Celebrating Abby
Published in The Australian Jewish News
March 14, 2019
Abby Stein is ebullient. As the bubbly 27-year-old speaks from her home in New York, she does so with sharpness, positivity, sass and humour that is dry. She is a regular girl – whatever that means. She loves shopping for dresses, and adores make-up for the creativity she can express.
But Abby’s story is different.
Abby was born as Yisroel.
Living in the Charedi stronghold of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Abby’s family is a part of the Vizhnitz community – and so was she for the first 20 years of her life. Her family are particularly respected as direct descendants of the Baal Shem Tov, the revered mystical rabbi from Poland (circa 1700) who is regarded as the founder of Chassidic Judaism.
The Stein family adhere to the fierce observance of ultra-Orthodoxy. Abby’s education revolved around religious texts – secular education was almost non-existent – Yiddish was the first and dominant language spoken, and all books, movies and music were strictly moderated.
Yet in this world of stringent boundaries Abby recalls a profound uncomfortability in her identity – since she was three years old.
“I started realising that everyone treats me like a boy and I couldn’t understand why.
“Why does everyone see me as a boy?”