Customer Reviews

Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This book is an important part of the historical record documenting Jewish experience--particularly the experience of contemporary Jewish women. The rabbis who contributed essays tell incredible stories. I found them truly inspirational! As lesbians, some of these individuals risked being thrown out of rabbinical school and being fired from their jobs as rabbis. Several paid an extremely high price for their honesty. Others have experienced tremendous welcoming in the the Jewish communities where they function as rabbis. The writers are Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist, and they were ordained in the 70s, 80s and 90s so when you read the whole book you really get a sense of how things have been changing for lesbian and gay rabbis. I recommend the read!

And by "long overdue" I am NOT referring to how long I have had this out of the Redwood City library! The authors take a very controversial stance throughout this book, risking their positions while assuming all sorts of positions, if you know what I mean. It was inevitable that this book would be written --I have been following its progress all along. Though I am not a lesbian and am not sure if I could ever be, I do know that if I was a lesbian and believed in Judiasm (which I don't, by the way) I only wish I could handle my faith and my sexual preferences as well as the authors. Kudos to them and kudos to all of you who will buy this book! It is truly a fantastic ride. Or read.

A generation ago, the idea of a woman rabbi would have been unthinkable. Today, we have an entire group of not just women but lesbian rabbis who have become some of the most respected rabbis of our generation. As this book proves, they serve the Jewish community in a number of ways. Bringing disenfranchised Jews into creative, new synagoues, serving traditional congregations and working in a variety of fields helping Jews in ways only rabbis can.

The group of eighteen women who contributed to this book are pioneers in one sense but simply doing a traditional job that has evolved over several thousand years. The Library of Congress created a new category just for this book, but this is also a very traditional work. Exploring the role of the rabbi and how each individual has struggled to serve her community is a very traditional role for a rabbi.

The eighteen pieces included are personal and meaningful. The warmth of many of the women whom I know shines through in their work. The beauty and spirit of Judaism is alive in this first generation of Lesbian Rabbis.

What an important new book! The editors--pathmaking and wise lesbian rabbis themselves--have compiled an impressive collection. Understanding the special contributions and journeys of lesbian rabbis enriches immeasurably our knowledge of contemporary Jewish life and the contemporary rabbinate--and the possibilities in both.