Unorthodox rabbi comes out as trans

On the Netflix series Unorthodox, Eli Rosen’s character Reb Yossele sought to bring Esty (Shira Haas) back into the fold.

Now the actor and adviser, who currently goes by the name of Lili, is charting new personal territory after identifying as female.

The spur was her translation of an educational book on sexuality and gender into Yiddish.

Just a few days before the book went to press for its January 31 release, she decided to use her new name on the cover, marking a major step in coming out publicly as transgender. Zikh Aleyn Zay Getray, the Yiddish edition of You Be You! by Jonathan Branfman, credits translation to Malka Liba Rosen, Rosen’s Yiddish and feminine name.

Raised in Chassidic Borough Park as the youngest of five children, Rosen never received any formal sex education as a child or heard anyone talk about gender identity. Her young adulthood included a back-and-forth pull between periods of intense religiosity and religious apathy, running away from home for a time and eventually leaving the Orthodox community.

“God knows that if I, as a teenager, had access to this, it would have been inordinately helpful and beneficial to me in my journey. I may have even come out 20 years ago, or 30 years ago,” said Rosen.

WITH JTA