Found Tribe: Jewish Coming Out Stories (Paperback)

by Lawrence Schimel (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
As one author in this anthology notes, both gays and Jews are minority groups, so this collection of memoir-essays from gay Jewish men depicts a small, singular set of uphill personal experiences. No one has found the path easy, but there is testimony to the rewards of being faithful to one's identity and the heritage that helps shape that identity. Naturally, the men's experiences have a good deal in common: shocked families with moms laying guilt trips about not having grandchildren; unsatisfying attempts at heterosexuality. Despite major commonalities, differences in experience intrigue: a writer who is also an Orthodox rabbi struggles with the dictates of halacha, or law; another cheerfully admits he is the kind of Jew that the prophets rail against. Interestingly, three of the writers are also religious converts. The quality of the writing is uneven. At worst, the tone can be pedestrian ("Sigh: My Mom and Dad: They were just so... Jewish"), but at best the essays present hard-won truths poured out with deliberation, pride and/or humor. (" `I'm dying, I'm dying!' " my father was bellowing into the phone at 9:30, not exactly the middle of the night but my folks are in their 70s and go to sleep at eight.") Rabbi Steve Greenberg's especially compelling essay was originally published anonymously. In four years' time, attitudes among Orthodox Jews have changed to the point where Greenberg and other Orthodox gays can emerge from the closet. These brave voices deserve to be heard.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Found Tribe is a collection of intimate essays by and about gay Jewish men on the experience of coming out as gay within a Jewish context or as Jewish within a gay context. No longer necessarily lost or excluded, today’s gay Jews tell their courageous, powerful stories of finding and embracing their religious and sexual identities that enrich both the Jewish and gay experience. Written with honesty, humor, and insight, Found Tribe explores the joys and oys of coming out to family, lovers, rabbis, and others--and an Orthodox gay rabbi writes about Gayness and God. Found Tribe gives voice to the inextinguishable longing for community and acceptance in a religious identity that is defined by family and lineage, and serves as a beacon to isolated gay Jews that dignity and welcome await at the end of this rainbow. Found Tribe is intended as a gift and a resource for Jewish families with a gay son or sibling, and for gay Jews and all who love them. Found Tribe is the companion volume to the award winning volume, Kosher Meat.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Sherman Asher Publishing; 1st edition (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890932205
• ISBN-13: 978-1890932206
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,603,053 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great collection, December 7, 2002

By	"blissengine" (Norfolk, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

There's a wide range in this collection of seventeen essays by gay Jewish men. From young to old, from previously published to new for this book, from established writer to beginner, "Found Tribe" has something for almost everyone, even the non-Jewish. Sometimes humorous, but always poignant and informative, these essays explore how these Jewish men blend their religious lives with their personal lives when many would use that same religion to condemn them. Schimel is an amazing writer and anthologist who continues to bring thought-provoking works to the public, and this book (despite its minor plague of editorial misprints) surely enlightens. Even those who are not Jewish or even gay can benefit from the honesty, humanity, and self-liberation contained in these essays.