Explore the rich culture of Judaism, one of the world’s oldest religions, in this presentation. Divulge into its diverse sects, each with varying beliefs, and witness the evolution of sex within the culture over time. Uncover the distinct progression of attitudes toward sex within the Jewish community, highlighting responses to LGBTQ+ inclusivity across differing sects. Gain insights into the teachings on sex for women within Judaism, navigating the context of a prevalent patriarchy. This presentation provides an understanding of the journey through the dynamic of tradition, culture, sex and sexuality in Judaism.
The presentation will be found in the following Link
Read more: Sex and Sexuality within Judaism Throughout the Times and Now
I think your topic was really interesting. I know we learned the basics of sex and sexuality of Judaism earlier in the semester, but it was really interesting to get a more comprehensive and full-spectrum of the topic. I thought the video you showed was really interesting as well because I didn’t realize necessarily just how strict certain sects of Judaism were about physical contact and touching. I thought the stances of the women in the video was super interesting because the expressed they really felt they have a much more loving relationship because they must depend on verbal affirmations instead of physical signs of affection. The other video that you showed of LGBTQ youths in Judaism was very powerful. It is so sad to hear the statistics how many of queer young people in religion have had thoughts or attempts of suicide. This topic was super interesting, thanks for sharing!
I definitely agree that the women that spoke had a very different perspective than most of us probably would. Their look on the time period in which man and wife cannot touch each other encouraged me to see that time from their lens and really made me see how the time they spend not touching one another adds to their love rather than takes from it.
This presentation was very informative. I appreciated that you explained Jewish views on sex and sexuality by going back to the basics of the religion. If I put myself in the position of someone who doesn’t know about Judaism, I feel confident that your presentation would be an amazing first encounter with this information. The research you conducted to put this project together is extensive and your presentation does an excellent job of putting all of these findings together in a concise and accessible way. The videos you linked in your presentation were fascinating and I learned a lot from it: the video of women talking about sexual practices within the Jewish community and the video of the non-profit for queer Jewish people. I also appreciated learning about reform, conservative, and Orthodox Judaism and how these differ or are similar. Very informative and thorough presentation!
I really enjoyed this presentation. I have commonly believed that there are religious spaces that might not be super accepting or progressive, yet to see that queer spaces are being created within multiple religions gives me hope for future generations to find safe worship spaces that further educate non queer members
Loved the format of teaching someone who has never been exposed to another religion than the one they were raised in– definitely something that is very much needed. The breakdown of sexuality by time period was also very interesting to see the transitions and where more liberal ideals come in certain sects. I also really enjoyed the video on queer Jews and the experience of queer youth, thank you for sharing these resources with us!
I appreciated the different ranges that you covered in this presentation between the orthodox, conservative and reformed Judaism. I also appreciated the timeline of Jewish sexuality. I see where generalizations could occur with the structure of your presentation, specifically in the generalization of orthodox Judaism, and I find it interesting that although women’s sexual pleasure is talked about in the traditional Jewish religion it can still be excluded.
I find fascinating when heard that if women can’t give birth to child she will get divorced in Judaism. It made me wonder how women were limited in access to even faith believe. Also, I find the 2 weeks for a month really interesting, and how the focus the attraction of souls and emotions. Thank you for sharing!
I also found the fact that if procreation could not happen for the couple it was likely for them to get divorced during the Rabbinic Literature time period extremely interesting. Especially seeing as women were most likely faulted for not being able to have children, when in modern times we now know that men could easily be infertile as well.
I thought the video about the JQI organization in NYC was pretty interesting – sad how many Orthodox Jewish youth have thought about suicide compared to other youth and LGBTQ youth, but it is inspiring to see the work they’re doing to support these youth. The project tied in well to our lectures on Judaism. however as Ariella pointed out there could’ve been some more nuance to the Orthodox section.
This was a really interesting topic! The idea of a teaching tool to use for a congregation is a cool one. I especially think the first video with the women and Oprah was especially helpful because it conveys the personal aspects and importances of some of the practices really well–better than more “academic” literature might. Thanks for sharing!
Izabellah, you did a great job on your presentation! I really enjoyed the videos you included, as they added a personal perspective to this issue. It is so cool that you decided to branch out from what you grew up with to investigate a new religion! There is for sure a conversation to be had surrounding suicide rates of religious LGBTQ+ youth, and I am so glad that you were able to contribute to that conversation! Really cool work!
I really liked your project! I know we did touch the subject of sex and sexuality in Judaism in class, but you went in a lot more detailed and the videos as well as all your information shows the extensive research you did. As someone who is not close to the religion and only know what I learned from class the videos were very interesting and it added a different level of perspective as to how Judaism deals with sex and sexuality. Good job!!!
I loved how informative this presentation was! You were able to clearly present such a complex topic with key ideas and keep an organized presentation. By presenting videos I could completely grasp your presentation, plus each video was super entertaining to watch. I knew nothing about Judaism before taking this course and your presentation did such a good job at recollecting all essential information as well as exploring more about sex and sexuality in Judaism. What I found the most shocking was the high percentage of suicidal thoughts by queer Jewish people.
I really appreciate that you were interested in learning more about a religion you are not part of, especially as someone who did not have exposure to Judaism as a kid. This is a really broad topic area and you touched on many aspects of the religion and history. I wonder if focusing on one era or one topic within the broader realm of sexuality, gender, and marriage would have given more time to fully understand and explain what you learned. I also would have spent time thinking about the nuances of the communities you studied, so as to represent them honestly and not leave people with any misunderstandings. For example, insinuating that all Orthodox communities are uneducated and insular, without clarifying which, very specific, communities you have researched. But I love the inclusion of videos made by Jews talking about their experiences of their communities. I think those provided a lot of insight into the topics they covered.
So sad to hear that you assumed I insinuated that all Orthodox communities are uneducated! As I recall I showed a statistic in which it states that Orthodox Jews receive the least amount of Formal Secular Education in comparison to Reform and Conservative Jews. In no way is this calling the Orthodox Jewish community uneducated, as I do understand that similarly to Catholics that attend schools that teach Catholicism, many Orthodox Jews attend schools in which the teachings align with either the philosophies or religious ideologies their families follow. Along with this, I will say that those who attend Catholic schools do not learn about the LGBTQ+ community within school, I was simply shedding light to the fact that if one is attending a religious school that does not focus on LGBTQ+ teachings, one would likely lack education on said community. Whereas in attending a public institution one may have more access to things such as the LGBTQ+ community, as the curriculum happens to be more inclusive. In addition to this, in saying the Orthodox community is ignorant on LGBTQ+ inclusion, this phrase does not hold a negative connotation. My use of the word ignorant follows the definition of “lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about a particular thing.” Again, this is not a negative thing, it is what I concluded from my research, which includes multiple peoples views on Orthodoxy, statistics, and quotes directly from the Union of Orthodox Congregations. Additionally, I could say the same about many religious orders. LGBTQ+ inclusion is a fairly new topic that has been brought to light and many religious orders are lacking education and awareness on the topic and how to navigate accepting the LGBTQ+ community within their religious orders. Finally, I was looking into the overall Orthodox teachings, to be quite frank any time one researches religion, politics, or anything that involves personal opinions, the belief system will vary person to person, this is why I used direct quotes from the Union of Orthodox Congregations. Again, so sad to hear that you interpreted what I said and my statistics as me calling Orthodox Jews uneducated, however I am sure those words never once came out of my mouth. I made it clear that the Orthodox Jewish community lacks education on LGBTQ+ inclusion, not that the community lacks education overall. It would be highly offensive to completely denote all religious institutions. Hope this cleared some things up for you! Thanks for the feedback!
I thought that your project was very clear and easy to follow! As someone who isn’t that familiar with Judaism, I found your project to be enlightening and informative on the way that women and people in the LGBTQ+ community are treated in different sects of the tradition. Thank you for sharing!
I thought your project did a great job of breaking down the Jewish tradition throughout history and its views on sex and sexuality. I liked that you expanded on topics we learned about in class and addressed the different types of Judaism as well. I found the videos to be particularly interesting, I had no idea married couples are supposed to avoid physical touch in public. I thought it was great that you chose this topic to learn more about a religion outside of your own!
I was intrigued to learn that in Judaism if a woman is unable to conceive, it can lead to divorce. This revelation got me thinking about the limitations women might face in their religious beliefs. Additionally, the concept of the two weeks in a month caught my attention, highlighting the emphasis on the connection between souls and emotions. Thanks for sharing this fascinating information!
I enjoyed learning about how different sects of Judaism broadly view sex and sexuality. While it can be tricky to study and assume all beliefs of certain groups, I think you did a good job of giving us a baseline of how different people practicing Judaism generally view certain practices and incorporate traditions.
This is such a beautiful presentation! It really does help you learn a little more about the history of Judaism in relation to sexuality. When you kept it simple in the beginning it really let you get to the main points while also propelling forward the main purpose of sexuality. I think like a majority of other religions, there’s always a community that hasn’t had the clearest access (or even the want) to sex education due to their religion. I completely understood that when it came to orthodox Jewish women. I LOVED the safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals, it always warms my heart and gives me hope for the future generations of people who also happen to be queer but have the desire to continue to participate in their religion.