Blog | Queerkeit

Hamantaschen Monologues - Ep. 2

Check out the full season of Hamantaschen Monologues produced by QI and our own Rachel Olshin.

· Aug 26, 2026

Sculpture of My Life

I was up to my chest in packed up belongings and all I could think about was how few tasks wear me out as much as moving homes. Jeremy and I had finally found the perfect place. Close enough to the city that civilization is accessible, but far enough away that you can’t hear its clamor, and perched on a hill that reminded me of home growing up. With fresh air in the morning and leaves that tickled the edges of the bedroom window. But we had to bring all our shit there. Up that hill. Endless boxes filled with miscellaneous belongings constructed a maze of precarious paths throughout our stuffy one-bedroom apartment. There was rarely a single instance of trying to get through one side of the floor to another without knocking into our newly erected cardboard walls. I was finally making it to the last corner of the room that we had loosely named “the office”. Mostly it was a hoard of old schoolwork, pictures, scrapbooks, and other nostalgic belongings I had accumulated over the years. This room, I knew, would take me the longest to sort through. My predisposition for getting easily distracted mixed with the most nostalgic collections from my life did not equal a productive outcome. With a deep breath I told myself it was time to give it my best effort.

· Jul 13, 2026

Shimmy at Sea - a short story

Prior to the cruise, Shimmy worked diligently to minimize his exposure to flesh. These efforts were a source of pride for him – a satisfaction as profound as it was private.

· Jul 3, 2026

Blue Eyes in Tanakh Class

I don't make eye contact with Chava when I walk into the classroom. Partly because I want to savor the moment when our eyes meet for the first time each day and partly because I am filled with the shame that accompanies that desire.

· Jun 2, 2026

Ramblings of a Frum Gay Bachelor

...More and more, I crave to find myself a boy who learns. This is a commonly used idiom in the yeshivish dating world to describe a man who is well-versed in Jewish texts—holding, as some others may put it. A pay-by-play evaluation of my dating history would point to a preference on my part for guys who were raised in a similar Jewish upbringing as my own. While some men’s ears perk up at the mention of a man’s profession or hobbies, the most surefire way to get my attention about a romantic prospect is by telling me he grew up frum. That evaluation would also point to my interests being especially piqued by men who grew up wearing black hats.

· May 12, 2026

The Sacred Wink: A Call for Queer Jews to Heal the World with Liberal Magic

....My childhood taught me that my otherness was a gift. Being so clearly weird freed me from the pressure to conform to societal norms that impacted so many of my peers. Just by moving through the world as a queer Jewish unschooler in North Carolina, I accidentally uncovered a core truth about mainstream society that has stuck with me to this day: that it’s all just a big show – a collaborative performance art piece with everyone playing a part, even if they don’t know it.

· May 7, 2026

Like A Ram in the Thicket

"Sometimes I think my balcony in Givat Shmuel was the holiest place I’ve ever stood. Not only because I prayed there, but also because—there—in one of my darkest moments, I chose life. Not because the Torah commands Uvacharta BaChayim—though those words echoed in my mind—but because somehow, I knew I wasn’t finished. That there was a life still waiting for me—a life of love, of leaning, of wholeness I hadn’t yet reached."

· Apr 27, 2026

My Jewish Child Just Came Out as LGBTQ+: A Guide for Parents

Practical tools rooted in Torah values, love, and hope, a mental health professional's guide for parents.

· Apr 15, 2026

Antonia's Hamantaschen Monologue

A story that blends comedy, GI issues, and sex on Shabbat to serve up the most persuasive argument for the benefits of commandments.

Listen on Spotify

· Mar 30, 2026

The White Space Between

"My mind could wander in all sorts of directions those days. But, it usually ended in the same place: the big white space of ...... What next?"

· Mar 16, 2026

Saw You At Sinai

“It’s a lot. But being Jewish isn’t the hard part. It’s holding all the parts of myself at once.” There’s a pause. Longer this time. I yawn and start to put the phone down when— Brrrup. “That’s deep for Grindr. You should write a book or something.” “You caught me. My thesis title is ‘Hookups and Halakha: Negotiating Sacred Space in a Godless Algorithm.”

· Mar 16, 2026

The Last 3 Times I Spoke to my Seminary Rabbi

Recollections of final encounters with educators from their gap year experience, Raye considers what messages they received and what messages they wish to pass on.

· Mar 16, 2026

My Journey of Self-Acceptance as a Bisexual, Modern Orthodox Jew

It was never a choice. In hindsight, all the mental energy I spent agonizing over the decision as to whether to come out as bisexual or continue to masquerade as heterosexual was always going to lead to the same conclusion. Because I didn’t pick who I am. I came out to be authentic. I came out because being in the closet SUCKED. I came out because a big piece of me was missing.