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Rachael Fried, 36, Jewish Queer Youth executive director
Rachael Fried, 36, is the executive director of Jewish Queer Youth, a nonprofit that supports and empowers LGBTQ youth with a focus on those from Orthodox, Hasidic and Sephardic/Mizrahi homes. Under Fried’s leadership, the formerly volunteer-run organization has grown to a professional one with a team of seven salaried employees, a drop-in center in Times Square, and an operating budget of $1.5 million. “Many Orthodox schools are not willing to have official clubs or community-building types of groups that are LGBTQ-related,” the Yeshiva University alum, who lives in Washington Heights, told the New York Jewish Week last year. “We have become the ‘Official, Unofficial Pride Club’ for them.”
For the full list of this year’s “36ers” — which honors leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are making a difference in New York’s Jewish community — click here.
Who is your New York Jewish hero?
All of the people who came before me! I stand on the shoulders of giants and I am only able to do this work now because of countless people — some of whom I know, and some of whom remain anonymous to me — who did this work before me. Working in and with the queer Jewish community used to be even more controversial than it is today and I am grateful to the people who fought for change regardless of whether it was considered acceptable or not.
What’s a fun/surprising fact about you?
A graphic I designed was once featured on “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.”
How does your Jewish identity or experience influence your work?
I wholeheartedly believe that I was put on this earth to create colorful resources for individuals who might otherwise fall through the cracks, especially queer youth from Orthodox homes. I believe it is our communal responsibility to make life better, even if just a little bit, for those who need it — and then to find those people and actually do it.
Do you have a favorite inspiring quote?
There’s a quote from Desmond Tutu that I heard recently and it resonated deeply with me: “We need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
What is your favorite place to eat Jewish food in New York?
Any kosher restaurant that serves pizza and sushi at once
Anything else you’d like us and our readers to know about you?
If I won the lottery and came into some free time, I would do the exact same thing I am doing today… but with more breaks in between for board games with my people.
How can people follow you online?
@therachfried on Instagram
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The post Rachael Fried, 36, Jewish Queer Youth executive director appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Exclusive: Israeli Officials Harshly Critical of Steve Witkoff’s Influence on US Policy on Gaza, Iran, i24NEWS Told
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Amid growing disagreements with the Trump administration over the composition of the Board of Peace for Gaza and the question of a strike on Iran, officials in Israel point to a key figure behind decisions seen as running counter to Israeli interests: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The officials mention sustained dissatisfaction with Witkoff. Sources close to the PM Netanyahu told i24NEWS on Saturday evening: “For several months now, the feeling has been that envoy Steve Witkoff has strong ties, for his own reasons, across the Middle East, and that at times the Israeli interest does not truly prevail in his decision-making.”
This criticism relates both to the proposed inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza’s governing bodies and to the Iranian threat. A senior Israeli official put it bluntly: “If it turns out that he is among those blocking a strike on Iran, that is far more than a coincidence.”
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EU Warns of Downward Spiral After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Yves Herman
European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over US President Donald Trump‘s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said in posts on X.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its “core task” of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to the tariff threat.
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Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against Its Policy
FILE PHOTO: Displaced Palestinians shelter at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Haseeb Alwazeer/File Photo
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.
It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.
The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli‑Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called Board of Peace – to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza’s temporary governance – were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.