“Casting Our Sins Away”: A Comparative Analysis of Queer Jewish Communities in Israel and in the US

Every year, diverse Jewish communities around the world observe Tashlich (casting off), a customary atonement ritual performed day after Rosh Hashanah. This performative is conducted next to body of water symbolize and purification one’s sins. Based on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in two egalitarian congregations Tel Aviv New York City, I show how performance constructed as political act empower gender sexual identities experiences, well socio-political positionality LGBTQ Jews various sites. By including new blessings, blowing shofar by gay female participants, conducting historical contemporary queer urban spaces, rabbis congregants created interpretations traditional customs. They exposed their feelings toward themselves, community, its visibility presence city. The fact that an open public space creates not only differing meanings perceptions than from synagogue, but also exposes politics context national religious identities. Furthermore, this comparative analysis illuminates tensions trajectories Jewishness queerness Israel US, sheds light postmodern tendencies result inclusion community.