Jewish Queer Youth (JQY) Executive Director Rachael Fried
4/10/202631 min
In this episode of 30 Minute Mensches, host Jonah Platt sits down with Rachael Fried, the Executive Director of JQY (Jewish Queer Youth). Rachael shares her personal journey from being a closeted Orthodox participant to leading the organization, which now operates a professional center in New York's Times Square with a $2 million budget. JQY serves as a vital mental health nonprofit dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth (ages 13–23) from "historically non-accepting communities," specifically those from Orthodox, Sephardi, Mizrahi, and Russian-speaking backgrounds.
The discussion covers the critical safety risks facing these teens, including suicide and homelessness, and th...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRachael Fried· Guest0:00
People will probably really not like that answer. Here it is. Queer people aren't welcome in Jewish spaces. Jewish people aren't always welcome in queer spaces.
Jonah Platt· Host0:06
Is it more a cultural thing, or this law says you can't be this way and end of story?
Rachael Fried· Guest0:11
We don't ask rabbis for their hechsher or, like, stamp of approval.
Jonah Platt· Host0:14
[laughs] Sure.
Rachael Fried· Guest0:15
We are the only adults in their lives who know that they're even struggling with their identity or questioning anything.
Jonah Platt· Host0:22
Welcome back to our apparently never-ending series, Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, 30-minute mensches. Same vibe, same tribe, shorter episodes. My guest today has spent the past decade and change creating space for queer Jewish teens from traditional Orthodox, Sephardi, and Mizrahi communities to feel safe, seen, and celebrated. She's the executive director of JQY, Jewish Queer Youth, an organization she helped grow from a grassroots initiative to a professionally staffed nonprofit with a $2 million budget and a center in New York's Times Square. She's a master of social work, a master of fine arts, and a master of fighting bigotry and isolation. Please welcome Rachel Fried.
Rachael Fried· Guest1:05
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Jonah Platt· Host1:07
I just gave the, the quick one-sentence version of, of JQY. Why don't we hear it from, from the executive director herself? Tell me, w- what is JQY? What's the work that you guys are doing?
Rachael Fried· Guest1:18
So we are a mental health organization that empowers Jewish queer teens and young adults to live joyful and healthy lives. We work specifically with Jewish youth who come from what we call