conversation to shape future programming for parents and students in our school. We welcome your ideas, your worries, and your hopes. You are also welcome to come and to just listen – a form will be made available afterwards to share any additional thoughts you may have.

Eli Lurie Sobel (they/he) is the Greater Boston Education & Training Manager at Keshet, an organization that works for LGBTQ+ equality in Jewish life. Eli visits synagogues, schools, camps, and other Jewish organizations to help equip them with the tools they need to cultivate environments where LGBTQ+ community members feel affirmed and valued. Eli’s special interests include integrating Jewish values with topics from gender studies and queer theory, and they find it particularly meaningful to help LGBTQ+ Jews celebrate their multifaceted identities in ways that feel meaningful to them. Eli has taught and spoken on topics related to the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and Jewish identity at several Boston-area institutions, including Tufts University, Mayyim Hayyim, Lehrhaus, and numerous local synagogues.