Queering Kedusha: Judaica as Political Practice

Kedusha (holiness) is a vast, complex, and mystical tenet in Judaism. But, what makes something kadosh (holy) in our tradition? By focusing on k’lei kedusha (holy objects), AKA Judaica, we will explore what is at stake in Jewish aesthetic, ethics, and adornment practices. We will take an explicitly queer approach to our studies, reading Midrash Shemot Rabba (how the sacred vessels of the Mishkan were created), in conversation with contemporary queer theory, queer Judaica, and zine culture as additional source texts. Learners of all Hebrew language knowledge levels welcome as well as misfits of all genders and sexual orientations!
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Ollie Schwartz (M.Ed. | no pronouns) lives with the quiet and the queers in the rural hilltowns of Western Massachusetts on unceded Nipmuc and Pocumtuck lands. Ollie’s latest project, Pushcart Judaica, provides accessible Jewish ritual objects, books, zines, art and learning that reflect libratory values, handcrafted beauty, and movement brilliance. Ollie is a founding member of Signal Fire Cooperative (FKA Radical Jewish Calendar), a Creative Facilitation Fellow through Jewish Studio Project , a Davening Leadership Training Intensive fellow through ALEF, and a former co-director of Linke Fligl a queer Jewish chicken farm and cultural organizing project. You can find Ollie learning to identify bird calls, dipping candles, avidly reading, and trying to move more slowly through our ever-accelerating world.