Have you battled an eating disorder or another form of disordered eating?

Have you grappled to make peace with your body?

Have you struggled to live within your body in an embodied way?

Have you had difficulty navigating transitions in your body due to development, life stage or lifestyle?

Have you suffered as you made peace with your sexuality, sexual identity or gender identity?

Are there ways in which you have resolved these issues?

We are currently in the midst of collecting soulful personal narratives from Jewish individuals for an upcoming anthology about the ways in which body, body experience and  the related struggles intersect with one’s religion or identity. We will then edit, compile, and anthologize this collection of stories of soul and spirit and hope they will foster courage, communication, connection and compassion – both for ourselves and for others.  We want to represent the full breadth of experience in a non-hierarchical way without sensationalizing suffering. Everyone is worthy and deserves to share their story. You don’t have to earn it with suffering at some pre-set benchmark. Length is not a factor as we want you to feel free to tell your story in as full or brief a form as feels complete, poignant and fulfilling to you. Longer may be better for some people to feel that they have fully expressed a true and full narrative that explains the arc of their journey. Others may choose to focus on a particularly meaningful or touching moment, anecdote, or experience and we want to leave room for all of those voices and perspectives in this compilation.

We welcome voices of all ages from across the spectrum of Judaism regardless of the ways in which you affiliate with your Jewish identity. We want to hear about your Jewish identity, observance, rituals and culture. You need not have been diagnosed with anything specific or official and may be on any part of your journey or struggle. Contributors can include a bio, just their name or opt to be completely anonymous.

We do NOT expect every narrative to address each question below and expect thateach person will tell their story in a way that is meaningful to them. We have included some questions that we are thinking about as we ponder these issues and relationships. Make your story yours…and we know that we, and all the readers, will be inspired. Our interests lie in tales of hope and healing, struggle and suffering, evolution and enlightenment.

Our hope is that both the reading and the writing of these personal narratives will enrich and enliven; will lead to a sense of community, identity, connection, and may provide therapeutic value. Share your story, share your struggle. Lighten the load of your suffering and know that your story may provide hope and healing to your readers. Share your tales of triumph, and most importantly just have your say.

All submissions (and concerns or questions) can be addressed to:

Eli Diamond ([email protected])  

Aviva Braun ([email protected])  

While all submissions are welcomed and appreciated, submission does not guarantee publication. All publication decisions are at sole discretion of the editorial board. Published submissions may be edited. All revisions will be approved by the author prior to publication. Selected authors must sign a release authorizing publication and relinquishing all monetary proceeds that result from the publication. All profits will be donated to charitable causes supporting awareness and treatment of eating disorders.