Abby Stein
Abby Stein (born October 1, 1991[1]) is an American transgender author, activist,[2] blogger,[3] model, speaker, and rabbi. She is the first openly transgender woman raised in a Hasidic community, and is a direct descendant of Hasidic Judaism's founder the Baal Shem Tov.[4] In 2015, she founded the first support group nationwide for trans people of Orthodox background.[5]
Abby Chava Stein | |
---|---|
Stein in 2019 | |
Born | October 1, 1991[1] New York City, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Education | Columbia University (currently attending) |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2012–present |
Known for | Transgender activism |
Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
Television | Dark Net |
Spouse(s) | Fraidy Horowitz ( m. 2010–2013) |
Children | 1 |
Parent(s) | Rabbi Menachem Mendel Stein, Chaya Sheindel Stein |
Writing career | |
Genre | Nonfiction |
Subjects | Memoir, LGBT literature, Jewish literature |
Notable work | Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman |
Website | The Second Transition |
Stein is also the first woman, and the first openly transgender woman, to have been ordained by an Orthodox institution, having received her rabbinical degree in 2011, before coming out as transgender.[6] While she has not worked as a rabbi after leaving till at least 2016,[7] by 2020 she had re-embraced her title as rabbi, and is working in many capacities as a rabbi.[8] In 2018, she co-founded Sacred Space, a multifaith project "which celebrates women and nonbinary people of all faith traditions."[9]
Early life
Stein was born in 1991 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City. She is the 6th child[10] in a family of 13 born to a family of notable Hasidic leaders.[11] She has five elder sisters. Her family is of Polish, Ukrainian/Romanian, Serbian, and Israeli descent, with modern Ukraine being the predominant origin.[12] She grew up speaking Yiddish and Hebrew and was educated at a traditional all boys Jewish Day School. The community in which she grew up was highly segregated by gender, which impacts almost all aspects of daily life.[13] She attended the Viznitz Yeshiva in Kiamesha Lake, Upstate New York[14] for her high school education, also receiving ordination as a rabbi there in 2011.[15] In 2012 she left the Hasidic community (often referred to in Jewish communities as going "off the derech"), and in 2014 she started school at Columbia University's School of General Studies.
Coming out
In November 2015 Stein made headlines when she came out on her blog as transgender,[16] and started physical transition. She was featured in some major media outlets, including The New York Times,[17] New York Post,[18] New York Magazine,[19] NBC,[20] Daily Dot,[21] and more. She also appeared on TV, on CNN,[22] Fox News,[23] HuffPost Live,[24] and Vice Canada.[25] She also appeared on several international TV networks, and in numerous international newspapers and magazine in over 20 different languages.[26][27][28] [29][30][31]
When Stein left her community in 2012 and came out as an atheist, her parents said that "No matter what happens, no matter how you are, you are still my child." However, when she came out as trans, her father told her that "You should know that this means I might not be able to talk to you ever again."[32] Since then her parents shunned her, and stopped talking with her altogether.[33] She has also received some hate from her former community,[34] though in an interview with Chasing News (a Fox News Short film company) she said that she got less hate than some people would have expected.[23]
Stein was featured in the 2016 Showtime Documentary series, Dark Net, in episode 8, "Revolt".[35]
Naming Celebration/Bat Mitzvah
On June 4, 2016, Stein celebrated her transition and announced her name change to Abby Chava Stein at Romemu, a Jewish Renewal synagogue in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City.[36][37] In an interview with The Huffington Post, she said that even though she did not believe in God, she wanted to celebrate in a synagogue:
I wanted to show that if you claim being trans is unacceptable in traditional Judaism, well, here is a community that is not just okay with accepting me as I am, but is celebrating with me, rejoicing with me. What I’m hoping is that by sharing my story, others in the same situation will realize that you can have your name changed in a synagogue. There are so many synagogues where you can’t, but there are also those where you can—the Jewish Reform movement, the Conservative movement. Within Orthodoxy, there’s still a long way to go. Every time something like this is done, it’s one step closer to acceptance for everyone.[38]
Publications
Stein's first book, "Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman", a memoir, was published by Seal Press (Hachette) on November 12, 2019.[39][40][41][42] ISBN 9781580059169.
Stein was profiled in, and wrote the Foreword for Peter Bussian's book of portraits "Trans New York: Photos and Stories of Transgender New Yorkers." In the foreword she described her love for New York City both while in the Hasidic community, and now living as a Queer person in NYC.[43] Published by Apollo Publishers, ISBN 9781948062565.
Essays
Her writings have also been published in "Queer Disbelief: Why LGBTQ Equality is an Atheist Issue," written by Camille Beredjick,[44] edited by Hemant Mehta, and published by Friendly Atheist. Stein wrote an essay specifically for the book, titled "Trans Woman (and Former Hasidic Jew): Atheists Should Support the LGBTQ Movement."[45] ISBN 978-0692989647.
Stein's essay about Covid-19 and it's impact on the LGBTQ community, titled "COVID has exploded Jewish LGBTQ acceptance online. There’s no going back." (originally published on Forward.com[46]) was included in "When We Turned Within: Reflections on COVID-19" an anthology of 165 essays edited by Sarah Tuttle-Singer and Menachem Creditor.[47] ISBN 979-8650180951.
Stein also contributed to Jewels of Elul: A Letter to Myself XII, a collection of essays published by singer/songwriter and music producer, Craig Taubman. Her essay, titled "Dayeinu" ("Enough" in Hebrew) focused on the question of "What If?" and explored an answer to the question of "What If you would have been" born or raised in different circumstances.[48]
Stein also contributed an essay to Kaye Blegvad's "The Pink Book: An Illustrated Celebration of the Color, from Bubblegum to Battleships" discussing her relationship with the color pink, the Hasidic community and the color, and her feelings about stereotypical femininity.[49] ISBN 978-1452174815.
Activism
After coming out, Stein started an online support group to help trans people who come from Orthodox backgrounds. Stein also said that Facebook and online support communities have been her lifeline while leaving her community, which made her realize the positive power of online communities.[50]
In December 2015 Stein founded a support group for trans people from Orthodox backgrounds.[51] The group's first meeting had 12 people attending, most of them fellow Hassids struggling with their gender identity.[52] Stein's avid blogging also gained her a big following in the Jewish community, and she has become a role model for former ultra-Orthodox Jews – both LGBTQ and not.[53]
Since coming out, Stein has also done several modeling projects depicting her life and transition, which have been published by numerous sites.[54] She told Refinery29 that "I actually liked [shooting], It did help me feel more comfortable," and that she does these projects to encourage others on their journey.[55] In 2018 she also did several photo shoots and modeling projects with major fashion magazines such as Vogue[56] and InStyle.[57]
In addition to transgender activism, Stein has also been active in several projects to help those going Off the derech and leaving the Ultra-Orthodox community. She has been working with Footsteps,[58] and its Canadian sister organization, Forward, for which she traveled to Montreal in 2016 to help jump start.[59] In addition, she has also done some lay advocacy work with YAFFED working towards a better education in the Hasidic schools, for which she has also engaged in political work.[60]
In 2018 Stein co-founded her own feminist/womanist multifaith and inclusive celebration of women and nonbinary people of all faith traditions called Sacred Space, with former Mormon feminist and founder of Ordain Women, human rights lawyer Kate Kelly, and Yale Divinity School professor and Baptist preacher Eboni Marshall-Turman.[61]
During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Stein served as a national Surrogate for the Bernie Sanders campaign.[62]
Public speaking
Stein's first public appearance was in a promotional video for Footsteps 10th anniversary gala in 2013, where she was interviewed about her experience leaving the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.[63] Around the same time, she also did interviews with The Wall Street Journal[64] and the Haaretz[65] about her experience leaving the community and fighting for custody. She also started giving public speeches on these topics.[66]
In addition to public speaking, she also teaches classes on Gender within Judaism, as well as bringing attention to trans people from Orthodox communities.[67] As of November 2016, she has had speeches at several universities. She has also done longer speaking tours to several communities in Montreal; the San Francisco Bay Area; and the New York metropolitan area.[68]
Starting in 2016 Stein has also become a rising star in demand for speaking engagements and conferences, such as the Limmud franchise,[69] where at the 2017 Limmud NY conference, she spoke more times than any other presenter.[70] At the same time she has also spoken internationally at conferences such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's annual Junction Conference in Berlin,[71] and the Miles Nadal JCC's Tikkun in Toronto.
A big part of Stein's events have been with Hillel International affiliates all over the world. According to a 2017 report by Hillel "Stein has visited more than 100 campuses, sharing her story with thousands of students in hopes of teaching them the importance of inclusivity and that “Judaism and queerness are not a contradiction.”[72] Her events drew hundreds of students, where she talks about her life, Transgender in Judaism, Intersectionality, policy and politics as it relates to the LGBTQ community, and consulting on how to be more inclusive.[73][74]
Stein is today a Globally recognized author, activist, and speaker.[75] As of July 2020, she has given over 400 speeches at venues worldwide.[76]
Women's March leadership
In early 2019 Stein joined the Women's March leadership, as a member of the 2019 Steering Committee.[41] Despite some controversy surrounding the March and its leadership, Stein said that “I’m convinced that working with Women’s March people, we can gain so much more by working together even when there might be some parts we feel uncomfortable with,”[77] and "expressed solidarity with other Jewish women who are supporting the march on grounds that it has emerged as an important and growing coalition of marginalized groups including Jews, African Americans, Hispanics, and LGBT people."[78]
During the rally following the march, Stein also spoke on stage alongside Reverend Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church, and Muslim activist Remaz Abdelgader, leading the spiritual invocation opening the rally. During her speech, which she started with the traditional greeting of "Shabbat Shalom," she related the march to the Exodus, leading the audience in chants denouncing different forms of prejudice and oppression with a chant of "Let It Go."[79] She also called for unity saying that "A lot of people out there, a lot of people in the media are trying to divide us. What brings us together is not the fact that we are all the same. What brings us together is our differences."[80]
In 2020 Stein was a featured speaker[81] at the Women's March NYC, in Foley Square.[82]
Honors and awards
- The Jewish Week 36 Under 36. In 2016 she was named by The Jewish Week as one of the "36 Under 36" young Jews who changed the world,[83] she is the first Trans person ever to get this award.[84]
- Footsteps Leadership Award. At the 2016 Footsteps Celebrates[85] She received a leadership award for "Her outstanding leadership in advancing Footsteps stories in literature and Voice".[86]
- New York Magazine 50 Reasons to Love New York. In 2015, the New York Magazine counted her story as one of the 50 reasons to love New York, saying that New Yorkers are overly accepting of trans people.[87]
- 9 Jewish LGBTQ Activists You Should Know. In June 2016 she was named by The Times of Israel[88] and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as one of the nine "most influential Jews who have helped make LGBTQ issues visible and are still working to enact change."[89]
- Faith Leaders Leading the Fight for LGBTQ Equality. In October 2017, for LGBT History Month, she was named by the Human Rights Campaign, as one of 9 "faith leaders who are also leading the fight for LGBTQ equality." [90]
- CAFE 100. In April 2018, Stein was named by former US Attorney Preet Bharara, as part of the inaugural "CAFE 100 - extraordinary change-makers who are taking action to address some of the most pressing problems in America and around the world." [91]
- LGBTQ Pride Award. During Pride month in June 2018, Stein was honored by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams as part of "a special group of LGBTQ New Yorkers,"[92] honoring her work within the LGBTQ, and especially formerly Hasidic LGBTQ community.[93]
- 14 Jews Who Changed Queer History Forever. In June 2019 Stein was named by Alma [94] as one of 14 "Jews who have changed queer history forever." Alongside Jazz Jennings, Rabbi Sandra Lawson, Leslie Feinberg, Magnus Hirschfeld, and others.
- 9 LGBTQ Faith Leaders to Watch in 2019. In September 2019, Stein was named by the Center for American Progress as one of 9 LGBTQ faith leaders, whose "leadership in the current moment makes them critical faith leaders to watch in 2019 and beyond."[95] According to a press release by CAP, "these extraordinary leaders have proposed powerful visions to reform the criminal justice system, advance climate justice, dismantle systemic racism, and more."[96]
- Forward 50. In December 2019, Stein was named by The Forward as one of the 50 American Jews "Who Influenced, Intrigued And Inspired Us This Year."[97] In it Stein also described her commitment to lightning Shabbat candles.[98]
- 10 Women You Need to Know This Women's History Month. In March 2020, for Women's History Month Stein was named by Moment Magazine as one of 10 "powerful and inspiring women who work hard to create change and make an impact." Alongside Martha Nussbaum, Roberta Kaplan, Alice Shalvi, and Dr. Ruth.[99]
- The World’s Top 50 Thinkers. in July 2020, Stein was named by the Prospect Magazine as one of "The World's top 50 Thinkers in the COVID-19 Age." The list, which according to Forbes "is a much-anticipated exercise by the influential British magazine,"[100] called Stein a "renegade New York political science college student, and finally 27-year-old globally recognised author and advocate."[75]
American Jewish Press Association Rockower Award, First Place Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles. In the 2019 awards, Simi Horowitz's profile of Stein "Abby Stein: A Gender Transition Through a Jewish Lens" in the Moment Magazine[101] Received the first place award for Excellence in Personality Profiles. The AJPA commented saying that "This piece captures the humanity of Abby Stein, with an abundance of quietly telling details (like what she's eating during the interview). An impressive work."[102]
Filmography
In addition to a long list of interviews with major national and international news networks, Stein has also been featured in several TV segments in the United States, Canada, Israel, Bulgaria, and more - in English, French, Hebrew, Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, and Yiddish.
Year | Title | Role | |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Huffington Post Live[103] | TV Series; Episode: "Why Orthodox Jews Struggle to Leave Community" with Shulem Deen | |
2015 | Huffington Post Live[104] | TV Series; Episode: "Why This Trans Woman Left Hasidism To Embrace Her Gender Identity" | |
2015 | Chasing News[105] | Fox TV Series; Episode: "Free To Be Me" | |
2016/2018 | Great Big Story[106] | A CNN Web Series; Episode: "Transitioning to Freedom" - in 2018 the episode was aired again by "Great Big Story Nordics" with Swedish subtitles; Episode: "Transsexuell med ultraortodox bakgrund"[107] | |
2016 | Dark Net[108] | Showtime Television documentary series, Episode 8, "Revolt" | |
2016 | Daily Vice - Canada[109] | Canadian TV Series; Episode: "Les défis d'une activiste trans reniée par sa communauté juive hassidique" In French and in English | |
2017 | NowThis Original[110] | TV Series; Episode: "How This Hasidic Rabbi Became A Trans Woman" - Got 2.6 million views on Facebook alone. | |
2017 | Shishi With Ayala Hasson[111] | Israeli TV Series on Channel 10; Episode: "הכל אודות אבי: מסעו המופלא של האברך החרדי שהפך לאישה" (All About Abby: The Wonderful Journey of the Young Ultra-Orthodox Man That Became A Woman), In Hebrew | |
2017 | The Theme of NOVA[112] | Bulgarian TV Show; Episode: "Темата на NOVA: Свещеникът, който се моли да бъде жена" (The Rabbi Who Prays to Be a Woman) - this was Stein's first TV appearance in Eastern Europe, and Bulgaria's first transgender story on TV, in Bulgarian. | |
2017 | PopSugar[113] | Social Media series; Episode: "This Transgender Trailblazer Left the Hasidic Community to Live Her Truth as a Woman" - it got over 7 million views on Facebook alone,[114] the most of any of her videos | |
2017 | DKISS[115] | Spanish TV series; Episode: "Abby Stein cortó toda la relación con su familia cuando les contó que era transgénero" - Stein was not interviewed for this episode, in Spanish. | |
2017 | Time Code - RTVi[116] | International Russian-speaking TV series; Episode: "«Тайм-Код» с Владимиром Ленским. 16 июня" - Filmed at Columbia University, in Russian. | |
2017 | FOX 5 News At 5[117] | NYC TV news series; Episode: "Transgender woman's journey from Hasidim to a new life". | |
2017 | A Plus: A Grain of Saul[118] | Weekly Facebook based show; Episode: "To mark Transgender Day of Remembrance". | |
2017 | The Rundown[119] | TV show on the International Israeli channel i24NEWS; Episode: "Bridging Ultra-Orthodox and LGBT communities" in two parts,[120] in English | |
2018 | Todo Noticias[121] | Argentinian TV show; Episode: "Cómo un rabino ultraortodoxo (casado y con un hijo) se convirtió en mujer," and additional segment "Abby, el rabino ortodoxo que se convirtió en mujer"[122] in Spanish | |
2018 | CAFE 100[123] | Web Series; Episode: "Episode 2: Abby Stein" | |
2018 | Huffpost Perspectives[124] | TV Series; Episode: S1:E11 "This Trans Woman Left Her Hasidic Community To Fully Embrace Her True Self" | |
2018 | TRENDING[125] | TV Show hosted by Emily Frances; Episode: "From Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman"[126] | |
2018 | Stern[127] | German Magazine based Series as part of JWD by Joko Winterscheidt; Episode: "Abby Stein musste eine Welt aufgeben, in der sie Rabbiner sein sollte – um eine Frau zu sein," In German | |
2019 | 112BK[128] | Brooklyn based BRIC TV weekly show; Episode: "A Hasidic Rabbi's Transition" | |
2019 | Queer Kid Stuff[129] | Web series educating kids on LGBTQ+ and social justice topics; Season 4, Episode 2: "Religion with Abby Chava Stein!" | |
2019 | Studio 10[130] | Australian morning talk show on Network Ten; Episode: "Abby Stein: From Orthodox Rabbi To Transgender Woman" | |
2019 | Today Show[131] | American morning talk show on NBC; Season 67, Episode: "Transgender Woman Chronicles Her Journey from Rabbi to Her True Self" | |
2020 | Magellán[132] | Hungarian Educational and Scientific show on Super TV2; Episode: "Rabbi volt, de nőként él tovább: Exkluzív interjú Abby Steinnel" (She was a rabbi, now she lives as a woman: An exclusive interview with Abby Stein), in Hungarian | |
2020 | Soon By You[133] | A credited and scripted cameo as a Yoga Instructor; Soon By You is a "frum and funky “Friends”-esque sitcom," set in the Modern Orthodox community of New York City's Upper West Side. This S2:E2 episode was focused on the Orthodox LGBTQ community.[134] | |
2020 | Inside Edition[135] | American TV News magazine on CBS; Season 32, Episode: "Abby Stein Is the First from New York’s Hasidic Community to Come Out as Trans" |
Personal life
In 2010 Stein married a woman, Fraidy Horowitz, with whom she also had her son, Duvid. The marriage was an arranged marriage by a matchmaker, and the couple only met for 15 minutes prior to the engagement.[136] As Stein left the community, she divorced her wife.[137] In an interview with The Wall Street Journal right after her divorce she said that "They had a good relationship," and that at the time of the divorce she was able to "obtain a 'normal agreement,' including weekly visits, joint custody, split holidays, joint decision-making on major life events and every second weekend with her son."[138]
Stein is currently in a relationship with Musician and Rabbinical Student, Dr. Brielle Rassler,[76] PsyD.[139]
See also
- Footsteps (organization)
- Transgender rights movement
- Trans woman
- Hasidic Judaism
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of self-identified LGBTQ New Yorkers
- List of LGBT Jews
- Transgender people and religion
Notes
References
- Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman
- Discussing transgender rights in the Jewish community with two trans activists - Yiscah Smith and Abby Stein. Archived 2016-06-17 at the Wayback Machine The Gentile and the Jew, 2015.
- "The Second Transition". thesecondtransition.blogspot.com.
- JTA Staff (November 19, 2015). "Descendant of Hasidic Judaism Founder Comes Out as Transgender". JTA published by Haaretz. Retrieved July 9, 2019. Summer Luk (April 27, 2016). "Interview: Abby Stein talks about being a transgender woman from a Hasidic Jewish community". Glaad. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- "TRANS MEET-UP with Abby Stein," Eshel Online, December 15, 2015.
- "'Gender began punching me in the face': How a Hasidic rabbi came out as trans woman", Debra Nussbaum Cohen, Haaretz, February 17, 2017.
- "36 Under 36" Abby Stein, The Jewish Week
- Temple Shaaray Tefila (26 June 2020). "WATCH: Rabbi Reines in Conversation with Abby Stein" (Video). shaaraytefilanyc.org. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
On being called Rabbi…
- Lex Rofeberg (19 November 2019). "Abby Stein: Judaism Unbound Episode 196 - Becoming Eve". Judaism Unbound (Podcast). Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- "'I prayed to God to make me a girl'". BBC News. 2020-04-26. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
- "Abby, who is 24, was born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to a notable Hasidic family that boasts a long lineage of rabbis." Judy Bolton-Fasman, Forward, November 20, 2015.
- Abby C. Stein (April 23, 2017). "Holocaust Remembrance Day: A Personal Reflection". The Second Transition. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- Abby’s early life was defined by an extreme iteration of Jewish practice, but more relaxed forms of traditional Judaism are also divided along gender lines. Sacred Jewish texts, and by extension Jewish law, are in fact predicated upon an assumption of gender duality. A person’s sex determines what religious practices he or she is obliged to perform, and how he or she is expected to behave in social contexts. Brigit Katz, The New York Times, February 2, 2016.
- Abby Stein's profile on Sefaria "Jewish Education Yeshivat Viznitz"
- "attended Yeshiva, completing a rabbinical degree in 2011" Glaad.com, April 27, 2016.
- Stein, Abby (November 11, 2015). "The Second Transition: And, The Time Has Come... COMING OUT!!!".
- "Trans woman who also left Hasidism blogs about "double transition" – Women in the World". womenintheworld.com.
- Fears, Danika (November 18, 2015). "I left Hasidism to become a woman".
- "I Grew Up Hasidic and Trans. Here's How I Found a New Community". The Cut.
- "Trans woman spreads LGBTQ awareness in Jewish Orthodox community". NBC News.
- "For this transgender Orthodox Jew, blogging was her lifeline". The Daily Dot. December 8, 2015.
- "Great Big Story". www.greatbigstory.com.
- "Free To Be Me". Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- Why This Trans Woman Left Hasidism To Embrace Her Gender Identity
- Daily Vice Canada, March 19, 2016.
- Noah Gadebusch; Benyamin Reich (May 13, 2017). "Der Rebbe im Minirock". Jüdische Allgemeine (in German). Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Francesca Bussi (August 3, 2017). "NATA due volte". Gioia (in Italian). Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- Gabi Abramac (October 12, 2017). "OD ŽIVOTA U SEKTI DO PRIZNANJA 'Odgajali su me kao princa, a onda je moj otac hasidski Židov zanijemio kad sam mu rekla da sam transrodna osoba'". Globus (in Croatian). Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- Camilla Stampe (March 17, 2017). "En sjæl fanget i den forkerte krop". Weekendavisen (in Danish). Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- Sandra Johansson (December 24, 2018). "Flydde ultraortodoxa livet – stöttar andra transkvinnor". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- BBC (29 June 2020). "De rabino ultraortodoxo a mulher trans: 'Rezava a Deus para que me transformasse em menina'". G1 Globo (in Portuguese). Grupo Globo. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- "Hassidic-raised trans woman to speak about her journey". Alix Wall, Jweekly, April 7, 2016.
- "I Have Daddy and Mommy Issues". The Second Transition, January 16, 2016.
- "This trans woman got some serious hate when she left Hasidism behind". Joseph Patrick McCormick, Pink News, November 19, 2016.
- "DARK NET: Growing Up Trans In An Ultra-Orthodox Community" Tracy Clark-Flory, March 10, 2016.
- Cohen, Debra Nussbaum (2017-02-17). "'Gender Began Punching Me in the Face': How a Hasidic Rabbi Came Out as Trans Woman". Haaretz. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
- "Next Shabbat Morning, June 4th, I will be having a Celebration at Romemu. Call it a Bat Mitzva of sorts. We will do a name change at the Torah, followed by a Kiddush, which is the traditional way of celebrating milestones in one’s life. I am doing this event in public not just to celebrate my own life in transition, but to send a message to the entire Jewish-Trans community, the entire queer community, and well, every human being: Look, no matter what you think, you can find community, you can, and will find love. Don’t feel alone, because you are not alone. One might think that tradition has no way to accommodate and celebrate us, and maybe it didn’t have until now, but it does now!!!" Abby Stein, Romemu, Xoxo, May 22, 2016.
- "How This Ex-Hasidic Woman Lost And Found Her Judaism", Carol Kuruvilla, June 9, 2016.
- Aviles, Gwen (November 19, 2019). "From ultra-Orthodox rabbi to openly transgender: Abby Stein shares her story". NBC News. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- @SealPress (June 15, 2018). "We're thrilled to welcome @AbbyChavaStein to the Seal list!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Our Leadership - 2019 Steering Committee". womensmarch.com. Women's March. January 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
Steering Committee: Abby Stein. - Her book “Becoming Eve” A Memoir, will be published by Seal Press in fall 2019.
- "BECOMING EVE: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
- Bussian, Peter; Stein, Abby (June 2, 2020). Trans New York: Photos and Stories of Transgender New Yorkers. New York, NY: Apollo Publishers. ISBN 978-1948062565. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- "Introducing Queer Disbelief, a Book About LGBTQ Rights and Atheism". Friendly Atheist on Patheos. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- SHemant Mehta (October 7, 2017). "Trans Woman (and Former Hasidic Jew): Atheists Should Support the LGBTQ Movement". Friendly Atheist. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- Stein, Abby (24 May 2020). "COVID has exploded Jewish LGBTQ acceptance online. There's no going back". forward.com. The Forward. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- Tuttle-Singer, Sarah; Creditor, Menachem; Stein, Abby (9 June 2020). When We Turned Within: Reflections on COVID-19. Independently Published. pp. 113–115. ISBN 979-8650180951.
- "Elul 9: Dayeinu ~ Abby Stein". Jewels of Elul. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- Blegvad, Kaye (2019). The Pink Book: An Illustrated Celebration of the Color, from Bubblegum to Battleships. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 39. ISBN 978-1452174815.
- "The heir to a rabbinic dynasty who's turned away from Brooklyn's Hasidim after finding a world she never knew existed online," sho.com, Dark Net Season 1, Episode 8, March 10, 2016.
- "She also founded a support group for trans people of Orthodox backgrounds," Summer Luk, Glaad.com Blog, April 2016.
- "Stein decided to start her own support group, and 25 people signed up. Most were fellow Hassids struggling with their sexuality or gender identity, Stein said. In December, they had their initial meet-up, with 12 people attending., Alix Wall, Jweekly, April 2016.
- "She recently started a support group for transgender people from Orthodox backgrounds and, as an avid blogger (she came out as trans via blog, in a post that garnered 20,000 views overnight), has become a role model for former ultra-Orthodox Jews – both LGBTQ and not." Jodie Shupac, Canadian Jewish News, March 2016.
- Abby stein: Photographer Eve Singer Captures Stark, Personal Portraits of an Ex-Hasidic, Transgender Activist. Eve singer, Fuzz Magazine, September 2016.
- 14 Intimate Photos That Depict One Trans Woman's Rapidly Changing Life. Sara Coughlin, Refinery29, October 7, 2016.
- Liana Satenstein; Gilliam Laub (March 8, 2018). "Off the Beaten Path: After Leaving Orthodox Judaism, Women Forge a New Identity in the Secular World". Vogue Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- Shalayne Pulia (February 27, 2018). "Meet the Hasidic Rabbi Who Realized She Was Transgender Thanks to a Google Search". InStyle Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- "36 Under 36 2016, The Jewish Week". footstepsorg.org. May 23, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- Joey Tanny (April 20, 2016). "Abby Stein's Visit With Forward in Montreal". forwardorg.org. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- Amy Sarah Clark (August 9, 2017). "Watch Ex-Chasidic Activist Abby Stein Grill De Blasio On Yeshiva Probe". The Jewish Week. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- Russell-Kraft, Stephanie (2019-10-22). "This Multifaith Refuge Is Only for Women". Sojourners. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
- Burack, Emily (March 5, 2020). "How Bernie Sanders Became 'Zayde Bernie'". Alma Magazine. 70 Faces Media. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
Abby, who is now an official surrogate for the Sanders campaign
. It also appears in Stein's Twitter bio. - "Footsteps: the journey" Footsteps on YouTube, November 15, 2013.
- "Formerly Orthodox, and Struggling for Parental Rights", Melanie Grayce West, August 11, 2014.
- "Off-road Jews: A Helping Hand for Those Who Stray From the ultra-Orthodox Path", Debra Nussbaum Cohen, November 29, 2013.
- "On Tisha B’Av, ex-ultra-Orthodox Jew mourns destruction of ‘personal temple’", Cathryn J. Prince, The Times of Israel, July 24th, 2015.
- Abby stein on Sefaria.
- "The Second Transition - Calendar".
- "Her Journey From Hasidic Rabbi To (Happy) Transgender Woman", Debra Nussbaum Cohen, Forward, February 7, 2017.
- "Limmud Conference Tests Limits Of Pluralism", The New York Jewish Week, February 22, 2017.
- "The Junction Annual: Our World in Transition", Speakers.
- Shana Medel (November 20, 2017). "Questions and answers with Abby Stein, trans activist". Hillel News. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- Kayla Haley (November 10, 2017). "Trans activist encourages community to keep up fight in current political climate". The Miami Hurricane. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- Rianna Turner (December 8, 2017). "A Rabbi for Rights". Yale Daily News. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- Clark, Tom (14 July 2020). "The world's top 50 thinkers 2020". Prospect Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Musleah, Rahel (July 2020). "Abby Stein Finds Her Voice". Hadassah Magazine (July/August 2020). Hadassah, the Women's Organization of America. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Debra Nussbaum Cohen (January 16, 2019). "Why 2 Jewish women say they joined the Women's March steering committee". JTA. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
“I’m convinced that working with Women’s March people, we can gain so much more by working together even when there might be some parts we feel uncomfortable with,” said Stein, speaking from Florida, where she had a speaking engagement. “I want to have a dialogue with people who are open to listen and be educated so long that I see we can gain more.”
- Lou Chibbaro Jr. (January 17, 2019). "LGBT contingent expected for Saturday's Women's March". Washington Blade. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- Lou Chibbaro Jr. (January 20, 2019). "Trans women play visible role in Women's March". Washington Blade. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- VOA News (January 19, 2019). "Thousands Worldwide Join Women's March". Voice of America. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- Official Site. "Special Thank You's". Women's March NYC. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- Dube Dwilson, Stephanie (17 January 2020). "Women's March NYC 2020: Route, Time, Maps, & Schedules in New York". Heavy.com. Simon Assaad. Heavy Inc. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- "A Voice For Transgender Chasidic Jews", Amy Sara Clark, May 23, 2016.
- "We celebrate our first-ever 36er of transgender experience — a thinker, blogger and activist." Hannah Dreyfus, The Jewish Week, May 27, 2016.
- "Footsteps Celebrates 2016 | Footsteps".
- "Abby Stein". www.facebook.com.
- "50 reasons to love New York: I Grew Up Hasidic and Trans. Here’s How I Found a New Community.", Tim Morphy, December 16, 2015.
- "From Stonewall to the US Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Jews have been at the forefront of the fight for equal rights. Here are some of the most influential voices still making a difference.", June 28, 2016.
- "9 Jewish LGBTQ activists you should know.", Gabe Friedman, JTA, June 27, 2016.
- Prianka Srinivasan (October 26, 2017). "The Faith Leaders Leading the Fight for LGBTQ Equality". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- Preet Bharara (April 24, 2018). "CAFE 100 2018". CAFE.com. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- Andrea Leonhardt (June 1, 2018). "BP Adams Kicks off Pride Month Honoring LGBTQ New Yorkers". The Brooklyn Reader. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams (June 6, 2018). "One Brooklyn-- Pride Week Celebration and Flag Raising Ceremony". YouTube. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
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- Emily London; Maggie Siddiqi; Luke Wallis (September 9, 2019). "9 LGBTQ Faith Leaders to Watch in 2019". Center for American Progress. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- Hananel, Sam (September 9, 2019). "RELEASE: CAP Announces 9 LGBTQ Faith Leaders to Watch in 2019" (Press release). Center for American Progress. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- Forward Staff (December 20, 2019). "Abby Stein: The Barrier Breaker". The Forward. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- Rudoren, Jodi (December 20, 2019). "Forward 50: Meet The Machers And Shakers Who Influenced, Intrigued And Inspired Us This Year". forward.com. The Forward. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
One of the first steps in Rabbi Abby Stein’s gender transition was taking on the mitzvah of Shabbat candles — she has scarcely missed a week in five years.
- Serafin, Samantha (March 13, 2020). "10 Women You Need to Know This Women's History Month". momentmag.com. Moment Magazine. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- Nietzel, Michael T. (14 July 2020). "Are These The World's Top Thinkers For 2020?". Forbes. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- Horowitz, Simi (28 September 2018). "Abby Stein: A Gender Transition Through a Jewish Lens". Moment Magazine. Nadine Epstein. Center for Creative Change. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- Staff (June 26, 2019). "2019 Competition: The 38th Annual Simon Rockwer Award Winners" (Press release). St. Louis, MO: American Jewish Press Association. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- "Why Orthodox Jews Struggle to Leave Community". August 15, 2014.
- "Why This Trans Woman Left Hasidism To Embrace Her Gender Identity". November 17, 2015.
- "Free To Be Me". December 9, 2015.
- "Defiant Abby Stein". January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- "Transsexuell med ultraortodox bakgrund". Great Big Story Nordics (in Swedish). February 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- "Trans Orthodox Dark Net". March 10, 2016.
- "DAily Vice Canada Interview". March 15, 2016.
- "How This Hasidic Rabbi Became A Trans Woman". May 6, 2017.
- "All About Abby: The Wonderful Journey of the Young Ultra-Orthodox Man That Became A Woman". May 27, 2017.
- "The Rabbi Who Prays to Be a Woman". June 4, 2017.
- "Meet Transgender Activist Abby Stein". June 5, 2017.
- As of June 27 POPSUGAR. Celebrity
- "Abby Stein cortó toda la relación con su familia cuando les contó que era transgénero". June 19, 2017.
- ""Time Code" with Vladimir Lensky. June 16th". June 26, 2017.
- "Transgender woman's journey from Hasidim to a new life". June 26, 2017.
- "Mark Transgender Day of Remembrance". November 20, 2017.
- "Bridging Ultra-Orthodox and LGBT communities". December 27, 2017.
- First part is called "Trans Orthodox Jew fights for visitation rights".
- "How an ultra-Orthodox rabbi (married and with a son) became a woman". February 1, 2018.
- Aired on TV a day after "Abby, el rabino ortodoxo que se convirtió en mujer". February 2, 2018.
- "Episode 2: Abby Stein". April 26, 2018.
- "This Trans Woman Left Her Hasidic Community To Fully Embrace Her True Self". June 13, 2018.
- "From Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman". July 6, 2018.
- Paywall link on the official website: "Friday, July 6th 2018".
- "Abby Stein had to give up a world in which she should have been a rabbi - to be a woman". July 26, 2018.
- "A Hasidic Rabbi's Transition". February 12, 2019.
- "What's JUDAISM? (ft Abby Chava Stein)". February 24, 2019.
- "Abby Stein: From Orthodox Rabbi To Transgender Woman". March 15, 2019.
- Jones, Sheinelle; Roker, Al; Melvin, Craig (November 19, 2019). "Transgender woman chronicles journey from rabbi to her true self". 3rd Hour Today. NBC. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- Gergely, Váczi (January 2020). "Rabbi volt, de nőként él tovább: Exkluzív interjú Abby Steinnel". Magellán Riportmagazin (in Hungarian). Super TV2.
- "The Double Date". Soon By You. Season 2. Episode 2. February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- Connelly, Irene (9 February 2020). ""Soon By You" debuts new episode about queer Orthodox Jews". The Forward. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
Transgender activist Abby Stein makes a brief cameo as a supremely unflappable yoga teacher
- Greenhall, Lauren (March 14, 2020). "Abby Stein Is the First from New York's Hasidic Community to Come Out as Trans". Inside Edition. CBS. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- "Abby's sheltered upbringing culminated in her marriage at 18 to Fraidy, the daughter of another Hasidic Jewish family. It was formally arranged by a matchmaker and was, in Abby’s words, a ‘done deal’ before they had even met. ‘It wasn’t exactly forced, but it was completely arranged,’ she said. ‘I met her once in advance, for 15 minutes.' Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, News Grio, November 23, 2015.
- "She divorced her wife and left the community." The Jerusalem Post, November 19, 2015.
- Melanie Grayce West, "Formerly Orthodox, and Struggling for Parental Rights." Wall Street Journal August 11, 2014.
- Rassler, BriellePaig. "Brielle Paige Rassler, Psy.D." briellepaigerassler.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Abby Stein on IMDb
- "Happy Pride! Meet the Women Celebrating Across the Country" an interview with Abby on Yahoo style for Pride Month 2016.