Reflecting on Creating Queer-Jewish Space
- Dana Phili
- Feb 3, 2023
- 3 min read
Growing up in Hashomer Hatzair Australia (Hashy) meant growing up around queer people and queer culture. We’re a leftist youth movement with three pillars; Secular Humanist Judaism, Socialist Zionism, and Socialism, but queerness sometimes feels like our fourth pillar.
It’s hard to believe our first annual Queer Night was only three years ago since the event now fills such a vital role in the Hashy calendar - a dedicated time and space to celebrate and discuss queerness. It’s an evening where a variety of sessions are run, with discourse, learning, and dialogue surrounding anything queer. This includes everything from gender roles for juniors to a session about the history of gay rights in Australia, or Aleph the largest Jewish Queer organisation in the country. It’s also an evening of fun and celebration - we had a drag queen perform in 2022.
Before Hashy, my experience of Judaism was strictly limited and bound to my experience of being Israeli. There was no world in which I could understand or connect to Judaism. I used to say, “I’m Israeli, not Jewish.” I couldn’t articulate the idea of secular Judaism or begin to comprehend how it would make sense - Jews believe in God, and I don’t believe in God so I’m not Jewish.
When I joined Hashy, it became apparent that I was in fact, A Jew, and a secular one at that. My family doesn’t identify strongly with their Judaism, and I went to a public school, so Hashy was and is my central connection to Judaism. It provided everything that was Jewish in my life - education, community, music, and more.
I’m very grateful for what I now know is a unique experience - a queer Jewish education. It was surprising to me when I found out at an inter-youth movement event in year 10 that other movements have gendered rooms on camp. I look back so fondly on peulot (programs) about queerness. Being at Midsumma Pride every year was a core part of my growing up.
This beautiful intersection that we are part of, shared by everyone from Dana International to Adam Eli, allows the movement to be the safe space that it is, and Queer Night has helped to solidify that. What the movement and our annual Queer Night have provided - countless moments of queer people feeling seen - has been one of the best parts of being a madricha (leader). A chanichol (participant) thanking you for having the space for asexual dialogue and representation, or a parent who’s emotional about the queer Jewish role Hashy is providing - that is my hagshama (personal fulfillment).
Organising Queer Night for the last few years has been such a privilege. I can’t really describe how inspiring it is to look at a crowd of Jews of different ages and from different parts of the community, all there to centre queerness and queer joy for three hours. The chance to spotlight queer Jewish art, identity, and religion, and join sessions about activism, binaries, and representation is one our community is forever thankful for.
Being queer can be hard. It can be filled with isolation and self-hatred and it can feel like you’re alone in that sometimes. Finishing up three years of leading, and my eight years total in the movement is emotional and sad. But knowing that Hashy will continue to be the first place our kids come out to, and seeing first-hand how Hashy’s queerness impacts our youth is a completely and totally positive experience. I’ll never stop being appreciative of the queer Jewish education I received from this movement.
Chazak Ve’ematz!
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