Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School

DVD for sale at www.hineinithefilm.org

HINEINI (Hebrew for 'Here I am') chronicles the story of one student's courageous fight to establish a gay-straight alliance at a Jewish high school in the Boston area and the transformative impact of her campaign on her entire community.

Longing to connect more deeply with her Jewish identity, Shulamit Izen enters 9th grade at The New Jewish High School (now Gann Academy) in Waltham, Massachusetts. She also starts school as an out lesbian.

Using interviews with Shulamit, her family, teachers, and other students - both those who support her campaign and those who oppose it - the film allows the members of this community to tell their own stories. What emerges is a potent and inspiring story of Jewish pluralism and a community navigating the cross-currents of Jewish tradition and social change.

Beyond the struggle to create a supportive environment for gay and lesbian students and teachers at the school, this is the story of a community wrestling with the very definition of pluralism and diversity in a Jewish context.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• GLBT
• gay
• lesbian
• bisexual
• trans
• transgender
• queer
• Jewish
• Jew
• LGBT
• school
• day
• education
• diversity

[BOREWAR0758]

to be frum and lgbt is a very painful experience. you shouldn't have to compromise either.they're both worth fighting for

[ElchananBenAvraham]

I'm a gay man pursuing a conversion to Orthodox Judaism and I couldn't agree more. Being a good Jew does not mean lying to yourself.

[ilovemusic555]

I think anybody who believes in religion today needs mental therapy!!!!!!!

[DenasMomma]

I'm a JL, but, I think that getting in peoples faces all of the time, burns a lot of energy that can be better used in other areas. If you are at peace w/yourself, that's all that counts. And don't forget: GLBTs have their own share of assholes!!! lol-krw

[friedrice0408]

@shiney94 Different people read different verses of the Torah differently.

Also, Judaism has different values, and they have to be weighed against each other in different situations. For example, one of the crimes which has the worst punishment in the Torah is eating on Yom Kippur. However, if a person has certain diseases, fasting would be dangerous. Therefore, we have to way the ritual against saving the persons life, and the rabbis would REQUIRE the person to eat to protect their life.

[FangFiftyFive]

Wow. I remember seeing this movie when I was young and insecure and not sure what I was. I was so lonely; it hurt so much.

In retrospect, I can't believe it was such a big deal. It's like reading the journal of my 13-year-old self's issues and laughing at its triviality. It gets better. In six years so much has changed.

[shiney94]

But in Judaism is it not forbidden to be a gay? So if that is true then people accepting gays in judaism are basically ignoring and somehow altering their faith. I want to know where Jewish people stand on this arguement

[dikkevette12]

gay ore lesbian never accept in this world only in europe i live in holland and the gays here are very creative persons bud the most are not good people