Like Bread on the Seder Plate [Hardcover]

Rebecca Alpert (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231096607 | ISBN-13: 978-0231096607 | Publication Date: December 15, 1997 | Edition: 1

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

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not since Nice Jewish Girls by Evelyn Torton Beck and Twice Blessed by Andy Rose and Christie Balka has a book so thoughtfully explored the difficult balance of living as both a Jew and a lesbian. The title, Like Bread on the Seder Plate, refers to a tradition that began in the 1980s among Jewish lesbians, whereby they placed a piece of leavened bread on the Seder plate at Passover to evoke their feelings of isolation from Jewish tradition. As one of the first women to be ordained as a rabbi, author Rebecca Alpert asserts a visible place for lesbians within Judaism, reinterpreting the homophobic strictures imposed by the Torah to construct a framework in which Jewish lesbians can feel included and accepted. A brave, accessible, and important book, Like Bread on the Seder Plate is sure to inspire many Jewish lesbians to reclaim a cultural and religious life that previously excluded them. --Kera L. Bolonik

Review

An excellent resource for scholars of both Jewish and lesbian cultures in the United States.

(American Studies International )

A solid contribution to both Jewish feminism and lesbian and gay studies, breaking new ground in its focus on transforming Jewish religious life from a lesbian perspective.

(Women's Review of Books )

An extremely valuable and visionary source for Jewish lesbians who long to be recognized and to participate fully in mainstream synagogue life.... The author is to be congratulated for bravely taking on such an all-consuming topic and writing such an accessible, powerful and provocative book.

(Lambda Book Report )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; 1 edition (December 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231096607
• ISBN-13: 978-0231096607
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,178,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Like Bread on the Seder Plate (Hardcover)

Rabbi Alpert writes a moving and thought provoking discussion about the complexities and ironies of being a Jewish lesbian. Personal experience and scholarly intellect make for an enjoyable and informative read.

5.0 out of 5 stars cutting edge Judaism, February 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition (Paperback)

This book brilliantly describes how Judaism must evolve in order to continue to stay vibrant and relevant to Jews today. Well-written, insightful, and informative, Rabbi Alpert reclaims the voices of Jewish lesbians throughout history and brings them along as guides while she articulates a vision for the future. A must read for every Jewish lesbian and gay man, as well as our allies!

11 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absurd title almost made me pass this up, October 19, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition (Paperback)

The title of this book is an adaptation of a practice among some feminists of putting an orange on the seder plate in protest, based on a certain rabbi's sexist statement that "a woman belongs on the pulpit like an orange on the seder plate." OK, I can understand that symbolism, and an orange, while not part of the seder ceremony, is a fruit and therefore not forbidden to be on the Passover table. But the title of this book, based on the absurd practice that some lesbians have developed of placing a slice of leavened bread (totally forbidden on Passover!) on the seder plate, crosses the line for me. This is exactly the type of flaunting of tradition that turns me off about the lesbian feminist movement. I support gay rights as human rights and have done so for over 30 years. I am aware that the Nazis forced gays to wear pink triangles and gassed them along with the Jews and was teaching this fact long before the pink triangle was even adopted by the movement. I tell you this, dear reader, so you will know I'm not a gay-basher.

But I am also deeply offended when ANY group attacks Jewish traditions in such a self-hating manner. Ceremonies have real power, and when you turn them upside down, it disturbs the spiritual energy. You cannot commit a sin to perform a mitzvah -- even a mitzvah of protest. To purposely own leaven during Passover (one of THE most serious of sins) and then put it on the seder plate turns the entire ceremony into a total travesty.

A lot of Jews will pass up this book on the title alone - I almost did. As it turns out, the contents are serious food for thought. Although I disagreed with a lot of things, I learned a great deal about how lesbian Jews feel, the deep alienation they have experienced in the Jewish community, etc. For those insights, I am thankful. But with such a blatant lack of respect for the integrity of Jewish ceremonies, this book is not going to convince (and will more likely turn off) those religious Jews who are not already in the gay rights camp. Ms. Alpert is preaching to the choir.