Judaism in Motion: The Making of Same-Sex Parenthood in Israel

280 Pages·2020·2.699 MB·English

by  Sibylle Lustenberger

CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION
Judaism in Motion
The Making of Same-Sex Parenthood in Israel
Sibylle Lustenberger
Contemporary Anthropology of Religion
Series Editors
Don Seeman
Department of Religion
Emory University
Atlanta, GA, USA
Hillary Kaell
Department of Anthropology
School of Religious Studies
McGill University
Montreal, QC, Canada
Contemporary Anthropology of Religion is the official book series of the
Society for the Anthropology of Religion, a section of the American
Anthropological Association. Books in the series explore a variety of
issues relating to current theoretical or comparative issues in the study of
religion. These include the relation between religion and the body, social
memory, gender, ethnoreligious violence, globalization, modernity, and
multiculturalism, among others. Recent historical events have suggested
that religion plays a central role in the contemporary world, and
Contemporary Anthropology of Religion provides a crucial forum for the
expansion of our understanding of religion globally.
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14916
Sibylle Lustenberger
Judaism in Motion
The Making of Same-Sex Parenthood in Israel
Sibylle Lustenberger
Department of Social Sciences
University of Fribourg
Fribourg, Switzerland
Contemporary Anthropology of Religion
ISBN 978-3-030-55103-2 ISBN 978-3-030-55104-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55104-9
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer
Nature Switzerland AG 2020
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the
publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to
the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The
publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and
institutional affiliations.
Cover illustration: Liudmyla Bondarieva/Alamy Stock Vector
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG.
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
A
cknowledgments
This book is the fruit of a long journey, unplanned turns, and most impor-
tantly inspiring encounters with many different people. They all helped set
this project in motion, opened my eyes to different perspectives, listened
to my doubts and questions, and encouraged me to continue when I fal-
tered along the way. The project was generously funded by a number of
different sources. The Israel Government Scholarship Program allowed
me to study Hebrew at the University of Haifa and to embark on my field-
work. A Dissertation Fieldwork Grant of the Wenner-Gren Foundation
and Project Funding of the Swiss National Science Foundation enabled
me to conduct a prolonged ethnographic research in Israel and India.
During my employment at the Institute of Social Anthropology at the
University of Bern, I had invaluable time to write up my dissertation.
Between 2016 and 2018, Tsipy Ivry and the University of Haifa’s
Institutional Scholarship Program funded postdoctoral research, in which
I expanded on the findings of my thesis. The Department of Social Sciences
at the University of Fribourg has given me home during the final write-up
of the book manuscript. I also want to thank Don Seeman from Emory
University for encouraging me to publish this book in the Contemporary
Anthropology of Religion Series, and Mary Al-Sayed and Madison Allums
from Palgrave for guiding me through the publishing process. Working
with my freelance editor Yoav Cohen has been truly rewarding. His keen
editorial eye and attention to details have propelled the manuscript for-
ward and helped me clarify my arguments. All the credit for the beautiful
kinship diagrams goes to graphic designer Nelly Jaggi.
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would have never done the research for this book without my mentor
and supervisor, Édouard Conte, from the University of Bern. His insis-
tence on the significance of studying kinship as a structural force—a force
that is central to forming, reproducing, and transforming collective identi-
ties—has set the ground for this book’s theoretical framework. His exten-
sive knowledge and broad-minded attentiveness to scholarly debates
around the world and across disciplines forced me time and again to open
my mind and reconsider my analysis. The Institute of Social Anthropology
at the University of Bern has long been my academic home. Julia Eckert
and Sabine Strasser have been wonderful mentors and sources of inspira-
tion. I am particularly grateful to Julia Eckert for inviting me to participate
in her colloquium. The collegial discussions and Julia’s sharp inputs from
a political and legal anthropology perspective were invaluable for the
development of this book’s arguments. Sabine Strasser’s door was always
open when I needed to discuss current debates in the anthropology of
kinship. She taught me more than anyone else that scholarship must be
passionate and does not have to come at the price of kindness and joy.
My fieldwork was only possible thanks to the support of scholars who
patiently helped me navigate the complex worlds of Israel’s politics of
reproduction. My research has particularly been influenced by Susan
Martha Kahn’s groundbreaking monograph Reproducing Jews. I am
deeply grateful for the interest that she took in my work and for encourag-
ing me to develop and expand my research in the field. Thanks to Daphna
Hacker who hosted me at the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University at an
early stage of my research, I was able to flesh out my research plan and
initiate fieldwork. Zvi Triger from the College of Management Academic
Studies (Collman) introduced me to the history of LGBT politics. He and
Sylvie Fogiel-Bijaoui helped me draw the connection between same-sex
parenthood and the hierarchical structure of Israeli citizenship along
ethno-religious lines. In the meetings of the Van Leer Research Group
“Family in Israel in the Era of Individualization,” led by Sylvie and Reina
Rutlinger-Reiner, I was able to place my research project within the larger
context of societal transformations and continuities.
After graduation, Matan Shapiro introduced me to Tsipy Ivry of the
Anthropology Department at the University of Haifa who opened the
door to the wondrous world of Orthodox Judaism. Thank you Matan for
facilitating this encounter! I would have never been able to grasp the fric-
tions and fractions of that world, as well as the art of rabbinic decision-
making, without Tsipy’s expertise in the field. Her sharp and ever precise
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
comments prodded me to venture into theoretical debates beyond the
framework I had set. I am deeply grateful to Amalia Saar, Carol Kidron,
and Nurit Bird-David for their warm welcome at the Department and the
extremely stimulating exchange on the craft of ethnographic research.
I was lucky to benefit from a wonderfully supportive community of
graduate students and fellow researchers. Shirin Naef’s enthusiasm for the
anthropology of kinship and her curiosity about the parallels and differ-
ences between Israel and Iran has proven contagious. Vivienne Jackson
has been there to discuss my research from the very beginning and pro-
vided invaluable inputs along the way. Fieldwork in Israel would have been
much lonelier without Claire Snell-Rood, Debbie Doberne, Naamah
Razon, and Tal Shamur. Sitting down together to write, discussing the
challenges of fieldwork, and reading each other’s texts helped me stay
focused on the purpose of my research. Thanks to Anna-Lena Wolf,
Corinne Schwaller, David Loher, Gerhild Perl, Laura Affolter, Luisa Piart,
Julia Rehsman, Sabine Zurschmitten, Simon Affolter, Simone Marti, and
Veronika Siegl, I will always remember the University of Bern not only as
a place that gave me strength but also challenged me to critically reflect on
the purpose and practice of anthropology. Johanna Mugler was not only
an officemate and friend but also gave me the push I needed to finish writ-
ing this book. Olaf Zenker gave me numerous opportunities to discuss my
work with his students and paved the ground for my current position at
the University of Fribourg.
My greatest thanks go to the women and men who participated in my
research. They have made space for me and my questions, while being
already busy enough with work and parenting. Time and again, I marveled
at the trust they placed in me and at the openness with which they talked
about intimate moments, painful experiences, fears, and hopes. I carry
your stories in my heart, and I hope that you find that this book does them
justice. It is always a pleasure to remember the walks through Tel Aviv
with Rachel, Passover with Shoshi and Ma’ayan, and the many afternoons
and evenings I spent at the cozy homes of Sagit and Orli, Yaara and Avigail,
Nadine and Tali, Netta and Livnat, Limor and Inbar, playing with the
children and enjoying dinner or lunch. I also want to thank Ayelet Tresser
Awes, Dori Spivak, Ira Hadar, Michal Eden, and Victoria Gelfand for shar-
ing their profound knowledge on LGBT rights with me. In Mumbai I was
lucky to encounter women and men, who, without hesitation, made me
part of their experience with surrogacy.
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Finally, doing this research would not have been possible without the
unconditional support of my parents and the warmth and openness with
which Sarah and Zeev Fish have made me part of their family. My husband
Eran has been there for me throughout every stage of this journey, pushed
me to be precise in my argumentation, and endured with me the ups and
downs of academic work. The pregnancy and birth of our son Adam has
allowed me to see my research participants’ experiences in a new light. His
intense joy and curiosity for the world is my greatest source of inspiration.
Praise for Judaism in Motion
“A wonderful ethnography! Lustenberger’s comprehensive and powerful exami-
nation of the political, rabbinic, and cultural dynamics at play in the contemporary
creation of gay and lesbian families shows us how much has changed in both
orthodox Judaism and in the Israeli politics of reproduction twenty years after
Kahn’s Reproducing Jews first got anthropologists thinking about kosher eggs and
wombs. Drawing on fascinating fieldwork following the journeys of LGBT Jewish-
Israelis on their path to parenthood at the interstices of the nation-state and the
rabbinic establishment, Judaism in Motion expertly weaves together insightful
analysis of the many actors in this tapestry: same-sex couples, their families, medi-
cal personnel in fertility clinics, state workers and rabbis.”
—Elly Teman, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Anthropology at the
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center,
Israel, and author of Birthing a Mother: The Surrogate
Body and the Pregnant Self (2010)
“In this splendid portrait of Israeli gay and lesbian couples seeking recognition as
parents, Lustenberger shows how they deftly navigate the spaces defined by the
tension between Rabbinate control over marriage and parenthood—the bedrock
of Jewish nationalism—and the often contradictory rights granted by a maze of
political, legal, and bureaucratic institutions. In the process, she brilliantly eluci-
dates the complexities of the relationship between kinship and nation, religious
and secular values, and social continuity and transformational change.”
—Susan McKinnon, Professor Emerita, Department of Anthropology,
University of Virginia, USA