Tamar Prager
One lesbian bridal couple, wanting the blessings both of their parents and of Jewish tradition, managed to meld their religious and gay identities. [Summer 2006] PLUS - The challenge shifts from the deeply personal to the broadly communal: Where does a Jewish and queer family fit? [Fall 2016]
I never could have imagined a commitment ceremony for me and my partner, or dreamt that our parents would willingly and lovingly host a magnificent celebration for 165 relatives and friends. This would have been, sadly, only a fantasy. Six years earlier I’d thought of ending my life because I was in love with a woman and could not tell a soul. I felt my only other option was to hide, so I reined in all of my emotions. Arielle and I shut out all family and close friends, trap- ping ourselves in a tiny world closed off from our Jewish communities.