MONTRÉAL, QC

Vegas (he/him) is a cognitive-scientist-in-training, writer, and visual artist currently pursuing his PhD in Experimental Psychology at McGill University in Montreal (Tiohtià:ke), Québec, Canada. His research interests include multilingualism, language evolution, and psychosis. Vegas enjoys cutting up old magazines, overthinking the nature of prophetic visions, and studying Talmud. You can occasionally find him (and his art) on Instagram @mastigoproctus or read his thoughts at forcreepingthings.substack.com!

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA

Corvin (they/she) is a writer and professor, author of two collections of poetry, and winner of the Lambda Literary Award. Their latest academic and creative work focuses on disability justice, Judaism, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion access. They serve on their synagogue board, love playing mahjong and the shofar, learning Hebrew, spending time with children and animals, and are passionate about helping create spaces for queer and trans Jews, and folks of all backgrounds on conversion journeys. They live in Iowa.

MIAMI, FL

Jason (he/him) is a musician and teacher, currently cellist of the Amernet String Quartet and a professor at Florida International University in Miami, and a native of Philadelphia. He is the committed husband to Mari-Liis, father of Aleksander and Linda, and friend to any. Besides having devoted much of his professional life to composers of the Jewish diaspora, he has experienced over the last year an intense reawakening to the richness of Jewish thought, text, ritual, and tzedek and is a proud new member of Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Florida.

Yasmin (they/them) is a queer jew from the redwood forest region of northern california on wiyot land. They are a visual artist and professional gardener with a degree in religious studies from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Lately, they’ve been enjoying screenprinting their drawings and making lanterns out of sticks and fabric (promise they look cooler than they sound). Yasmin is an antizionist/diasporist and care deeply about making a livable and joyful future for all people.

Chloe (she/her) is all about heartfelt communication, accessible education, and humanizing storytelling. After seeing that wandering the desert had its charm, she planted herself in the O’odham and Yaqui lands of Tucson, Arizona, where she lives with her darling husband, two silly cats, and one sweet dog. As a triple water sign, Chloe’s emotions run deep, driving her passions for travel, learning, the arts, gaming, and delicious food.

SEATTLE, WA

A Queer anarchist Jew, Mordecai Schultz (they/them) has spent 30 years engaging in advocacy and activist work, primarily within the LGBTQ+ community, as part of their materialist intersectional commitment to direct action in the fight against fascism and capitalism. Their areas of study include Jewish anarchism; Queer cultural studies and critical theory; leftist political thought; feminist religious frameworks; and postcolonial, liberation discourses. Currently, they’re engaged in the development of an anarchist collective exploring alternative approaches to Jewish life and culture.

SEATTLE, WA

Matt (he/him) is a Seattle student, writer and technologist. His interests include fiction of all kinds, studying Torah, the history and future of Hasidism, unusual music, community building, open source software, dogs, soccer, long distance travel by bicycle and the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
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WILMINGTON, DE

Trezlen (she/her) is a librarian and a Jew of color who believes in human rights. Originally from the south, she has visited or lived in 46 of 50 states. In her free time, she likes to watch scifi and read.

COLLEGE PARK, MD

Benni (ey/em or they/them) grew up in rural Oregon and now lives in Maryland with their wife, son, five cats, and a chihuahua. A Humanistic convert, Benni's interests lie in making Judaism mesh with the needs of queer and neurodivergent Jews. Benni has degrees in English literature, library science, and computer science, and their hobbies include (but are certainly not limited to) knitting, crocheting, spinning, yoga, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, and learning piano.

OAKLAND, CA

Jordan (he/him) is a proud patrilineal Jew, a 2nd generation JewBu, a licensed clinical social worker working at the intersection of K-12 public education and health, and a musician. His extracurricular cultural work has included playing percussion in a Bay Area Afro-Puerto Rican folkloric music and dance troupe, and helping to run a DIY interdisciplinary arts space in Oakland, CA, where he has lived since 2001. Like his father before him, he is a longtime practitioner of Zen Buddhism, alongside Jewish holidays & rituals. He was raised mostly in Central New Jersey and currently lives in Oakland with his fiancée.

Jim’s (he/they) passion is being a paraeducator in the West Des Moines Schools and instructor of religion at Des Moines Area Community College. His research interests are gender and sexuality, film, mysticism generally, and Sufism and Kabbalah specifically he is is profoundly fascinated with Iranian culture, food, and poetry. He lives with his wife in Winterset with their three-year-old Tabby cat, Gizmo.

SEATTLE, WA

Born and raised in Washington state, Zev has lived all over the country and around the world, as a student and later as an officer in the Air Force. When in nature or working in the garden, connecting with the earth, Zev feels most himself and most free. While in an interfaith marriage, Zev and his husband raise their Jack Russell Terrier, Newton, Jewishly!

BURLINGAME, CA

Zefyr (he/him) is a queer and trans Ashkenazi Jew currently based in the San Francisco Bay area, on Ohlone land. By day he makes technology and people get along. He is interested in messy, problematic, and interactive media, and can often be found talking horror, video games, gender, and disability.

NEW YORK, NY

Dania (she/her) has been organizing, strategizing, and writing to knit people together across boundaries, silos, disciplines, and communities for two decades. A poet and essayist, her Currently, she sits on the international advisory board of the Diaspora Alliance and the board of Grassroots Law & Organizing for Workers (GLOW).

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Anne (she/her) lives in Washington, DC with her cat Tilly and dog Arlo (they’re best friends). Originally from Texas, Anne is a lawyer and proud Jew by choice. She loves Judaism’s emphasis on community, ritual, and the sacredness of time.

MEMPHIS, TN

Marisa (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, and chef living in Memphis, TN. Her visual works have been included in exhibitions at the Jewish Museum of Maryland in Baltimore, MD and the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum in New York, NY. As a formally trained sushi chef and author of two cookbooks, Marisa enjoys creating kosher cuisine with global influences.

MANHATTAN, NY - SAN DIEGO, CA

Adriana (she/her) is a bicoastal Jewish professional whose interests are in reconceptualizing Jewish spaces and practices to actually represent the lived experiences of groups that are being actively left in the margins. She loves hamantaschen, hates matzah ball soup, and can’t really tell the difference between store-bought and fresh-made bagels. She splits her time between San Diego and Manhattan, and when she is not critically engaging with legacy organizations, she enjoys going to the movies, listening to the radio (the actual radio!) and reading.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

James (he/him) is the editor of Humanistic Judaism magazine and a lawyer. He is a proud convert to Judaism and is active in both the Humanistic and Reform movements. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife and teenage step-son.

BROOKLYN, NY

Joshua (they/them) is a community organizer and sociologist based out of Brooklyn, NY. They tend to get excited about card games, Jewish song circles, drag, and trees. They are also a proud member of Kolot Chayeinu and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

FORT WORTH, TX

Rachel (she/they) is a songwriter and musician, community organizer, and vegan challah baker based in Fort Worth, Texas. She recently joined Keshet, a national Jewish LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, as the Southwest Community Mobilization Manager. Rachel also volunteers with LGBTQ SAVES, a local nonprofit supporting queer youth, and is a board member at Fund Texas Choice, a reproductive justice organization. Rachel loves communal singing and niggunim and can be found on the bimah helping out with song at her home congregation Makom Shelanu, studying with the Unyeshiva and SVARA, uncovering gems from mystical and contemplative traditions, and exploring the rich history of Judaism’s relationship to worker’s rights, labor, and social movements.

NORTH BILLERICA, MA

Emmett (they/them) lives on Massachusett, Pawtucket, and Agawam land (in the Boston area) with their partner Jaelen and their dog Korra. For their day job, Emmett is a data analyst in the education sector. In their Jewish life, they particularly enjoy Friday night services, digging deep into Jewish texts one word at a time, and saying "Shabbark Shalom" when giving a bit of challah to their dog every Friday night.

IOWA CITY, IA

Lisa (she/her) grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in Iowa City. There she teaches History and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. She’s written some books, she spins and knits, she tends an unruly garden, and she yearns for a healed world.

YPSILANTI, MI

Clare (she/her) was born in 1955 in St. Louis, Missouri where she was a student at Shaare Emeth Temple (Reform) and active at the Jewish Community Center. She was on the staff of New Jewish Agenda (1985-1988). She was a founding editor and general editor of Bridges: A Jewish Feminist Journal (1989-2011). Currently she lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan with her wife (two grown daughters live elsewhere) and is the publisher and editor of the Washtenaw Jewish News, a monthly local print newspaper.

RALEIGH, NC

Mollie (she/her) is passionate about creating meaningful and dynamic spaces for all jews, where connecting with Judaism openly and critically is not just accepted, but expected. Mollie is an artist, and is drawn to water and nature in her expression. She also holds deep passion for mikveh and chevra kadisha work as ways to connect with the Jewish community. Mollie lives with her husband and their 4 children in central North Carolina.

BLOOMINGTON, IN

Chaim (he/ they) is a trans- and queer-identified scholar-teacher currently living in Bloomington, IN, which is the ancestral homeland of the myaamiaki (Miami), Lënape (Delware), Bodwéwadmik (Potawatami), and saawanwa (Shawnee) peoples. He is a PhD student in rhetoric and religious studies at Indiana University, and teaches courses in college writing, public speaking, and writing for multilingual students. He is also a tattooer, and is the co-owner of Tattoo Gloriosum, a queer owned and run private studio. When he is not teaching or tatting, Chaim can be found grinding the latest Assassin's Creed title or indulging the every whim of his two perfect cats, Primavera and Jack.

WEST YARMOUTH, MA

Clay (they/ze) is a queer, trans-nonbinary, and autistic Jewish artist and illustrator with a passion for nature-connected spirituality, data visualization, and golems. They live on the coast of Massachusetts in a little house with their partner, cat, and occasionally an over-friendly woodpecker. You can find zir on Instagram @claymil

MAKAWAO, HI

Sandra (she/her) is a Movement Educator (www.raziyoga.com), Rabbi (mauirabbi.com) and Cultural Anthropologist. She weaves her academic and experiential backgrounds together to create movement classes, rituals, and educational experiences that guide people to enrich their physical and spiritual lives. Sandra has deep roots in Minnesota, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Israel. She currently lives on Maui where she enjoys going barefoot often.

AUSTIN, TX

Nick (he/they) is a Queer Puerto Rican Jew located in Austin, Texas. As a fourth-generation educator, Nick currently works in Higher Education and envisions getting involved in Jewish Education along with Jewish lay leadership. Nick’s passion is baking Challah into different designs, often centered around Jewish holidays or nature. Nick also likes hiking with his dog, creating music, and learning languages, all of which have strengthened his spirituality over the past few years.