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TransTorah aims to become more reflective of the diversity of jewish trans commities. To this end, we welcome submissions and membership inquiries from transwomen and people on the MTF spectrum.

Reuben Zellman is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and a transgender activist since 1999. He has written many articles and educational materials about gender, sexuality, and Judaism, and has taught at congregations, conferences and universities around the U.S. He currently serves as the rabbinical intern at Congregation Sha'ar Zahav in San Francisco.

Maggid Jhos Singer has served the Coastside Jewish Community as its head teacher and service leader since January 2000. He received smicha from Rabbi Gershon Winkler in 2002 as a Maggid – literally "one who tells." The title of Maggid was used in the early Chassidic movement to describe a person of learning who was skilled in storytelling, preaching, counseling, teaching and singing.

Jhos holds a degree in music from UCLA, and spent many years working in a variety of occupations: oceanographic researcher, scuba diver, music teacher, fire fighter, symphonic percussionist, and barrista. His deep and inspirational teaching draws from this wildly diverse background. As a spiritual teacher and guide, Jhos is playful, creative and challenging. As a service leader, his enthusiasm, energy, and reverent irreverence serve to inspire and uplift our community. In addition to working with Coastside Jewish Community, Jhos has served on the faculty of Chochmat haLev and other Bay Area Jewish institutions, and is an independent Jewish educator, lifecycle facilitator, and spiritual counselor.

Jhos is available for pastoral counseling as well as ritual facilitation around gender transitions and LGBTIQ events such as baby namings, commitment ceremonies and weddings, conversions, etc. For more information about Jhos and his work, visit his website.

Max K. Strassfeld is a genderqueer activist, working towards a dissertation on transgender and intersex categories in the Talmud at Stanford University. Ze has taught classes on queer Talmud and gender diversity in Judaism, sex positivity, and sexual communication (when he was a sex educator at Good Vibrations), and workshops on the intersection of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Ze enjoys book binding and letterpress printing (as well as crafts of all kinds), and cooking ridiculous amounts of food. Max is available to talk about hir adventures in academia with trans people considering similar career paths. Hir email is maxkblue@stanford.edu.

 

Rabbi Elliot Kukla is a staff rabbi at the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center in San Francisco. He trained in chaplaincy at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center, specializing in mental health at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute. He is also an activist, writer and educator. He has lectured and led workshops on diversity in sacred texts, spiritual care at the end of life and Jewish healing throughout Canada and the U.S. His articles are published in numerous magazines and anthologized widely. Before moving to San Francisco, Elliot served as the rabbi of the Danforth Jewish Circle in his hometown Toronto, Canada. He was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 2006.

Ari Lev Fornari currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College and a recipient of a Davis-Putter Scholarship. Recently, he worked at Jewish Milestones and Youth in Focus in the San Francisco Bay Area. In summer 2006, he worked with Birthright Unplugged in Palestine, and continues to support pro-semitism, anti-zionism, and anti-racism. Before moving to Boston, Ari completed the Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizing Program with the Catalyst Project, which continues to ground his involvment grassroots social justice movements. Ari strives to weave his spiritual practices with his political work in a vision of our collective liberation. In his spare time, he makes mezuzot and other assorted DIY Judaica items. Ari enjoys studying Talmud with SVARA, riding a bike, and cooking for a crowd.


Micah Bazant is a painter and graphic designer currently living in Oakland, California. In 2000, he published the trans jew zine Timtum, and in 2004 he co-edited the Love and Justice in Times of War haggadah. In summer 2006, he had the honor of travelling to Palestine with Birthright Unplugged, and continues to support pro-semitism, anti-zionism, and anti-racism at home and abroad. He also loves growing food, swimming in lakes, and undermining the gender binary through glittery accessories.