Q&A With Miryam Kabakov: Editor of Anthology on Orthodox Lesbians
A new anthology, titled “Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires,” includes essays by 14 women who identify themselves as part of the GLBQT community. Some remain part of the frumcommunity, and write anonymously. One is from a prominent politicallyconservative family and talks about her family’s gradual acceptanceprocess of her and her non-Jewish partner. One woman easily passes as aman in Israel, while she doesn’t in America. While most of the essaysare personal coming-out stories, one is a scholarly review of Torahsources and Jewish legal literature on lesbianism.
The book is edited by Miryam Kabakov, a founder of New York OrthoDykes.Kabakov now lives in St. Paul, Minn. with partner Mara Benjamin andtheir two daughters, who are 4-years-old and 10-months-old. Kabakovdirects the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival and calls herself“post-modern Orthodox,” attending Conservative movement-affiliatedCongregation Beth Jacob.
She answered a fewquestions for The Sisterhood, and will be the subject of a forthcomingepisode of our podcast interview series.
Read the interview at the Sisterhood >>
Debra Nussbaum Cohen is a regular contributor to the Sisterhood, which crossposts weekly with Jewesses with Attitude.
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