Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition
Not sinceNice Jewish Girlsby Evelyn Torton Beck andTwice Blessedby 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 Plateis sure to inspire many Jewish lesbians to reclaim a cultural and religious life that previously excluded them.--Kera L. Bolonik--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.