About Us
You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah offers an opportunity for those who wish to explore where identity, sexuality, and spirituality intersect through a Jewish lens.
You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah is grounded in two Jewish principles. The first is that everyone is created B'tzelem Elohim, in the Divine Image. Your identity and however you express it, is worth celebrating. The second principle is the Jewish teaching that within the closeness of consenting partners lies remarkable holiness. The intimate connections we share with others, whether romantic, sexual, or platonic, are sacred.
You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah has three goals:
Create Community: Connect with like minded people who wish to engage in similar Jewish practices, share ideas and rituals, and learn together.
Queer Judaism: Push the boundaries of Jewish tradition. Study texts and engage in ritual through a radical lens of queer identity and history, making everyone feels witnessed and celebrated as their whole self.
Connect to Body and Soul: Use Jewish practices to connect to our own bodies. Explore what practices and traditions help us and which might hinder us. Learn ways to navigate different forms of intimacy with partners. Find spiritual connection within sexual and intimate encounters with others and ourselves.
Feeling empowered to explore the different parts of ourselves in a way that is spiritually and emotionally nourishing is so important.
You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah is the place for this journey to begin and/or continue growing.
“I know that you can’t live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope.”
— Harvey Milk, 1978
About Rabbi Eliana Kayelle
Rabbi Eliana Kayelle founded You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah in 2022 after receiving rabbinical ordination from Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary. The early sparks for You Gotta Give ‘Em Torah started flying in 2020 after Eliana began studying Jewish sexual ethics in depth as a rabbinical student. Through their studies and response to their published article about Judaism and kink, Eliana noticed a need for more radical Jewish spaces where there can be dialogue around sexuality and intimacy. Eliana hopes to be part of the generation of spiritual leaders that lessen the taboos around these topics bringing education, encouragement, and celebration. In the near future Eliana will begin the process of becoming a certified sex counselor. They have already begun partnering with sex educators and therapists who specialize in varying topics in the field.
As well as their work in the world of Jewish education—Rabbi Eliana is a theater-maker, choreographer, and volunteer community organizer. They are white, Ashkenazi, queer, nonbinary, fat, disabled, and neurodivergent. Though Eliana has roots in the reform and conservative movements, Eliana is a non-denominational rabbi.
Rabbi Eliana believes in collective power and radical listening in order to work towards a future where there is liberation for all people.
