Dr. Sara Glass with Chani Getter and Footsteps
After Kabbalat Shabbat services on June 13, 2025, CBST was proud to host a discussion featuring Dr. Sara Glass and Chani Getter, Scholar in Residence at Footsteps. Footsteps is the only organization in North America providing comprehensive services and programs to people who have chosen to leave their ultra-Orthodox communities and build self-determined lives.
The conversation featured both authors discussing their double coming-out journeys (leaving ultra-Orthodoxy and coming out as LGBTQ), what motivated them to write their books, trends they are seeing in their clinical practices, and why this work matters now more than ever. The ultra-Orthodox population is the fastest growing segment of North American Jews, and over 30% of Footsteps members now identify as LGBTQ+. If you were not able to attend, or want to revisit the conversation, you can watch the recording above.
You can follow Dr. Glass’ work at her website, and purchase a copy of her memoir, Kissing Girls on Shabbat, here. You can follow Chani Getter’s work at their website, and purchase a copy of their new book, Mapito, here.
If you’re interested in learning more about the experience of those leaving ultra-Orthodoxy and Footsteps’ work, here are a few resources that Footsteps recommends:
- One of Us on Netflix, which tells the stories of three Footsteps members
- The High Price of Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Life, by Taffy Brodesser Acker, The New York Times Magazine, April 2017
- When One Parent Leaves the Hasidic Community, What Happens to the Kids? By Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, December 2020
- Understanding and Facilitating Life Beyond the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community By Laurel Dumont, City and State NY, May 2025
Finally, if you would like to support the important work of Footsteps, you can donate online here or be in touch with Michelle Weiser-Woods, Co-Director of Development, at mweiserwoods@footstepsorg.org about other ways to get involved.