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A young gay Orthodox man died by suicide. We must confront how Jewish teachings harmed him

JL;DR SUMMARY Mordechai Levovitz, the founder of Jewish Queer Youth (JQY), reflects on the tragic suicide of Herschel Siegel, a young gay Orthodox Jewish man, highlighting the relentless struggle faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in the Orthodox community. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Orthodox JudaismJewish Queer YouthMental HealthCommunity ResponsibilityTorah InterpretationJewish TeachingsInclusivityLgbtq+Herschel SiegelSuicide Prevention

Places mentioned

Atlanta, Georgia, United States
"This week, I am grieving the death of 25-year-old Herschel Siegel of Atlanta, who died this past Friday before Shabbat."
New York, United States
"It took incredible bravery and strength for him to come out to his Orthodox family and be out at Yeshiva University."

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Cairo Item ID 48127
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Retrieved 2025-04-03 05:31:09 UTC
Curated 2025-04-03 19:01:32 UTC