Queer Jewish Student Retreat 2013
Come get your Queer Jew on at Nehirim’s Queer Jewish Student Retreat!
Join 80–100 LGBTQ Jewish students, plus friends and allies, for a weekend of fun, learning, connection, and Judaism. The NQJSR is directed by Ethan Sobel, Alex Kaufman, and Rachel Stein — all current students. It is a participatory, inclusive space that welcomes Super Jews, atheists, allies — and YOU. The program includes relevant workshops, inspiring services, evening activities, and plenty of chill time. It’s presented by Nehirim, a national LGBT Jewish community, and cosponsored by Keshet and NUJLS, the National Union of Jewish LGBTQ Students.
WHEN? Friday to Sunday, March 1–3, 2013
WHO? We expect between 80-100 LGBTQ Jewish students, plus allies, from across the religious-ideological spectrum and with a wide variety of gender and sexual orientation identities. This retreat is limited to active students under the age of 30 only.
PARTICIPATE: Directed by volunteers, this Retreat is largely community-led and teaching opportunities are available. What would you like to teach or share? Email Ethan, Alex, and Rachel to get in touch.
HOW MUCH? Thanks to the generosity of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston, the pricing for the retreat is heavily subsidized. In addition, financial aid and travel grants are available for this retreat — click the link to apply, prior to January 1. Pricing for the Student Retreat is:
Base Rate — $129
Discounted Rate — $99
Supporter Rate — $175 (please pay this if you can)
BU Students: You are eligible for a $20 rebate if you host a visiting student for the retreat. Please email to volunteer. We will hand you a check during the weekend.
100% of Nehirim’s financial aid for retreats is participant-funded. We have created a Crowdrise fundraiser for this retreat, so you can easily donate to help people attend. Donations are 100% tax-deductible and you will receive an immediate receipt, as well as some very good karma/mitzvah points. Please consider donating if you can.
WHERE? The Retreat is taking place at Boston University Hillel in Boston, MA. Free housing with students will be available — please bring your own sleeping bag and be prepared to sleep on the floor!
RETREAT DIRECTORS: The retreat will be directed by Alex Kaufman (Tufts ‘14), Rachel Stein (GW’12, UMich), and Ethan Sobel (Umass ‘12, BU). Contact us.
Alex Kaufman
Alex Kaufman (Tufts ’14) is a junior majoring in Sociology with a double minor in Drama and Communication and Media Studies. He served on Hillel Student Programming Board as Freshmen Programming Chair when he was a freshman, and has been the Jewish and Queer Students at Tufts (JQUEST) Chair since sophomore year. He was student intern at Nehirim for Summer, 2012. Additionally, he is Vice President of Tufts’ chapter of Theta Chi, performs regularly in theatrical productions, and is an editor of the Tufts Daily’s New Media. He is extremely excited for this retreat!
Rachel Stein
Rachel Stein is a recent graduate of The George Washington University where she studied psychology and explored the nation’s capital. In her junior year, Rachel traveled most of Israel while studying at the University of Haifa. Now you can find her in Ann Arbor as the Berman Fellow at the University of Michigan Hillel! She is excited to bring her passion for community and Jewish learning to the 2013 Nehirim Jewish Students Retreat.
Ethan Sobel
Ethan Sobel recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) and is now pursuing his M.A. in Public Relations at Boston University. While at UMass, Ethan served as the co-founder of LGBT Jews, the university’s queer Jewish organization, and at BU he is the founder of JewQ, LGBTQ Jewish group on campus. Ethan is also a speaker and educator for Parents of Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG) and a Nehirim and NUJLS veteran. In his spare time, Ethan enjoys playing classical cello, healthy eating and cooking, and playing sports.
Lesléa Newman
Lesléa (pronounced “Lez-LEE-uh”) Newman is the author of 60 books including A Letter to Harvey Milk, Nobody’s Mother, Hachiko Waits, Write from the Heart, The Boy Who Cried Fabulous, The Best Cat in the World, and Heather Has Two Mommies. She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and three Pushcart Prize Nominations. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. From 2008–2010, she served as the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA. She has taught fiction writing at Clark University and currently she is a faculty mentor at Spalding University’s brief residency MFA in Writing program.
GENERAL SCHEDULE (subject to lots of change)
Friday, March 1
2:00–4:00 Registration
4:00 Welcome & Opening Program
5:15 Candlelighting & Shabbat Services
6:45 Dinner!
8:30 Small Groups
10:00 Evening Program
11:00 Laila Tov! (Good Night!)
Saturday, March 2
9:30 Shabbat Morning Services with BU Hillel
12:00 Lunch
1:00–2:00 Afternoon Session 1
2:15-3:30 Afternoon Session 2
3:45-4:45 Afternoon Session 3: Small groups
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Maariv, Havdalah & Dancing
8:00 Evening Program: The Keshet Kabaret!
We will take public transportation over to the gala fundraiser for Nehirim’s sister organization, Keshet, featuring a full lineup of entertainment. Meet over 500 queer Jews and friends.
Sunday, March 3
10:00 Sunday Brunch is served
10:30 Keynote Brunch Talk
12:00 Closing program
1:00 L’hitraot!
The Nehirim Student Retreat is an immersion weekend of community, spirituality, and connection for LGBTQ Jewish students and allies. It features a full program of Shabbat services, workshops, learning opportunities, social programs, and teachers from a diverse range of religious, gender/sexuality, and geographical backgrounds. Nehirim is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 2003, that has been nationally recognized by the Slingshot Fund as one of the fifty most innovative Jewish organizations in the country. Questions? Contact us!
