Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel PDF
Preview Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel
Queer Judaism Queer Judaism LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel Orit Avishai NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York www.nyupress.org © 2023 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Avishai, Orit, author. Title: Queer Judaism : LGBT activism and the remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel / Orit Avishai. Description: New York : New York University Press, [2023] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022027522 | ISBN 9781479810017 (hardback) | ISBN 9781479810031 (paperback) | ISBN 9781479810055 (ebook) | ISBN 9781479810048 (ebook other) Subjects: LCSH: Homosexuality—Religious aspects—Judaism. | Sexual orientation— Religious aspects—Judaism. | Sexual minorities—Religious life—Israel. | Social movements—Israel—History—21st century. | Orthodox Judaism—Israel. Classification: LCC BM729.H65 A95 2023 | DDC 296.3/664—dc23/eng/20220709 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027522 New York University Press books are printed on acid- free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppli- ers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Also available as an ebook Dedicated to Kadag, the Proud Religious Community Contents Glossary ix Preface: “We Exist” xi Introduction: Kippa Battles 1 1. Making a Social Movement: From Anonymous Chatrooms to the Synagogue and Streets 27 2. Unlivable Lives: Shattered Pictures and the Desire to Be “Normal” 68 3. Orthodox Queer Worldmaking: Everyday Theologies of Life, Sex, and God 104 4. Educating Our Rabbis: From a Theology of Transgression to a Theology of Tolerance (and Beyond) 129 5. Telling Stories, Making Space: Politics of Authenticity 166 6. The Battle for Judaism’s Straight Soul: Queer Antics, Religious Restraint, and Respectability Politics 194 Conclusion: Queering Orthodoxy 221 Acknowledgments 245 Notes 247 Bibliography 275 Index 289 About the Author 301 Glossary Bat Kol Orthodox Lesbian and queer women’s organization founded in 2005 whose name literally means “the voice of God.” Officially changed its name to the more inclusive Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Orthodox Women in 2021. Part of the Proud Religious Community. Beit Hillel A Torah leadership organization associated with liberal factions of Israeli Jewish Orthodoxy and made up of over 170 religious- Zionist Rabbanim and Rabbaniot (women religious authorities) located throughout Israel. Halacha Jewish law and jurisprudence. Havruta Orthodox gay men’s organization founded in 2007 whose name refers to the practice of Jewish learning, typically conducted in pairs; the practice alludes to a sage’s observation juxtaposing hu- man sociability and life with loneliness and death. Part of the Proud Religious Community. As of July 2022, Havruta is considering ex- panding its mission and name to be more inclusive of more diverse gender and sexual identities. Hod Now- defunct conservative gay men’s organization that operated between 2008 and 2016. Hommo Hebrew vernacular term preferred by many Orthodox gay men. Given the term’s fraught cross- cultural resonance, I italicize it to mark it as a foreign/native term. Kadag Hebrew acronym for the Proud Religious Community, a loose amalgam of several organizations that serve Orthodox LGBT persons. Kamoha Now- defunct conservative gay men’s organization. A Havruta breakaway that operated between 2011 and 2020. Noam Über- conservative homophobic and transphobic nationalist party that first ran in the September 2019 elections and later merged with the Religious Zionist Party. ix x | Glossary Pesach Sheni The marking of a Jewish day of religious tolerance that occurs a month after Passover; literally “second Passover.” Previously a fringe folk Hasidic tradition that was harnessed by progressive Jewish groups in the United States to advance a broad vision of social justice centered on the inclusion of marginalized groups. Shoval Israeli Orthodox LGBT outreach organization founded by Bat Kol and Havruta activists in 2006. Ulpana Orthodox girls- only high school.
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