Rachel Delia Benaim

Rachel Delia Benaim is a freelance religion reporter. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and The Diplomat, among others. Follow her on Twitter @rdbenaim.

New York Synagogue Launches World’s First HIV Prevention Program Aimed at Jewish Clergy
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah’s new initiative hopes to fight stigma and help rabbis talk to their communities about safe sex
byRachel Delia Benaim
LGBT Contingent ‘Infiltrated’ by Protesters at Celebrate Israel Parade
The LGBT group was a ‘carefully chosen target,’ said a director at Jewish Voice for Peace, which organized the anti-Israel demonstration on Sunday
byRachel Delia Benaim
Harvard Conference Examines Jewish Law and Trans Identity
Held the week of Transgender Day of Visibility, academics and practitioners from all walks of life discussed the overlap of religious law and identity—and the human soul
byRachel Delia Benaim
Wiesel’s Message Reverberates in New York for a ‘Night’ of Remembrance
VIPs and dignitaries recently read ‘Night,’ Elie Wiesel’s autobiographical Holocaust novel, in its entirety at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Nearby, an anti-Trump protest commenced.
byRachel Delia Benaim
Remembering Solomon Levy, a Rock in Gibraltar’s Jewish Community
I am forever grateful to ‘Momy,’ as he was known, because he helped launch my career years ago. But it was his lifelong devotion to Gibraltar that will last for generations to come.
byRachel Delia Benaim
Far From Home, New York’s Ethiopian Jewish Community Celebrates Sigd
Most Ethiopian Jews have left their homeland for Israel. But those in New York continue to practice their religious traditions.
byRachel Delia Benaim
A Small Yet Monumental Summit on LGBT Issues Occurred at a Religious Kibbutz This Week
One of Israel’s most influential, religious Zionist groups invited a religious LGBTQ activist organizations to address tolerance and inclusion together
byRachel Delia Benaim
Why the Gettysburg Address Was Made to Last
Abraham Lincoln wrote the words. Adolphus Simeon Solomons provided the paper.
byRachel Delia Benaim
Summer Camp Promotes IDF-Style Training Program for Youth
New York’s Camp Mesorah has published a video depicting its ‘IDF Training Paintball’ program that glorifies war—and tells campers to ‘enlist now’
byRachel Delia Benaim
New York Conference Raises Awareness for Gaucher Disease
According to the National Gaucher Foundation, one out of every 10 Ashkenazi Jews are carriers for the rare genetic disorder
byRachel Delia Benaim
How a Principal’s Speech About Orlando Is Comforting LGBT Students in Orthodox Schools
Rabbi Tully Harcsztark, principal of Bronx-based SAR Academy, acknowledged the grief of the LGBT community in a speech that went viral on Facebook
byRachel Delia Benaim
When Stoner Yeshiva Students Become Arms-Trafficking ‘War Dogs’
Jonah Hill and Miles Teller star in a new film about two drug-loving arms dealers from Miami who land a $300 million defense contract
byRachel Delia Benaim
The Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin, 20 Years After His Murder
In Tel Aviv, a desire for peace—and pervasive doubt—among sentiments at the memorial ceremony for the fallen Israeli leader
byRachel Delia Benaim
In Grief, Eritreans in Israel Face a Stark Reality
Mourners gathered in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to remember Haftom Zarhum, the 29-year-old Eritrean man who was mistakenly identified as a terrorist, shot, then lynched by a mob in Be’er Sheba
byRachel Delia Benaim
New Jersey Jury: JONAH’s Gay Conversion Therapies Are Fraudulent
Landmark, unanimous decision in line with nationwide calls to ban ‘cures’ for sexual orientation
byRachel Delia Benaim
Jewish LGBT Group Nehirim Will Shut Down
Community programming for LGBT Jews is on the rise, and non-profits are struggling to keep up
byRachel Delia Benaim
For India’s Largest Jewish Community, One Muslim Makes All the Tombstones
Muhammad Abdul Yassin has worked in Mumbai’s Jewish cemetery for more than 40 years. Now he’s passing the chisel to his sons.
byRachel Delia Benaim
Terror Financing Trial Underway in Brooklyn
U.S. relatives of Hamas terror victims take Arab Bank to court
byRachel Delia Benaim