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Queer Jews
Queer Jews describes how queer Jews are changing Jewish American culture, creating communities and making room for themselves, as openly, unapologetically queer and Jewish. Combining political analysis and personal memoir, these essays explore the various ways queer Jews are creating new forms of Jewish communities and institutions, and demanding that Jewish communities become more inclusive.
306 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2002
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April 18, 2017More on this maybe later (quickly updating with my Passover reading), just remarking that I was unpleasantly surprised that this was a much less intersectional book than the much earlier Twice Blessed, which I'm reading right now.
In no particular order Queer Jews does not seem to include, or at least emphasize the lived experiences of queer Jews who are also
* Disabled people
* Migrants (one author might be Israeli living in the US? But no discussion of Jewish migration in particular)
* Jews of color
* Jews who are not Ashkenazi
* Trans women and transfeminine NB people (there is ONE minor mention of Dana International, maybe not so incidentally in the Israel chapter)
Class diversity seems also to be relatively absent, and there is just one chapter about a non-Western country (Israel). Eastern Europe is predictably only present as a mythical and altogether alien land of the Old World which American klezmer bands might occasionally visit and where some of the grandparents and great-grandparents with uncomfortable accents are from. Other regions where Jews have lived / do live right now are by and large absent.
(By comparison I read less than 100 pages of Twice Blessed so far, and it already featured chapters by a disabled author, a migrant Jewish author of color from Iraq, and an explicitly working-class author - each of those queer Jewish people were also specifically discussing the related intersectional issues.)
There is some great stuff in there otherwise, but also some that O.O missed the mark for me. especially the ones that insisted on the culture wars being over - this was quite profoundly untrue even in 2002, when the book was published - and identity politics being dated, begging the question of then why are people writing chapters into a book literally about it? Identity politics was also decried as too single-issue, which is simply baffling to me - there are at least two issues involved in queer Jewish identity politics, the whole 1. queer and 2. Jewish thing. Solidarity and collaboration with other marginalized groups was VERY frequently treated as either a footnote or something quaint, dated and even slightly ridiculous, which I found very concerning. This is a crucial part of not just my activism as a queer Jew, but of my everyday life, and this was true also when I lived in a "jewish neighborhood" and not in the middle of the US Midwest, so please don't say it's because all those people are surrounded by Jews. (Some other people did say that isolationism in Jewish activism was a problem.)
There was also quiiiiiite an amount of trans erasure and squeeing about anti-trans and especially transmisogynist and intersexist things - "womyn's" everything, including, yes, Michfest; "Stonewall was by gay people" etc. and equating trans people with transmasculine people. :~( At one point it even had the 'I thought I might be trans but I meditated on my menstruation and felt better, you should totally do that too' kind of argument which was literally what drove me away from Jewish feminism on my first foray, many years ago. Can we phase out this argument basically forever?
I know that some people seemed to think that this book was an upgrade on Twice Blessed because that one only had cis people? (I'm not finished reading yet, so I can't verify this statement.) But this trans inclusion does not include me, often quite explicitly so. (Bonus tip: also maybe do not have non-intersex people explain which intersex terms are OK for non-intersex trans people to use. Though at least the chapter did say, correctly, that "hermaphrodite" is to be avoided. But other statements I felt were much less clearcut.)
I think I got the most out of the chapters that were retrospectives about a specific project by the creators - Twice Blessed :), Trembling Before G-d, etc. and it was stunning to learn about the extent of Christian bias in the American adoption system.
I'm glad I read the book, and I'm glad it exists, but it was also rather unsatisfying in some respects. I definitely did not feel my experiences were represented in it, along basically all the axes that define my life as a queer Jew. It did clarify to me why American cis queer Jewish women activists often are unfriendly toward my concerns, and how their feminism is usually built on "woman-centric" lesbian feminist traditions that are trans- and intersex-exclusionary, even when they no longer explicitly say those things (though sometimes they do).
In no particular order Queer Jews does not seem to include, or at least emphasize the lived experiences of queer Jews who are also
* Disabled people
* Migrants (one author might be Israeli living in the US? But no discussion of Jewish migration in particular)
* Jews of color
* Jews who are not Ashkenazi
* Trans women and transfeminine NB people (there is ONE minor mention of Dana International, maybe not so incidentally in the Israel chapter)
Class diversity seems also to be relatively absent, and there is just one chapter about a non-Western country (Israel). Eastern Europe is predictably only present as a mythical and altogether alien land of the Old World which American klezmer bands might occasionally visit and where some of the grandparents and great-grandparents with uncomfortable accents are from. Other regions where Jews have lived / do live right now are by and large absent.
(By comparison I read less than 100 pages of Twice Blessed so far, and it already featured chapters by a disabled author, a migrant Jewish author of color from Iraq, and an explicitly working-class author - each of those queer Jewish people were also specifically discussing the related intersectional issues.)
There is some great stuff in there otherwise, but also some that O.O missed the mark for me. especially the ones that insisted on the culture wars being over - this was quite profoundly untrue even in 2002, when the book was published - and identity politics being dated, begging the question of then why are people writing chapters into a book literally about it? Identity politics was also decried as too single-issue, which is simply baffling to me - there are at least two issues involved in queer Jewish identity politics, the whole 1. queer and 2. Jewish thing. Solidarity and collaboration with other marginalized groups was VERY frequently treated as either a footnote or something quaint, dated and even slightly ridiculous, which I found very concerning. This is a crucial part of not just my activism as a queer Jew, but of my everyday life, and this was true also when I lived in a "jewish neighborhood" and not in the middle of the US Midwest, so please don't say it's because all those people are surrounded by Jews. (Some other people did say that isolationism in Jewish activism was a problem.)
There was also quiiiiiite an amount of trans erasure and squeeing about anti-trans and especially transmisogynist and intersexist things - "womyn's" everything, including, yes, Michfest; "Stonewall was by gay people" etc. and equating trans people with transmasculine people. :~( At one point it even had the 'I thought I might be trans but I meditated on my menstruation and felt better, you should totally do that too' kind of argument which was literally what drove me away from Jewish feminism on my first foray, many years ago. Can we phase out this argument basically forever?
I know that some people seemed to think that this book was an upgrade on Twice Blessed because that one only had cis people? (I'm not finished reading yet, so I can't verify this statement.) But this trans inclusion does not include me, often quite explicitly so. (Bonus tip: also maybe do not have non-intersex people explain which intersex terms are OK for non-intersex trans people to use. Though at least the chapter did say, correctly, that "hermaphrodite" is to be avoided. But other statements I felt were much less clearcut.)
I think I got the most out of the chapters that were retrospectives about a specific project by the creators - Twice Blessed :), Trembling Before G-d, etc. and it was stunning to learn about the extent of Christian bias in the American adoption system.
I'm glad I read the book, and I'm glad it exists, but it was also rather unsatisfying in some respects. I definitely did not feel my experiences were represented in it, along basically all the axes that define my life as a queer Jew. It did clarify to me why American cis queer Jewish women activists often are unfriendly toward my concerns, and how their feminism is usually built on "woman-centric" lesbian feminist traditions that are trans- and intersex-exclusionary, even when they no longer explicitly say those things (though sometimes they do).
May 4, 2009
This book is truly a fantastic look at the lives and struggles of queer Jews who are trying to maintain ties both to the Jewish faith and their own sexual identity. With humor, sadness, and every emotion in between, the authors' collected anecdotes tell a beautiful story.
Between those who leave the faith, those to rediscover their faith, and those who refused to give up and instead are fighting for their equal seat at the table, this book shows the different facets of life as a queer Jewish person and the struggles that come both from within the Jewish community, but also from other communities who sometimes don't understand the culture and motivations of those with faith.
Through this book, one finds hope that the Jewish community is moving towards inclusion and acceptance, even celebration of all the diverse individuals who make up the many and varied sects of the Jewish faith. From Pride in Israel to a little movie which shook the foundations of the Orthodox belief, queer Jews are more and more demanding their equal rights as both queer and Jewish, and they are increasingly finding it.
Truly a joy to read (I read it in one day, if that's anything to go by), it has a place on my "Absolutely Loved" shelf.
Between those who leave the faith, those to rediscover their faith, and those who refused to give up and instead are fighting for their equal seat at the table, this book shows the different facets of life as a queer Jewish person and the struggles that come both from within the Jewish community, but also from other communities who sometimes don't understand the culture and motivations of those with faith.
Through this book, one finds hope that the Jewish community is moving towards inclusion and acceptance, even celebration of all the diverse individuals who make up the many and varied sects of the Jewish faith. From Pride in Israel to a little movie which shook the foundations of the Orthodox belief, queer Jews are more and more demanding their equal rights as both queer and Jewish, and they are increasingly finding it.
Truly a joy to read (I read it in one day, if that's anything to go by), it has a place on my "Absolutely Loved" shelf.
February 1, 2021
This is a complicated collection and, therefore, requires a complicated review.
I really enjoyed many of these stories. As a nonbinary, bisexual, Jewish person (who was born only four years before this collection was published), I learned a lot about my history and felt seen in ways I hadn't realized I lacked. I was fascinated by the struggles within the Jewish LGBTQ+ community that I hadn't learned or heard about, while also constantly intrigued by the comparison of then versus now.
Now for what complicates that. This anthology only has one or two stories that present the perspectives of anti-Zionist Jews, and really only one story that goes into that detail. The collection is full of stories from Jews who talk proudly about their support of and engagement with the occupation state of Israel. While that is not a great balance in itself, any Zionist perspective is more than acceptable.
It does not present well that an anthology about the unique oppression, oppressive experiences, and needs for liberation faced by Queer Jews largely ignores the imperialist and colonialist oppression of Palestine. Much of the visibility that I thought I'd find in this anthology was stolen because I could not see myself in such a scene.
I really enjoyed many of these stories. As a nonbinary, bisexual, Jewish person (who was born only four years before this collection was published), I learned a lot about my history and felt seen in ways I hadn't realized I lacked. I was fascinated by the struggles within the Jewish LGBTQ+ community that I hadn't learned or heard about, while also constantly intrigued by the comparison of then versus now.
Now for what complicates that. This anthology only has one or two stories that present the perspectives of anti-Zionist Jews, and really only one story that goes into that detail. The collection is full of stories from Jews who talk proudly about their support of and engagement with the occupation state of Israel. While that is not a great balance in itself, any Zionist perspective is more than acceptable.
It does not present well that an anthology about the unique oppression, oppressive experiences, and needs for liberation faced by Queer Jews largely ignores the imperialist and colonialist oppression of Palestine. Much of the visibility that I thought I'd find in this anthology was stolen because I could not see myself in such a scene.
August 2, 2013
reskimmed, 5 or 6 years after reading the first time. This time around, It felt more cliche, disengaged from the types of Judaism that I and my community call home.
Steve Greenberg's essay about refusing to choose between communities, yet never being quite situated in a single one, is the one that will stick with me.
Steve Greenberg's essay about refusing to choose between communities, yet never being quite situated in a single one, is the one that will stick with me.
June 14, 2015
This book is really dated yet sadly still relevant. The writings on Institutions I found a bit dry, but Culture and Identity sections more than made up for it. This should be required reading for all looking to raise your Queer or Jew IQ. In both cases, our common history informs our present.
September 18, 2016
I got this book when I was looking for different (intersectional, I suppose is the current day terminology) perspectives on what it is to be Jewish. I know that I loved the essays, but alas I don't remember them in much detail now. Probably worth a reread.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews