The Talmud discusses many things, and gay Jews are no exception. Gay Jews have been part of the community since time immemorial, even if not always mentioned in text. Learn with Y-Love as he examines the distinctions between the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi regarding the issue, as well as halachic considerations for community unity as we enter into Elul.
Taught by Y-Love
Since 2001, Y-Love (Yitz Jordan) has made a name for himself as a hip-hop artist, multicultural educator, fashionista, technology leader, marketing and branding consultant, activist for social change, political pundit, and inspirational speaker. When Y-Love (Yitz Jordan) first came onto the hip-hop scene in 2001 and released his first mixtape in 2005, the world took note of its first African-American Orthodox Jewish hip-hop artist. In 2012, with the single “Focus on the Flair”, Y-LOVE proudly proclaimed his sexuality to the world showing that religious connection and gay identity can coexist, becoming the first rapper to come out of the closet mid-career. Yitz has lectured worldwide on the Limmud Jewish educational circuit, as well as for other institutions, teaching audiences about topics as diverse as racism, Biblical Hebrew grammar, and Torah in Modern Rock. Jordan served as spokesperson for Keshet, the organization dedicated to raising LGBT Jewish visibility and inclusion, after coming out, and would be named a “GLBT Community Hero” by the Long Island LGBT Community Center of New York. In 2020, twenty years after conversion to Judaism, Yitz launched his first business: creating a first-of-its-kind multicultural digital media platform, TribeHerald, designed to be responsive to the specific needs and aesthetic of modern Jews of Color and help to unite a global community. A developer for 25 years, Yitz has developed branded experiences for brands as diverse as Calvin Klein, Disney and Honda, and worked on numerous national ad campaigns for Dr Pepper, and is launching his second company, developing custom AI solutions for healthcare and small businesses.