Up Close: Rabbi Ayelet Cohen and Eve Tushnet

by TJC Staff

On this episode of Up Close, we look at two different approaches to including people of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identity in traditional faith communities.

The first “gay synagogue,” as it calls itself, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) has its fascinating history told by its former assistant rabbi, Ayelet Cohen, in the book Changing Lives, Making History: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.

And for writer Eve Tushnet, coming out as a lesbian was a natural part of her adolescence. But when she converted from Reform Judaism to Catholicism, that led to a new wrestling between her sexuality and her faith. She writes about her journey in Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith.

Watch the complete episode of Up Close on TJC on-demand on cable in the TJC Original Series/Interviews category. You can also watch highlights from the episode in the video above, or listen to the complete audio of this episode at the top of this post or by subscribing to our weekly audio podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/tjcupclose or on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tjcs-up-close/id807702211.