Charedi support group to hold first public debate on sex and relationships
GesherEU to host London event breaking taboos around intimacy, consent, and marriage within the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community
A support organisation for former strictly-Orthodox Jews will this month host what it calls a first-of-its-kind public discussion on sex, love, and relationships in the Charedi world.
The event, organised by GesherEU, will take place on Thursday 23 October from 7pm to 10.30pm at Alyth Gardens in London. It will explore how strict segregation, arranged marriages and the absence of sex education affect emotional and physical intimacy within the Charedi community – and the challenges faced by those who leave it.
Titled Sex, Love, and Relationships in the Charedi World and Beyond, the discussion will feature Izzy Posen, Yiddish expert and advocate for cultural understanding; Jean Miller, a psychosexual and relationship therapist; and Emily Green, GesherEU’s founder, who grew up in the Belz Chasidic community in Stamford Hill.
Green said that silence around intimacy and consent leaves many Charedi men and women unprepared for marriage. “I grew up in the Charedi community, where there was no sex education and the only preparation for marriage was learning the laws of family purity,” she said. “Like many others, I entered adulthood without the knowledge or tools to understand intimacy, relationships, or consent. This event matters because it finally gives us the space to speak openly, share experiences, and support one another.”
Miller, who has more than 25 years’ experience in psychosexual and relationship therapy, has worked extensively with Jewish clients and trained therapists within the community. Posen, who left the gender-segregated Chasidic world, will share his own experiences of navigating dating and relationships after leaving.
The evening will conclude with an audience Q&A and informal social gathering.
Attendance is free but spaces are limited, Tickets can be reserved here. More information about GesherEU’s work supporting those leaving ultra-Orthodox life is available at www.geshereu.org.uk
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