Trans+ Passover Seder in Brooklyn Creates Queer Jewish Community Space

Forty transgender Jews gathered at St. Lydia's in Gowanus, Brooklyn on Monday night for the second annual Trans+ Passover Seder. Organized by The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life, this event brings together transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming Jews and allies for a holiday ritual and meal. Co-facilitators included trans Jewish educator and playwright Eliana Rubin, who spoke about breaking matzah as a metaphor for trans experience, and ritualist Ari L. Monts/Emet, who emphasized creating intimate connections to Passover's liberation themes. The gathering featured a vegetarian, gluten-free kosher for Passover meal from Lebanese-Jewish, woman-owned CedarStar Catering, with traditional elements like Dr. Brown's soda and Joyva jelly rings. Decor included lace tablecloths, artisanal ceramic kiddush cups, and seder plates brought from home. The event aims to counter marginalization of trans participation in Jewish communal life while celebrating the intersection of Jewish and LGBTQ+ identities. Brooklyn represents a concentrated zone of queer Jewish flourishing that this seder seeks to nurture. Participants shared childhood Passover traditions and Instagram handles while dining together, creating community through shared ritual and food.