Kosher Queers

Welcome to season 2! Today we're talking about how this season is going to work, along with the haftarah for Bereishit, I Samuel 20:18-42 (and if you're like, "hey, I have a different haftarah," that's cool! It turns out there's a bunch so we're going to tell you in the show notes each week what we're reading for next week.) Anyway, we're blessed to start off with maybe the Tanakh's gayest story of David and Jonathon, and also definitely the gayest rating scales we've ever had.

Transcript available here.

Next week's haftarah reading will be Isaiah 54:1–55:5.

When Lulav says "no disrespect to Schneerson," when talking about visiting Hasidic Crown Heights, she's referring to Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also sometimes called simply "the Rebbe," who was the leader of the Lubavitch/Chabad Hasidic group, and is sometimes on signs where people view him as the moshiach. The actor who played King Silas on NBC's "Kings" was actually Ian McShane, not Edward James Olmos.

Support us on Patreon or Ko-fi! Our new website, still somewhat under construction, is at kosherqueers.gay. Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Ezra Faust, and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose and Jaz Twersky. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union. 

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This is our season break! We'll be bringing you the beginning of season 2 next week, and in the interim, we have a crossover episode from Rad Child Podcast, which brought Jaz on a guest to talk about educating children about Judaism.

Unfortunately, we don't have a transcript for this episode right now. We're committed to continuing to have full transcripts of all our regular episodes and all the bonus content posted on our Patreon. Since this episode is much longer than our normal episodes, it's not currently in the capacity of our very small team to do a full transcript of someone else's podcast, though we would like to. If you can afford to contribute to our Patreon or our Ko-fi however, we'd be down to hire someone to transcribe it.

We're looking forward to having more guests during season 2; if you'd like to be a guest on season 2 or have someone else in mind who you think would be a fantastic guest, you can apply or nominate someone here. We'll also be launching a new website for our podcast this season and we'll have weekly bonus content for our patrons, featuring Lulav and Jaz playing Jewish rounds of "Do, Die, or Marry." To prepare for our work for season 2, you can support us on Patreon, or, if you prefer, you can give one-time support on our Ko-fi. 

Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. The intro to this episode was edited by Lulav Arnow. 

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This week, we finish up season 1! We argue about the grammar of G-d, expand the scope of what constitutes a name, and compare divine blessings to reality TV. Plus, Binyamin is a baby who likes to cuddle on G-d's breasts.

We'll be taking a week break next week, and then we'll see you soon for season 2! In the meantime, we're open for guests on season 2 and you can apply or nominate someone else here.

Transcript available here.

You can subscribe to Meli's Weird Jewish Digest for their weekly emails. Notwithstanding Lulav's comments about a certain politician, you can get some help to register to vote here.

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Ezra Faust, and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union. 

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This week, we try to define the concept of a parent and the even more confusing concept of a dad, G-d gets reminded about the existence of consequences, and Lulav tells you to drop out of grad school. Plus, Jaz entirely misunderstands a video game, but gets excited about grammar and also poetry, fully living up to being a "word nerd" and not a different kind of nerd.

Transcript available here.

The Kaddish D'Rabanan is available here, if you also want to read it with your chevruta. If you're interested in learning more about Jewish demonology, check out the podcast Throwing Sheyd.

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Lulav Arnow and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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This week, for our high holidays special episode, Lulav and Jaz talk about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Apologies: how do we feel about them? (Answer: we feel a lot of different ways, actually!) Plus some wacky noises, antisemitism-derived liturgy, and one of our many ways of marking novelty.

Transcript available here.

On this episode, we talk about the Ashamnu and the blessing over the lulav. Jaz also references the books This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Alan Lew, Return and Renewal by Aharon Lichtenstein, and A Mosaic of Israel's Traditions edited by Esther Shkalim. Thank you to Ada (@klezmerwitch on Twitter), Seth, R (@r3fin3 on Twitter), and an anonymous listener for answering our survey and being part of the podcast! 

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Ezra Faust, and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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This week, we talk about merisms that include everyone in a community, G-d modeling good public health and relationship boundaries, and the inherent holiness taking Torah wildly out of context as our ancestors did before us. Plus, taking care of yourself as a form of teshuvah to practice this holiday season.

Full transcript here.

Content notes: non-graphic discussion of self-harm from 25:09-27:58.

Not in the episode, but possibly of interest to listeners: an organization that Jaz used to work for is starting a new program called Serve the Moment. It's a 10-week part-time paid program where people aged 18 - 29 do service work via a Jewish lens, and also do learning to address the COVID-19 crisis, its economic fallout, and the current movement for racial justice. Corps Members will volunteer with a local community-based organization, learn with peers about systemic change, and mobilize the Jewish community to show up with and for neighbors. The program dates are September 30-December 11. Applications close September 14th.

The informed consent clinic where Lulav got HRT was Family Tree Clinic in Minneapolis. The prayer book Jaz ended up purchasing for their friend was the Hadesh Yameinu machzor from Congregation Dorshei Emet (actually called a machzor, not a siddur, because it's for high holidays, not Shabbat or weekdays). The Dan Nichols song that references this parsha is "Kehillah Kedoshah." The oven of Akhnai story starts here.

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Lulav Arnow and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose and Jaz Twersky. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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FILL OUT OUR HIGH HOLIDAYS SURVEY!

This week, we talk about manga Jaz read in middle school, whether it's better or worse to read blessings and curses as gendered, and the possibilities of lesbian separatists. Plus there are wombs that are also minds.

Transcript available here; it may not be fully completed this week, and if not, that will be fixed ASAP.

The books Lulav read, courtesy of Jaz's bookshelf, were Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, and Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett, all queer YA books with queer authors. (The author of Leah on the Offbeat just came out literally this week.)

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Ezra Faust, and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose and Jaz Twersky. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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This week, we talk about re-interpreting things out of existence, gay years, and how you can just be a girl if you want to. We also talk about why virginity is super fake and also a bad idea, and thus it's unfortunate that the Torah treats it like it's real. Plus, a short exercise in finding meaning in under-nuanced stories AND sex worker rabbis.

Full transcript available here.

As regards to the "stubborn and rebellious son" bit, here you can see the commentary in Sanhedrin 68B side by side with the original text.

Content notes: conversation that touches on about sexual abuse between 13:32 and 16:59. Explicit conversation about sex and notions of virginity from 31:26 to 36:44.

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Lulav Arnow and our transcript was written by Reuben Shachar Rose and Jaz Twersky. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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This week, we figure out what proper conduct would look like for a king, if we absolutely must settle for a monarch (which, we're def not convinced on, but if we gotta have one, they can't be too focused on all their cool partners). Plus, Nate Silver is illegal, judiciaries are a questionable framework given their dubious claims to impartiality, and dating nonbinary people is great because there aren't any obvious terms for us.

Full transcript available here.

At the top of the show, we talked about how Jaz played Monster Prom and Lulav watched The Darkness (so you don't have to). Here's the quote from Ibn Ezra on "Justice, Justice shall you pursue." Jaz cites The View From Somewhere by Lewis Raven Wallace, who also makes a podcast by the same name that you can listen to. Also, follow Jaz's friend who recommended the book, Gabe Schneider, on Twitter @gabemschneider.

Content note: non-graphic discussion of war in the second half of the episode

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Ezra Faust, and our transcript was written by Jaz Twersky and Reuben Shachar Rose. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

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This week, we use an extended metaphor about monogamy and knowing G-d, raise some questions about Wicca, and have a good time with rubber ducks. Plus, cool historical info about Karaites and the Talmud, how to figure out if a prophet is just a fake, and why bats are not the same as eagles. Also, if you're into Elder Scrolls Three, apparently this episode is for you.

Full transcript here.

Here's the picture of chai written in rubber ducks! This week Jaz read Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender and The Talmud: A Biography by Barry Scott Wimpfheimer and recommend both for different reasons. Jaz and Lulav watched the movie Bit, which was also good, and featured the actress Nicole Maine, who you can follow on Twitter @NicoleAMaines if you want to check out more of her work; you can also follow our listener Ada, who wrote comments for this week's Continuity Corner, @klezmerwitch.

Jaz says in this episode that they think that child sacrifice was a thing in the ancient Middle East, but the archaeological evidence for that seems kind of scant, so take that assertion with a grain of salt.

Content notes: Discussion of slavery. 

Support us on Patreon! Send us questions or comments at [email protected], follow us on Twitter @kosherqueers, and like us on Facebook at Kosher Queers. Our music is by the band Brivele. This week, our audio was edited by Lulav Arnow and our transcript was written by Jaz Twersky. Our logo is by Lior Gross, and we are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Orthodox Union.

Support the show