First Same Sex Orthodox Wedding

A Jewish couple believe their same-sex Orthodox wedding was probably the first of its kind in the UK.

Mancunian Michael Sluckis married Jay Schlesinger at Rochdale Town Hall, Lancashire, under the auspices of Orthodox rabbi Rahel Berkovits.

Since classical kiddushin (weddings) cannot be enacted between two men, the pair adopted the model of shutafut, the rabbinic institution of formal partnership, which is defined by a written agreement and a symbolic act of joint acquisition.

Michael, the son of Glynis and Martin Sluckis, and Austrian-born Jay, the son of Ivanka and Paul Schlesinger, keep kosher.

“Halacha is important for us,” Jay, who runs a scientific consultancy business, said. “When a straight Jewish couple plans to marry, the rabbi will tell them, ‘look, this is what happens’, so it was different for us. But if it had not been halachically sound, we would not have gone ahead with it.”

The wedding was last year and only now have the couple felt ready to discuss it openly.

Jay, 34, and 37-year-old Michael, who works as a chartered accountant in risk management, met through a dating app and had their first date in 2022.

Jay studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, in Jerusalem and, as Michael’s parents have a home in Israel, they enjoyed dates in the Jewish state, too.

It was at the Pardes Institute that Jay first met Rabbi Berkovits, who is one of the Orthodox women rabbis in Israel. She guided the couple in creating a ceremony which gave them “two halachic legs to stand on”.

Rabbi Rafael Jonathan Polisuk, who is also gay and a Pardes Institute faculty member, provided additional guidance, particularly on the wording of the shtar (document) which formed the basis of Jay and Michael’s halachic partnership.

It outlined obligations such as exclusivity and fidelity and mirrored the moral, spiritual and communal commitments of traditional Jewish marriage.

Jay said: “Over the past decade or so, lots of modern Orthodox communities in Israel have realised that, when it comes to their members who are gay, there are two options – either embrace them and be part of community life or let them run away to Tel Aviv, and start eating non-kosher and not keeping anything.

“There are quite a few modern Orthodox posekim (legal scholars) who have written on the subject and recognise that there is a need within the halachic system that there should be some kind of framework when it comes to two Jewish gay people living together.”

An unexpected challenge arose when one of the local kashrut authorities declined to certify the event because it was a same-sex wedding.

However, Jay and Michael’s caterer secured an alternative Orthodox certifying body which was willing to supervise the food.

The couple enjoyed a mini honeymoon in New York and have settled in London.

Thursday, 23 April – 7.00 – 8.40pm – Biographical Solo Play “Solomon”

Synagogue, Manchester Jewish Museum, 190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8 8LW

A new biographical play exploring the life and times of queer, pre-Raphaelite artist Simeon Solomon.

Step into Victorian London and meet Simeon Solomon, a brilliant, boundary-pushing queer Jewish artist at the heart of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

“Solomon” is a new biographical solo play that explores the life, art and inner world of painter Simeon Solomon as he navigates faith, desire, ambition and identity in a society determined to reject him. From his meteoric rise in the art world to the public scandal that shattered his career, Solomon’s story is both inspiring and devastatingly relevant.

Along the way, he encounters some of the era’s most celebrated figures, including Edward Burne-Jones, Henry Holiday and Algernon Charles Swinburne, as he reflects on love, belief and what it truly costs to live honestly.

Written by Stuart Eggleton, “Solomon” premiered at Camden People’s Theatre as part of the Tsitsit Jewish Fringe Festival (2023). Since then, it has been further developed with The Royal Academy of Art and toured to venues including JW3, Stanley Arts, Cambridge University and Seven Arts Leeds.

The play contains sexual references, depictions of sexual violence, homophobic themes, reference to and depiction of gay conversion therapy and strong language.

Doors will be open from 6.00pm for the performance to begin at 7.00pm. The Cafe will be open for food and drinks before the show, from 6.00pm.

Get tickets here – £14.00.

Researchers praise ‘stunning’ results of new prostate cancer treatment

A new drug for advanced prostate cancer has shown promise in early trials experts have said, with the medication shrinking tumours in some patients.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in many countries, including the US and UK. About 1.5 million men are diagnosed worldwide each year. The new drug has caused excitement as it is a type of treatment called immunotherapy. This approach uses the body’s own immune system to fight disease and has already proved beneficial for some cancers. However, experts note it has not yet had the same impact on prostate cancer.

Now scientists have reported results from an early-stage trial of an immunotherapy drug called VIR-5500, suggesting it could offer hope to men with advanced prostate cancer.

“We believe that such treatments may in the long term lead to cures”, said Prof Johann de Bono of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who led the work.

De Bono said VIR-5500 was an engineered antibody that brought together the body’s killer T-cells with tumour cells trying to evade them. This type of drug, called a T-cell engager, allowed the killer cells to wipe out the tumour ones.

The special feature of VIR-5500, De Bono added, was that it was designed to only become activated within the tumour. This not only minimised side-effects – an important consideration as other T-cell engagers have been found to trigger severe inflammatory responses in patients with prostate cancer – but allowed the drug to linger in the bloodstream, meaning fewer doses may be needed.

Under the phase one clinical trial, funded by Vir Biotechnology, 58 men with advanced prostate cancer, and who had stopped responding to other treatments, were given VIR-5500.

The researchers found the majority of patients – 88% – experienced only very mild side-effects.

They then looked at the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the men’s blood – a biomarker whereby higher levels can be a sign of prostate conditions.

De Bono noted the trial started at low doses, with the dose increasing in stages. When the team looked at data for 17 men given the highest dose, they found that for 14 (82%) their PSA level fell by at least half after treatment, nine (53%) saw their PSA level fall by at least 90%, and five (29%) experienced a fall of at least 99%.

De Bono described the results as unprecedented for a disease previously thought to be “immune-cold” – in other words resistant to immunotherapy.

The team added that, of 11 patients given the highest dose and whose tumours were measurable, five showed tumour shrinkage. In one case, involving a 63-year-old man whose cancer had spread to his liver, the team found 14 cancerous liver lesions “completely resolved” after six cycles of treatment.

The results, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology genitourinary cancers symposium in San Francisco.

De Bono said further clinical trials are now being planned. “We do need more data but the results are stunning,” he said.

Charlotte Bevan, professor of cancer biology at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the work, said an advance in using immunotherapy for prostate cancer was potentially very exciting, opening up a new class of drug. But, she added, it was important studies were carried out with patients of different ethnicities, as there were disparities in prostate cancer outcomes.

Simon Grieveson, assistant director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, described the early-phase trial as exciting.

“With over 12,000 men dying from prostate cancer each year in the UK, we urgently need new and innovative ways to treat the disease,” he said.

“These early results are extremely promising, with a number of men on the study responding positively to the treatment with minimal side effects. I look forward to seeing this now tested in larger trials, with the hope that this treatment will offer men more valuable time with their loved ones.”

Out With Prostate Cancer is a peer support group, primarily for gay men and bisexual men, non-binary people and trans women who have been affected by prostate cancer. The group will be presenting an information workshop at an Out In The City meeting in April.

Out On The Radio

This new monthly radio show – aimed at older members of the LGBT+ communities – goes out live on the first Tuesday each month from 2.00pm to 3.00pm on ALL FM 96.9.

Don’t worry if you miss it, as it will be uploaded to Mixcloud so you can listen at your leisure.

The next show on 3 March 2026 goes out live from 2.00pm to 3.00pm and features special guest Rev Jide Macaulay from House of Rainbow and a recorded interview with Clare Summerskill, a stand-up, a writer, an actress, a singer-songwriter, a public speaker, an oral historian and a freelance academic.

Clare has been described by BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour as ”A Lesbian Victoria Wood!” and by What’s On Magazine as “One of the funniest women in the country.”

Listen to Show 1

https://www.mixcloud.com/allfm969/out-on-the-radio-tuesday-02-december-2025/

Listen to Show 2

https://www.mixcloud.com/allfm969/out-on-the-radio-tuesday-6th-january-2pm-2026/

Listen to Show 3

https://www.mixcloud.com/allfm969/out-on-the-radio-tuesday-03-february-2026/