Abby Stein

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abby Stein
Abby Stein 20191203-8712 (cropped).jpg
Stein in 2019
Born (1991-10-01) October 1, 1991 (age 30)[1]
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationColumbia University
Occupation
  • Activist
  • author
Years active2012–present
Known forTransgender activism
Height173.73 cm (5.700 ft)
TelevisionDark Net
Spouse(s)
Fraidy Horowitz
​
​
(m. 2010⁠–⁠2013)​
Children1
Parent(s)Rabbi Menachem Mendel Stein, Chaya Sheindel Stein
Writing career
Genrenon-fiction
SubjectsMemoir, LGBT literature, Jewish literature
Notable workBecoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman
Books-aj.svg aj ashton 01.svg Literature portal
WebsiteThe Second Transition

Abby Chava 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][5] In 2015, she founded the first support group nationwide for trans people of Orthodox Jewish background.[6]

Stein is also the first woman, and the first openly transgender woman, to have been ordained by an Orthodox Judaism institution, having received her rabbinical degree in 2011, before coming out as transgender.[7] Though Stein did not work as a rabbi after leaving Orthodox Judaism until at least 2016,[8] by 2020, she had re-embraced her title as rabbi, and currently works in many capacities as a rabbi.[9] In 2018, she co-founded Sacred Space, a multi-faith project "which celebrates women and non-binary people of all faith traditions".[10]

Early life[]

Stein was born in 1991 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City, the 6th child[11] in a family of 13, born to a family of notable Hasidic leaders;[12] she has five elder sisters. Her father, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Stein, is the current Savraner Rebbe of Brooklyn. Her grandfather, Grand Rabbi Mordechai Stein, is the current Faltishaner Rabbe, and is a descendant of Reb Mordechai Twersky (1770–1837). Her family is of Polish, Ukrainian/Romanian, Serbian, and Israeli descent, with modern Ukraine being the predominant origin.[13]

Stein grew up speaking Yiddish and Hebrew, and was educated at a traditional all-boys Jewish Day School. The community in which she grew up is highly segregated by gender, impacting almost all aspects of daily life.[a] Stein attended the Viznitz yeshiva in Kiamesha Lake, Upstate New York,[15] for her high school education, also receiving ordination as a rabbi there in 2011.[16] 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.

In her book,[1] as well as in numerous interviews, Stein credits the New York City based non-profit Footsteps with helping her succeed after she left the Hasidic community, even calling their work "life saving."[17] In a March 2021 interview with the New York magazine, she credits Footsteps therapists with helping her both, when she left the Hasidic community, and later when she came out as transgender women, saying that speaking with a Footsteps social worker "was the first time I ever spoke to a professional where I felt listened to, as opposed to feeling like a problem that needed solving."[18]

Coming out[]

Abby Stein at University of California, Berkeley in April 2016

In November 2015, Stein made headlines when she came out on her blog as transgender,[19] and started physical transition. She was featured in some major media outlets, including The New York Times,[20] the New York Post,[21] New York Magazine,[22] NBC,[23] the Daily Dot,[24] and more. She has also appeared on CNN,[25] Fox News,[26] HuffPost Live,[27] and Vice Canada.[28] Stein also appeared on a number of international TV networks,[1] and in numerous international newspapers and magazines in over 20 different languages.[29][30][31] [32][33][34]

When Stein left her community in 2012 and came out as an atheist, her parents said that no matter Stein's choices in life, she would remain their child; however, after coming 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."[35] Since then, her parents have shunned her, and stopped talking to her altogether.[36] She has also received some hate from her former community,[37] though in an interview with Chasing News (a Fox News Short film company), Stein said that she received less hate than some people would have expected.[26] She described her life post-transition as "better than I could have ever imagined".[11]

Stein was featured in the 2016 Showtime Documentary series, Dark Net, in episode 8, "Revolt".[38]

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.[39][40] 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.[41]

Publications[]

Stein reads from her book, Becoming Eve, during a December 2019 talk at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

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.[42][43][44][45] ISBN 9781580059169.

Becoming Eve has been translated into Dutch, and will be published under the title "Eigenlijk Eva: Mijn transitie van ultraorthodoxe rabbi tot trans-vrouw" by De Geus in January 2022.[46] ISBN 9789044544756.

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 New York.[47] 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,[48] 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".[49] ISBN 978-0692989647.

Stein's essay about COVID-19 and its impact on the LGBTQ community, titled, "COVID has exploded Jewish LGBTQ acceptance online. There's no going back." (originally published on Forward.com,[50]) was included in When We Turned Within: Reflections on COVID-19, an anthology of 165 essays edited by Sarah Tuttle-Singer and Menachem Creditor.[51] ISBN 979-8650180951.

Another one of Stein's essays on the current political climate, titled "When One Line Makes All the Difference" - reflecting on President Joe Biden's victory speech (on November 7, 2020), and his mentioning of the transgender community[52] - was published in the 2021 anthology No Time for Neutrality: American Rabbinic Voices from an Era of Upheaval.[53] ISBN 979-8737101305.

Stein's essay titled "Bring Them In," based on her remarks as part of the 24 hour "Call To Unite,"[54] hosted by Tim Shriver and Oprah Winfrey,[55] was published in The Call to Unite.[56] ISBN 9780593298237.

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.[57]

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.[58] 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.[59]

In December 2015, Stein founded a support group for trans people from Orthodox backgrounds.[60] The group's first meeting had 12 people attending, most of them fellow Hasids struggling with their gender identity.[61] 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.[62]

Since coming out, Stein has also done several modeling projects depicting her life and transition, which have been published by numerous sites.[63] 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.[64] In 2018, she also did several photo shoots and modeling projects with major fashion magazines such as Vogue[65] and InStyle.[66]

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,[67] and its Canadian sister organization, Forward, for which she traveled to Montreal in 2016 to help jump-start.[68] 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.[69]

Stein (holding a shofar) and her girlfriend, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, July 2020

In 2018, Stein co-founded her own feminist/womanist multi-faith and inclusive celebration of women and non-binary 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.[70]

During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Stein served as a national Surrogate[further explanation needed] for the Bernie Sanders campaign.[71]

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.[72] Around the same time, she also did interviews with The Wall Street Journal[73] and Haaretz[74] about her experience leaving the community and fighting for custody. She also started giving public speeches on these topics.[75]

In addition to public speaking, she also teaches classes on gender within Judaism, as well as bringing attention to trans people from Orthodox communities.[76] 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.[77]

Starting in 2016, Stein has also become a rising star in demand for speaking engagements and conferences, such as the Limmud franchise,[78] where, at the 2017 Limmud NY conference, she spoke more times than any other presenter.[79] 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,[80] 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'."[81] 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.[82][83]

Stein is today a globally recognized author, activist, and speaker.[84] As of July 2020, she has given over 400 speeches at venues worldwide.[17]

Women's March leadership[]

Stein on stage at the 2019 Women's March

In early 2019, Stein joined the Women's March leadership, as a member of the 2019 Steering Committee.[44] 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",[85] 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".[86]

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!".[87] 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."[88]

In 2020, Stein was a featured speaker[89] at the Women's March NYC, in Foley Square.[90]

Honors and awards[]

Stein with teenage trans activist, Jazz Jennings at the 2016 Philadelphia Trans Health Conference. They were both named as one of the "9 Jewish LGBTQ Activists You Should Know" by JTA and TOI.
  • 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;[91] she is the first Trans person ever to get this award.[92]
  • Footsteps Leadership Award. At the 2016 Footsteps Celebrates[93] She received a leadership award for "Her outstanding leadership in advancing Footsteps stories in literature and Voice".[94]
  • 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.[95]
  • 9 Jewish LGBTQ Activists You Should Know. In June 2016, she was named by The Times of Israel[96] 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".[97]
  • 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".[98]
  • 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".[99]
  • 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",[100] honoring her work within the LGBTQ, and especially the formerly Hasidic LGBTQ, community.[101]
  • 14 Jews Who Changed Queer History Forever. In June 2019, Stein was named by Alma[102] 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".[103] 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".[104]
  • 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".[105] In it, Stein also described her commitment to lighting Shabbat candles.[106]
  • 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.[107]
  • 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",[108] called Stein a "renegade New York political science college student, and finally 27-year-old globally recognised author and advocate".[84]
  • Best Nonfiction Debut. In September 2020, Stein's book, , was awarded the Best Non-Fiction Debut award, as part of Alma's "The Best Jewish Books of 5780" (AM). Saying that "not only is Abby a trailblazer and ridiculously inspiring — she's a really talented writer".[109]
  • 10 LGBTQ+ American Jews Who've Made History. During Pride Month 2021, Stein was named by Hillel International as one of "10 LGBTQ+ American Jews Who've Made History." Alongside Leslie Feinberg, Kate Bornstein, Lesley Gore, Rabbi Elliot Kukla, Michael Twitty, and others.[110]

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[111] Received the first place award for Excellence in Personality Profiles. The AJPA commented by 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."[112]

Filmography[]

In addition to a long list of interviews with major national and international news networks,[2] 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[113] TV Series; Episode: "Why Orthodox Jews Struggle to Leave Community" with Shulem Deen
2015 Huffington Post Live[114] TV Series; Episode: "Why This Trans Woman Left Hasidism To Embrace Her Gender Identity"
2015 Chasing News[115] Fox TV Series; Episode: "Free To Be Me"
2016/2018 Great Big Story[116] 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"[117]
2016 Dark Net[118] Showtime Television documentary series, Episode 8, "Revolt"
2016 Daily Vice – Canada[119] Canadian TV Series; Episode: "Les défis d'une activiste trans reniée par sa communauté juive hassidique" In French and in English
2017 NowThis Original[120] TV Series; Episode: "How This Hasidic Rabbi Became A Trans Woman" – Got 2.6 million views on Facebook alone.
2017 Shishi [121] 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[122] 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[123] 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,[124] the most of any of her videos
2017 DKISS[125] 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[126] 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[127] NYC TV news series; Episode: "Transgender woman's journey from Hasidim to a new life".
2017 A Plus: A Grain of Saul[128] Weekly Facebook based show; Episode: "To mark Transgender Day of Remembrance".
2017 The Rundown[129] TV show on the International Israeli channel i24NEWS; Episode: "Bridging Ultra-Orthodox and LGBT communities" in two parts,[130] in English
2018 Todo Noticias[131] 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"[132] in Spanish
2018 [133] Web Series; Episode: "Episode 2: Abby Stein"
2018 Huffpost Perspectives[134] TV Series; Episode: S1:E11 "This Trans Woman Left Her Hasidic Community To Fully Embrace Her True Self"
2018 TRENDING[135] TV Show hosted by Emily Frances; Episode: "From Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman"[136]
2018 Stern[137] 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[138] Brooklyn based BRIC TV weekly show; Episode: "A Hasidic Rabbi's Transition"
2019 Queer Kid Stuff[139] Web series educating kids on LGBTQ+ and social justice topics; Season 4, Episode 2: "Religion with Abby Chava Stein!"
2019 Studio 10[140] Australian morning talk show on Network Ten; Episode: "Abby Stein: From Orthodox Rabbi To Transgender Woman"
2019 Today Show[141] American morning talk show on NBC; Season 67, Episode: "Transgender Woman Chronicles Her Journey from Rabbi to Her True Self"
2020 Magellán[142] 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[143] 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.[144]
2020 Inside Edition[145] 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"
2021 A Day in the Life of America[146] Documentary film produced by Jared Leto in 2017, aired by PBS as part of the Independent Lens series; Season 21, Episode 6.[147]

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.[148] "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.' The two did not see each other again until their wedding.[11] As Stein left the community, she divorced her wife.[149] 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".[150]

Stein is a cousin of the actor Luzer Twersky.[151]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "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.]"[14]
  1. ^ See below under filmography.
  2. ^ See the Media tab on her website.
  3. ^ Read more (in Hebrew): Twersky, Eluzer (2003). Stein, Menachem (ed.). Toldot Elʻazar. Brooklyn, NY. pp. 128–132.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman
  2. ^ "Gentile and the Jew with Yiscah Smith and Abby Stein". Omny. January 28, 2016. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Second Transition". thesecondtransition.blogspot.com.
  4. ^ JTA Staff (November 19, 2015). "Descendant of Hasidic Judaism Founder Comes Out as Transgender". JTA published by Haaretz. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Summer Luk (April 27, 2016). "Interview: Abby Stein talks about being a transgender woman from a Hasidic Jewish community". Glaad. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "TRANS MEET-UP with Abby Stein". Eshel Online. December 15, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "'Gender began punching me in the face': How a Hasidic rabbi came out as trans woman", Debra Nussbaum Cohen, Haaretz, February 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "36 Under 36" Abby Stein, The Jewish Week
  9. ^ Temple Shaaray Tefila (June 26, 2020). "WATCH: Rabbi Reines in Conversation with Abby Stein" (Video). shaaraytefilanyc.org. Retrieved June 30, 2020. On being called Rabbi…
  10. ^ Lex Rofeberg (November 19, 2019). "Abby Stein: Judaism Unbound Episode 196 – Becoming Eve". Judaism Unbound (Podcast). Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "Ultra-Orthodox and trans: "I prayed to God to make me a girl"". BBC News. April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ Abby C. Stein (April 23, 2017). "Holocaust Remembrance Day: A Personal Reflection". The Second Transition. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  14. ^ Katz, Brigit (February 23, 2016). "Amid a shifting tide of tolerance, transgender Jews search for faith and community". Women in the World. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Abby Stein's profile on Sefaria "Jewish Education Yeshivat Viznitz"
  16. ^ "attended Yeshiva, completing a rabbinical degree in 2011" Glaad.com, April 27, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Musleah, Rahel (July 2020). "Abby Stein Finds Her Voice". Hadassah Magazine (July/August 2020). Hadassah, the Women's Organization of America. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  18. ^ Cheslaw, Louis; Corsillo, Liza (March 29, 2021). "The Best Therapists in New York". New York Magazine. New York City: Vox Media. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  19. ^ Stein, Abby (November 11, 2015). "The Second Transition: And, The Time Has Come... COMING OUT!!!".
  20. ^ "Trans woman who also left Hasidism blogs about "double transition" – Women in the World". womenintheworld.com.
  21. ^ Fears, Danika (November 18, 2015). "I left Hasidism to become a woman".
  22. ^ "I Grew Up Hasidic and Trans. Here's How I Found a New Community". The Cut.
  23. ^ "Trans woman spreads LGBTQ awareness in Jewish Orthodox community". NBC News.
  24. ^ "For this transgender Orthodox Jew, blogging was her lifeline". The Daily Dot. December 8, 2015.
  25. ^ "Great Big Story". www.greatbigstory.com.
  26. ^ a b "Free To Be Me". Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  27. ^ Why This Trans Woman Left Hasidism To Embrace Her Gender Identity
  28. ^ Daily Vice Canada, March 19, 2016.
  29. ^ Noah Gadebusch; Benyamin Reich (May 13, 2017). "Der Rebbe im Minirock". Jüdische Allgemeine (in German). Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  30. ^ Francesca Bussi (August 3, 2017). "NATA due volte". Gioia (in Italian). Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ Camilla Stampe (March 17, 2017). "En sjæl fanget i den forkerte krop". Weekendavisen (in Danish). Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  33. ^ Sandra Johansson (December 24, 2018). "Flydde ultraortodoxa livet – stöttar andra transkvinnor". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  34. ^ BBC (June 29, 2020). "De rabino ultraortodoxo a mulher trans: 'Rezava a Deus para que me transformasse em menina'". G1 Globo (in Portuguese). Grupo Globo. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  35. ^ "Hassidic-raised trans woman to speak about her journey". Alix Wall, Jweekly, April 7, 2016.
  36. ^ "I Have Daddy and Mommy Issues". The Second Transition, January 16, 2016.
  37. ^ "This trans woman got some serious hate when she left Hasidism behind". Joseph Patrick McCormick, Pink News, November 19, 2016.
  38. ^ "DARK NET: Growing Up Trans In An Ultra-Orthodox Community" Tracy Clark-Flory, March 10, 2016.
  39. ^ Cohen, Debra Nussbaum (February 17, 2017). "'Gender Began Punching Me in the Face': How a Hasidic Rabbi Came Out as Trans Woman". Haaretz. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  40. ^ "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.
  41. ^ "How This Ex-Hasidic Woman Lost And Found Her Judaism", Carol Kuruvilla, June 9, 2016.
  42. ^ Aviles, Gwen (November 19, 2019). "From ultra-Orthodox rabbi to openly transgender: Abby Stein shares her story". NBC News. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
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  124. ^ As of June 27 POPSUGAR. Celebrity
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  130. ^ First part is called "Trans Orthodox Jew fights for visitation rights".
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  132. ^ Aired on TV a day after "Abby, el rabino ortodoxo que se convirtió en mujer". February 2, 2018.
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  144. ^ Connelly, Irene (February 9, 2020). ""Soon By You" debuts new episode about queer Orthodox Jews". The Forward. Retrieved February 19, 2020. Transgender activist Abby Stein makes a brief cameo as a supremely unflappable yoga teacher
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  146. ^ "A Day in the Life of America". Independent Lens. January 11, 2021. PBS. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  147. ^ Robinson, Jennifer (January 11, 2021). "Jared Leto's A Day in the Life of America to Make Public Television Debut on PBS's Independent Lens in January 2021". KPBS. Retrieved January 11, 2021. Stein is also featured in the trailer linked in this article.
  148. ^ "Hasidic groom Yisroel Stein was wed in a traditional ceremony wearing a black robe and 'shtreimel' hat. Four years later she is called Abby and wears make-up and figure-hugging dresses". Newsgrio. November 23, 2015. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  149. ^ "She divorced her wife and left the community." The Jerusalem Post, November 19, 2015.
  150. ^ Melanie Grayce West, "Formerly Orthodox, and Struggling for Parental Rights." Wall Street Journal August 11, 2014.
  151. ^ Stein, Abby (2019). Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman. Seal Press. p. 155.

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