Ashley Kravetsky on drag, Jewish identity, and finding joy through authenticity

by David Sklar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

(AJNews) – For Ashley Kravetsky, identity has never fit neatly into one category: Nurse, drag performer, queer advocate, and Jewish community leader. The Edmonton-based activist has spent years learning how to embrace every part of herself while helping others feel seen along the way.

Speaking on the Chai There podcast, Kravetsky reflected on the unexpected journey that brought her deeper into both the queer and Jewish communities, and how drag performance ultimately became the space where those identities came together.

Kravetsky began performing drag nearly seven years ago while attending nursing school, originally searching for a creative outlet through makeup artistry. What started as charity performances quickly grew into something more meaningful. But for Kravetsky, drag was never simply entertainment, it became a vehicle for self-discovery.

Raised in Stony Plain, Alberta, Kravetsky described growing up feeling visibly different. As the daughter of a Salvadoran mother and Jewish father, she often felt caught between identities. Because Judaism traditionally follows the maternal line, she said she struggled for years with imposter syndrome, even after formally converting and celebrating her bat mitzvah.

“I always kind of felt like I wasn’t enough,” she said, explaining that for much of her life she felt disconnected from the Jewish community.

Ironically, it was through drag that she found her way back. Building performances around Jewish humor, Jewish artists, and openly embracing her heritage pushed her to reconnect with Judaism in a more authentic way.

“To be able to see someone proudly and loudly being a Jew in the queer community was not something you saw very often,” she said.

That sense of belonging shifted dramatically after October 7. Kravetsky said she began seeing people within queer spaces, communities she had long worked alongside, adopting rhetoric that felt alienating and, at times, harmful toward Jewish people. Attempts to engage in honest conversations were often met with hostility rather than dialogue.

“It wasn’t that people disagreed with me,” she said. “It was that suddenly there was no room for conversation.”

In response, Kravetsky began focusing less on reactive advocacy and more on what she calls Jewish empowerment, creating joyful, affirming spaces where queer Jewish people can feel fully accepted. Through work with the Edmonton Jewish Federation’s LGBTQ+ committee and trips connecting with queer Jewish leaders internationally, she has found new purpose in helping others feel less alone.

Her philosophy is simple: visibility matters.

“I have closeted so much of myself in so many different ways that I wasn’t going to allow that to happen again,” she said. “Being loud and proud about who I am has brought me the most joy.”

For Kravetsky, advocacy begins not with conflict, but with connection, creating communities where people can show up fully as themselves and know they belong.

Listen to the Chai There! Podcast episode with Ashley Kravetsky below. 

Enjoy and Chai There!