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All Jews Are Queer
Weiss, Melanie. Lilith 34.3 (Fall 2009): 37,44.
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Abstract
Moving through great works of the Jewish American canon - such as Sholem Asch's "God of Vengance," Phillip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, and all of the impor- tant films by Yiddish stage and screen legend Molly Picon - [Hoffman] seeks to demonstrate that the Jew has long been "other" in America - odd, different and, one might say, queer. The struggle to assimilate, and the undercurrents of counter-assimilationist culture, have really been ways for Jewish Americans to grapple with their queerness - their distinct otherness, which made them unique but also was often feared, lest it inhibit their ability to become American. Hoffman puts it plainly when discussing Abraham Cahan's 1917 novel The Rise of David Levinsky: "In the world of the assimilating Jewish American immigrant, one cannot be queer and American at the same time."
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Full Text
All Jews Are Queer Jewish American culture is about as queeras it gets. The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture by Warren Hoffman (Syracuse University Press, $24.95) challenges the popular conception of what "queer" is, reaching back to reexamine some of the hallmarks of American Jewish culture in the 20th century. Focusing on six major works (with more modern pieces bookending the discussion), Hoffman upholds a definition of queerthat has gained increasing currency in recent years - one that denotes nonheteronormative sexual or gender identity - but he reclaims the term's original or alternative definitions as well: queeris something odd, something different. And it's not only sexual orientation or gender identity that can be queered; everything from racial identity and immigrant status is open to queerinterpretation. Queer, Hoffman demonstrates, is about passing, not passing, and subverting the paradigm, and he delights in demonstrating how, by this definition, Jewish American culture (represented in this book by literature, film and theater) is about as queeras it gets. Moving through great works of the Jewish American canon - such as Sholem Asch's "God of Vengance," Phillip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, and all of the impor- tant films by Yiddish stage and screen legend Molly Picon - Hoffman seeks to demonstrate that the Jew has long
been "other" in America- odd, different and, one might say, queer. The struggle to assimilate, and the undercurrents of counter-assimilationist culture, have really been ways for Jewish Americans to grapple with their queerness - their distinct otherness, which made them unique but also was often feared, lest it inhibit their ability to become American. Hoffman puts it plainly when discussing Abraham Cahan's 1917 novel The Rise of David Levinsky: "In the world of the assimilating Jewish American immigrant, one cannot be queerand American at the same time." Of course, there's plenty of modern-day queerness in the book, as well, in examinations of Picon's onstage cross-dressing and the fine line between homosocial and homosexual in David Levinsky 's tortuous love life - not to mention the lesbian love affair in "God of Vengence" and Portnoy's obsession with his own male member. But the real joy in a work like this is its ability to challenge what our concept of "queer" really is. Although this book does refer to a lot of queertheory and tends towards the dense and erudite, it is a great read for anyone examining Jewish work on page, stage or screen in America- or anyone who ever wondered, deep down, if there wasn't something just a bit. . . queerabout Jewish culture in America. MELANIE WEISS Sidebar The Jew has long been "other" in America- odd, different and, one might say, queer. AuthorAffiliation MELANIE WEISS is Lilith's associate editor and runs the Lilith website.
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Indexing (details)
Subject Jewish Americans; Jewish lifeðics; Gays&lesbians; Nonfiction; Book reviews Hoffman, Warren Jewish All Jews Are Queer Weiss, Melanie Lilith 34 3 37,44 2 2009 Fall 2009 2009
People Ethnicity Title Author Publication title Volume Issue Pages Number of pages Publication year Publication date Year
Publisher Publisher Place of publication Country of publication Journal subject ISSN Source type Language of publication Document type Document feature Subfile ProQuest document ID Document URL Copyright Last updated Database
New York Lilith New York United States Jewish, Religions And Theology--Judaic, Women's Interests, Ethnic Interests 01462334 Magazines English Book Review-Favorable Photographs Book reviews, Nonfiction, Jewish Americans, Jewish lifeðics, Gays&lesbians 198263160 http://search.proquest.com/docview/198263160?accountid=11199 Copyright Lilith Fall 2009 2010-06-06 Ethnic NewsWatch << Link to document in ProQuest
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© 2011 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. - Terms and Conditions
_______________________________________________________________
Report Information from ProQuest
March 07 2012 00:28
_______________________________________________________________
Document 1 of 1
All Jews Are Queer
Weiss, Melanie. Lilith 34.3 (Fall 2009): 37,44.
_______________________________________________________________
Find a copy
Check at Evergreen
_______________________________________________________________
Abstract
Moving through great works of the Jewish American canon - such as Sholem Asch's "God of Vengance," Phillip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, and all of the impor- tant films by Yiddish stage and screen legend Molly Picon - [Hoffman] seeks to demonstrate that the Jew has long been "other" in America - odd, different and, one might say, queer. The struggle to assimilate, and the undercurrents of counter-assimilationist culture, have really been ways for Jewish Americans to grapple with their queerness - their distinct otherness, which made them unique but also was often feared, lest it inhibit their ability to become American. Hoffman puts it plainly when discussing Abraham Cahan's 1917 novel The Rise of David Levinsky: "In the world of the assimilating Jewish American immigrant, one cannot be queer and American at the same time."
_______________________________________________________________
Full Text
All Jews Are Queer Jewish American culture is about as queeras it gets. The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture by Warren Hoffman (Syracuse University Press, $24.95) challenges the popular conception of what "queer" is, reaching back to reexamine some of the hallmarks of American Jewish culture in the 20th century. Focusing on six major works (with more modern pieces bookending the discussion), Hoffman upholds a definition of queerthat has gained increasing currency in recent years - one that denotes nonheteronormative sexual or gender identity - but he reclaims the term's original or alternative definitions as well: queeris something odd, something different. And it's not only sexual orientation or gender identity that can be queered; everything from racial identity and immigrant status is open to queerinterpretation. Queer, Hoffman demonstrates, is about passing, not passing, and subverting the paradigm, and he delights in demonstrating how, by this definition, Jewish American culture (represented in this book by literature, film and theater) is about as queeras it gets. Moving through great works of the Jewish American canon - such as Sholem Asch's "God of Vengance," Phillip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint, and all of the impor- tant films by Yiddish stage and screen legend Molly Picon - Hoffman seeks to demonstrate that the Jew has long
been "other" in America- odd, different and, one might say, queer. The struggle to assimilate, and the undercurrents of counter-assimilationist culture, have really been ways for Jewish Americans to grapple with their queerness - their distinct otherness, which made them unique but also was often feared, lest it inhibit their ability to become American. Hoffman puts it plainly when discussing Abraham Cahan's 1917 novel The Rise of David Levinsky: "In the world of the assimilating Jewish American immigrant, one cannot be queerand American at the same time." Of course, there's plenty of modern-day queerness in the book, as well, in examinations of Picon's onstage cross-dressing and the fine line between homosocial and homosexual in David Levinsky 's tortuous love life - not to mention the lesbian love affair in "God of Vengence" and Portnoy's obsession with his own male member. But the real joy in a work like this is its ability to challenge what our concept of "queer" really is. Although this book does refer to a lot of queertheory and tends towards the dense and erudite, it is a great read for anyone examining Jewish work on page, stage or screen in America- or anyone who ever wondered, deep down, if there wasn't something just a bit. . . queerabout Jewish culture in America. MELANIE WEISS Sidebar The Jew has long been "other" in America- odd, different and, one might say, queer. AuthorAffiliation MELANIE WEISS is Lilith's associate editor and runs the Lilith website.
_______________________________________________________________
Indexing (details)
Subject Jewish Americans; Jewish lifeðics; Gays&lesbians; Nonfiction; Book reviews Hoffman, Warren Jewish All Jews Are Queer Weiss, Melanie Lilith 34 3 37,44 2 2009 Fall 2009 2009
People Ethnicity Title Author Publication title Volume Issue Pages Number of pages Publication year Publication date Year
Publisher Publisher Place of publication Country of publication Journal subject ISSN Source type Language of publication Document type Document feature Subfile ProQuest document ID Document URL Copyright Last updated Database
New York Lilith New York United States Jewish, Religions And Theology--Judaic, Women's Interests, Ethnic Interests 01462334 Magazines English Book Review-Favorable Photographs Book reviews, Nonfiction, Jewish Americans, Jewish lifeðics, Gays&lesbians 198263160 http://search.proquest.com/docview/198263160?accountid=11199 Copyright Lilith Fall 2009 2010-06-06 Ethnic NewsWatch << Link to document in ProQuest
_______________________________________________________________
Contact ProQuest
© 2011 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. - Terms and Conditions
