Like Bread on the Seder Plate

One of the first women to be ordained as a rabbi explores how lesbians can shape Jewish tradition to resonate with their own experience.

This text explores what it is like to be part of both the lesbian and Jewish communities, suggesting ways in which lesbians can reconcile these seemingly discordant elements of their identity. It advocates the acceptance of lesbians into the Jewish tradition by offering new interpretations of the Torah traditionally regarded as prohibitive of homosexuality. The book counters the millenia of "Midrashim" (scholarly comment on the Torah) condemning gays and lesbians, by examining the culture of biblical lawgivers and the culture of the commentators themselves. By examining passages from Scripture and by featuring texts that portray Jewish lesbians as role models in a new cultural canon, the author presents a case for the integration of the lesbian voice into Jewish experience.