Joy Ladin is a highly respected Jewish-American poet, scholar, and author. She holds the historic distinction of being the first openly transgender professor to teach at an Orthodox Jewish academic institution (Yeshiva University).
Ladin has published over ten books of poetry, including the National Book Award-nominated The Will to Live. Her memoir, Through the Door of Life, meticulously documents the struggles and insights of her gender transition within a traditional Jewish environment. Her academic and creative career is dedicated to exploring the relationship between “marginality” and “divinity.” Through her interpretations of the Torah, she has carved out a spiritual space for queer and transgender individuals within Jewish tradition. She is widely regarded as one of the most original and profound voices in contemporary Jewish literature.
Ladin’s political stance is often expressed through her literary focus on “universal suffering.” She has signed multiple open letters from Jewish writers and artists calling for an end to the occupation and an immediate ceasefire. She maintains that the core of Jewish faith is empathy for the “stranger.” In her poetic discourse, she has noted: “As someone who has lived on the borders of identity, I know how walls imprison the soul. The ‘Divine Image’ exists in the eyes of every child waiting at a checkpoint. If we refuse to see the suffering of Palestinians, we are, in a way, veiling the face of God.” She is dedicated to using language to break down the psychological and political walls that segregate different peoples.