About this episode

Amichai Lau-Lavie discusses his journey as an openly gay rabbi and the founder of Lab/Shul.

When Amichai Lau-Lavie realized he was gay, he knew he had to make a choice: hide his identity to abide by his Orthodox upbringing, or be true to himself. It wasn't an easy call for a man whose ancestors had been rabbis for generations—including his uncle and cousin, who both served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. Ultimately, Lau-Lavie decided to split the difference. As an out gay man, he became an Jewish leader, drag performer and rabbi, founding Lab/Shul—a "God-optional" experimental community for Jewish gathering—in New York City. Now, he's also the star of a documentary about his controversial career, Sabbath Queen , which is currently touring the American film festival circuit. If anyone is "not that kind of rabbi," it's Amichai Lau-Lavie—and he joins Ralph Benmergui this week on Not That Kind of Rabbi , a show about spirituality and personal journeys.

Topics covered

• LGBTQ+
• Judaism
• Identity
• Spirituality

Keywords

• Sabbath Queen
• documentary
• Jewish community
• drag performer

More episodes of Not That Kind of Rabbi

• Michael Coren · April 9, 2026 · 60 min
• Tiferet Nashman, Executive Director of Shoresh · March 17, 2026 · 47 min
• Jay Ginsherman: Artist, Facilitator and Filmmaker · March 9, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Paige Lowenstein's Psychedelic Experience · February 19, 2026 · 49 min
• Rabbi Natan Margalit · February 2, 2026 · 54 min
• Maytal Kowalski · January 15, 2026 · 54 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Not That Kind of Rabbi podcast page.