In Israel, where the Orthodox rabbinate wields historically sanctioned influence over the legal definitions of marriage and parenthood, same-sex parenthood raises important questions such as what constitutes belonging to the national collective, who has the authority to define the norms of reproduction, and where the boundaries of Orthodox Judaism begin and end. Judaism in Motion addresses these questions from a transgenerational perspective that pays heed to how religiously informed rules, norms, and practices of transferring material properties, names, and societal belonging are adopted and transformed. It presents a detailed ethnographic account of the dynamic interaction between kinship, religion, and the state that complicates the commonly held assumption that places same-sex parenthood in a radically secular sphere that stands in stark opposition to Orthodox Judaism. Taking same-sex parenthood as a prism through which society at large is reflected, this volume further explores how transformations of societal structures take place, and what flexibility and leeway exist in organized religions.
Author(s): Sibylle Lustenberger
Series: Contemporary Anthropology of Religion
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 267
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Orientations
1.1 Mumbai, 25 March 2013
1.2 A Short Introduction to Homosexuality and Reproduction in Judaism and Beyond
1.3 From the Making of Same-Sex Parenthood to Transgenerational Continuity
1.4 Same-Sex Parenthood, the State, and the Nation
1.5 Conflicting Norms and Moral Logics in Transformation
1.6 The Entwined Paths of Ethnographic Research
1.7 Outline of the Book
References
Chapter 2: Rachel’s Cry and the Paths to Lesbian Motherhood
2.1 Rabbinic Approaches to Jewish Continuity
2.2 Halakhic Troubles with Lesbian Relationships and Sperm Donation
2.3 Parenthood as a Matter of Human Dignity and as a Universal Right
2.4 Entering Sperm Banks and Fertility Clinics
2.5 Empowering Experiences
2.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: DNA Tests, mamzerut, and the Bureaucracies of Transnational Surrogacy
3.1 Following Gay Couples to India
3.2 Surrogacy, the State, and Bureaucracy
3.3 Encounters with mamzerut
3.4 The Tedious Journey of a DNA Test
3.5 Assuming Citizenship in Moments of Vulnerability
3.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Struggles over Recognition
4.1 The Knesset’s Trouble with Same-Sex Marriage
4.2 The Institution of Common-Knowledge Couples and Other Circumventions
4.3 Accessing Second-Parent Adoption and Parenthood Orders
4.4 Separation and Stories of Loss
4.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Making Jewish Children and Questions of Belonging
5.1 The Religious Status of Children Born to Lesbian Couples
5.2 The Conversion of Children Who Were Born Through Surrogacy
5.3 Belonging Marked in Flesh
5.4 Marking Belonging Through Transformed Rituals
5.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Transformations from Within
6.1 The Frictions and Fractions of Orthodox Judaism
6.2 Steps Toward Inclusion
6.3 Maintaining God’s Order of Creation
6.4 Silent Transformation and Frustration in Daily Life
6.4.1 Debbie
6.4.2 Nadav and Noam
6.4.3 Naamah
6.4.4 Uri
6.4.5 Daphna and Sari
6.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Same-Sex Parenthood and the Making of Jewish Continuity
7.1 The Fragmented Definition of Siblingship
7.2 Societal Belonging and Ambiguities in Defining Jewishness
7.3 Ontological Shifts, Rifts, and Frictions, and the Future of Orthodox Judaism
References
Index
