oakttree:

eshusplayground:

scripturient-manipulator:

eshusplayground:

thefrumlesbian:

entanglingbriars:

tikkunolamorgtfo:

aegor-bamfsteel:

Considering that Rachel McAdams is a blonde Gentile playing a Jewish woman, Rachel Weisz is a Reform/secular patrilineal Jewish woman playing an Orthodox woman growing up in a completely different culture, and the movie uses Jewish Orthodoxy as an excuse for a forbidden romance when Orthodox Judaism is the Abrahamic religion the most accepting of lesbians (there’s a thriving community of Orthodox Jewish lesbians with their own spin on sexuality and religion, such as the band the Orthodykes), count me the fuck out.

Look, the point about the ‘Forbidden Romance in Orthodoxy’ trope is valid, but throwing around ‘patrilineal’ like it somehow devalues Rachel Weisz’s identity and experiences as a Jewish woman is profoundly uncalled for. There are Reform and Secular Jews with Orthodox backgrounds. There are Orthodox Jews who are technically patrilineal (by which I mean they were forced to undergo a conversion before being accepted into Orthodoxy despite being ethnically Jewish). There are blonde Orthodox Jews. None of those descriptors are necessary to the sentence: “This is a film made by individuals who are not intimately familiar with the culture of Orthodoxy.” 

Also, saying “Orthodox Judaism is the Abrahamic religion the most accepting of lesbians“ treats Abrahamic religious groups with more conservative interpretations of scripture/tradition as more authentic than ones with more progressive interpretations. There are plenty of Abrahamic religious groups that are more accepting of lesbians than Orthodox Judaism* both within and outside of Judaism.

*referring to Orthodox Judaism as a single religious group is also misleading; there are several distinct movements of Judaism that are commonly grouped together as Orthodox. I assume aegor-bamfsteel is referring to Modern Orthodoxy, but that’s not clear.

As a frum person, I don’t like when people attack Orthodoxy either; but as a lesbian, I understand the struggles of being an LGBT+ person in the Orthodox community and our stories, no matter how unpleasant, deserve to be told. 
Even those in the Orthodykes face struggles that the average person could never fathom without a film like this – many spend their lives married to men or remaining celibate. 
Even though neither Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz aren’t Orthodox Jews, they studied extensively for their roles (even learning Hebrew) and the director Sebastián Lelio appears to show sensitivity in telling these stories. 

Inevitably, there will be a minority who view this film and walk away with negative ideas about Orthodoxy, but frankly, that’s a minor price to pay for the many who will view it and begin to empathise with our stories and hopefully, work with us to create a brighter future. 

I don’t believe Orthodox Judaism needs reforming.
I think Orthodox Judaism needs to be truly Orthodox (here meaning “how it traditionally was”) in it’s approach to LGBT+ Jews, and whether everyone likes it or not, Judaism has long been LGBT+ friendly : See Wrestling with God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Steven Greenberg

Click here for the US-available version of Wrestling with God & Men.

I AM EXCITED FOR THIS AND APPRECIATING THIS CONVERSATION

Here you go: http://eshusplayground.tumblr.com/post/173502956130

Anyway, if you’re thinking about watching Disobedience, you should watch:

• Trembling Before G-d
• Ha-Sodot
• Keep Not Silent (hard to find; watch on youtube here)
• Eyes Wide Open