How Hasidic Sages Supported Transgender People — 200 Years Ago

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Editor’s note: We are republishing this interview with Abby Stein in honor of her new book, “Becoming Eve,” being published this week.
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts.
Abby Stein, who grew up in a rabbinical family in Williamsburg, is the most prominent Hasidic person to come out as transgender after leaving her community. She recently visited the Yiddish Forward’s studios to discuss how Hasidic texts describe transgender people. Learn about that fascinating history in the following video, in Yiddish with English subtitles.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
