April 17, 2012

Linda Katz (blog:  identity5772.wordpress.com)

I am a wandering Jew, currently rooted in Brooklyn, NY.  Unaffiliated, more assimilated than I would like to believe, yet, very connected to my confused identity as a Jew.  Even more confusing, I find myself in the middle of an Orthodox neighborhood, surrounded by synagogues, yet, without a sanctuary for my secular and spiritual soul. 

So what’s a nice Jewish girl to do when she wants to explore what it means to be Jewish and secure her own sense of Jewish identity?  Go to the former center of Jewish life – go to Eastern Europe.

It may sound counter-intuitive to take a conversational journey around Jewish identity to communities where six million (Jews) were killed during the Holocaust, and, where those who survived and remained were assimilated into communism.  A little naive, or perhaps overly optimistic to seek answers ‘here’ where ‘ghosts’ outnumber the living.  Yet, realizing communities existed, albeit small ones, I had faith members of these communities knew.  Knew what it meant to be a Jew.  Knew because they had made a choice, a decision to be Jewish.

A month of conversations in Berlin, Warsaw, Vilna, Krakow, Budapest, and Zagreb, left me wide-eyed and awakened to Judaism’s pull as communities there grow.  I heard and recorded stories of miraculous survival, and survival of interest in Judaism, overcoming fear from history’s horrors during the last eighty plus years.  Yet, the more I learn, the less I realize I know as answers raise even more questions.

Questions I hope to share and ask through Jewrnalism.  I hope to learn with and from bloggers, from readers, from those of you who are exploring and living your definition of Jewish identity. 

Tell me what you think:  what does it mean for YOU to be Jewish?

Los Angeles, CA

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On April 17, 2012, I will be hosting the second ever 10’¢ Cinema Slam. All are welcome to attend/perform.  The Entry is at least a donation of 10’¢. (To see the footage ” title=”here” target=”_blank”>here.

There will be a Q+A with filmmaker/gay liberation activist Jerry Gerash in addition to an open mic portion of the evening so that other queer Jewish artists and allies can share their stories as well.

Entry is 10’¢.
All are welcome to attend/perform.
Sign Ups for the Open Mic will occur the night of.

* More about GAY REVOLT AT DENVER CITY COUNCIL
There have been powerful media depictions of the storied New York Stonewall Uprising of 1969 and also of Harvey Milk whose story captured the strong LGBT community of San Francisco of the mid 1970s. However, nothing has ever been documented about the dramatic turmoil and victories between the coasts in the early 1970s: in Denver another explosive burst of gay liberation energy and activism occurred, with successes unequaled up to that time.
During the first decade of gay liberation, Denver was a leading center of gay rights progress and innovation. As further waves of Denver activists furthered LGBT civil rights after our earlier successes, Denver became an even greater leader in gay tolerance and protection. In fact, the Romer v. Evans case of the U. S. Supreme Court, establishing for the first time that gays and lesbians were entitled to equal protection came out of Colorado.