Articles and Readings
Online writing on Judaism and Sexuality by Jay Michaelson, Director of Nehirim
How can you be gay and Jewish?
Starting from square one: How to be both out and proud, and religiously Jewish. (Zeek, September 2004)
Brit Hitvada’ut: A Coming Out Ritual: Written for the Human Rights Campaign, this ritual for coming out draws on the story of Joseph, the symbolism of the mikva, and the hidden heritage of GLBT people.
Ahavat Olam
Speech given at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America on Conservative Judaism and sexual orientation, focusing on Jay’s own suffering in the closet, and arguing that the Jewish God could not possibly create gay people only to subject them to repression.
Shatnez and Civilization: The Queer Path of the Boundary Crosser
Are affirming homosexuality and halacha fundamentally incompatible? (Tikkun, August 2006)
Into Life: On Parshat Va’era
(Torah Queeries, January, 2007)
A Less Innocent Love
Sexuality, repression, and spiritual life (Jewish Mosaic, August 2006)
It’s the Purity, Stupid: Reading Leviticus in Context
Why God hates fags only as much as God hates shrimp.
In Jerusalem, Fundamentalism on the March (Forward, Nov. 17, 2006): Op-ed on the ultra-Orthodox protests of the Jerusalem Pride parade.
Toward a Queer Jewish Theology
Why does God make some people gay? (Shma, December 2005)
Response to the Roth Tshuvah
Long, legal response to the leading opinion in the conservative movement that forbids homosexual activity.
Homosexuality, Judaism, and Guilt
Trusting, and not trusting, one’s conscience (GLBTJews.org, Spring 2005)
The Verse
Short story imagining what would happen if Leviticus 18:22 were magically erased.(Blithe House Quarterly, Spring, 2006)
The Virtues of Dialogue
Jay Michaelson interview gay orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg (Moment, April 2005) Disabuse Community of Intolerance
Sex scandals, repression, and the closet (Forward, Nov. 2005)
Thirteen principles of queering Jewish theology
Rereading Maimonides’ thirteen principles of faith
Da’at
Essay on the homoerotics of learning, teaching, and knowledge.
Wrestling with Steve Greenberg : A dialogue between Jay Michaelson and Rabbi Steve Greenberg, noted gay Orthodox rabbi, together with a discussion of his book, Wrestling with God and Men.
Book Review, Achieving the Ordinary (JBooks.com, August 2006): Review of Lev Raphael’s memoirs about growing up gay and Jewish.
Books in Print: A GLBT Jewish Bibliography (Links lead to Amazon.com product pages)
Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer
Anthology of memoir and essays from August, 2004.
Wrestling with God and Men
Rabbi Steve Greenberg’s landmark book on homosexuality in the Jewish tradition.
Queer Theory and the Jewish Question
Academic anthology edited by Daniel Boyarin, Daniel Itzkovitz, Ann Pellegrini.
Queer Jews
Eclectic anthology edited by David Shneer and Caryn Aviv.
Found Tribe
Jewish coming-out stories.
Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation
Edited by Rebecca T. Alpert, Sue Levi Elwell, and Shirley Idelson.
Trembling Before G-d (DVD)
On being Orthodox and gay/lesbian.
Twice Blessed: On Being Lesbian, Gay, and Jewish
Now a bit outdated, but ahead of the curve. By Christie Balka and Andy Rose.
Queer Spiritual Books and Resources
Gay Soul : Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature with Sixteen Writers, Healers, and Teachers
Fantastic anthology of interviews by Mark Thompson.
The Essential Gay Mystics
Edited by Andrew Harvey
Coming Out Spiritually: The Next Step
By Christian de la Huerta, founder of Q-Spirit.
Queer Dharma: Voices of Gay Buddhists
Excellent anthology for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
White Crane
A Journal of Gay Spirit, Wisdom, and Culture. Contains several articles of Jewish interest.
Radically Gay: Gay Liberation in the Words of Its Founder
Collected works by gay pioneer Harry Hay.
Gay Perspective
Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us About the Nature of God and the Universe, by Toby Johnson.
Two Flutes Playing
A Spiritual Journeybook for Gay Men, by Andrew Ramer
Wrestling With the Angel
Faith and Religion in the Lives of Gay Men, edited by Brian Bouldrey.
chroma
The UK’s only queerliterary and arts journal.