Participants of the Queer Shabbaton Amsterdam can take part in all workshops, lectures and other sessions. No special background, knowledge or skills are needed. Recognizing that we all come from different backgrounds and have different opinions, what is most important during this Shabbaton, is that we all feel free in what we do and respect each other and each other's opinions. This is a safe and open space, in which respect and dialogue are keywords

The program is divided in four components:

1. Queering the Holy Tongue program: Founding texts of Judaism, such as Torah and Talmud are often used - by dominant Jewish paradigm’s - as a way to legalize and normalize heterosexuality and thus, as a way to exclude and disqualify queer desire. However, in doing a queer reading of these texts we not only come to a defence and legitimation of ourselves, but to a formulation of desire and identity in general, that is not fixed, but rather fluid and performative.
2. Culture and self-performance program: In these workshops we’ll share our stories and (re-)define ourselves and our desires throught art and creativity. Through performance and storytelling, we’ll share political, personal and erotic experiences. We also take a close look at a number of literary Jewish texts (from Renaissance-Ladino to Yiddish) and other art forms in which it is shown that same-sex desire has always been a celebrated subject in Jewish culture and tradition.
3. History and its role models program: Queer theory and cultural relativism aside, sexual minorities have always been present in Jewish history. Even more, a lot of them have been of great merit to society as intellectuals, artists, scientists and fighters for social change. And others were great in their own right. In these sessions we will explore some of these silenced or forgotten queers in Jewish history. How did they live their different identities? In what way did these figures challenge Judaism and Jewish identity? What can be learned from these figures and how have they become examples for us queer Jews today?
4. Politics and activism program: In these practical sessions, strategies for creating discussion and realizing social change in the Jewish community will be exchanged. Queer rights in the Jewish community, in Europe and Israel will be discussed.
   

Schedule from Friday August 4th to Sunday August 6th 2006

6 p.m.
L'Chayim Reception
Welcome-drinks will be served at the meet, greet and more. Introduction to the weekend.

7:20 p.m.
Queering the Holy Tongue
Candle Lighting

7:30 p.m.
Shul Service*
Friday night service and study on the parasha.

* The services will be held at Beit ha’ Chidush (Uilenburger Synagogue), an unaffiliated congregation, and will be led by David Berger (CBST, New York) and by Gili Tzidkiyahu (UK Liberalism).
* Those who prefer another kind of service can go to a Conservative or an Orthodox synagogue in Amsterdam -- we’ll provide details how to get there. For the atheists among us: There are some great bars in the neighbourhood and some of us will be happy to take you there. But don’t be late for:

9 – 11:00 p.m.
Shabbat Dinner
Shabbat Kiddush and an elaborate, mainly veggy, Shabbat Dinner (kosher-style), focusing on socializing and greeting the Shabbat bride/ bridegroom/ the intentionally single/ and the non-monogamous. Now, eat!

10:30 – 11:30 p.m.
I'd Bless Ya, But I Just Washed My Hair
During dessert enjoy a totally irrelevant quiz to get to know each other and test your Gaydar and Jewdar.

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Queering the Holy Tongue
Shul Service and Kiddush
Saturday morning service and study on the parasha (Maásei) led by Natan Meir and Amichai Lau-Lavie(New York).

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Kiddush and brunch
After the kiddush, a bagel and lox-brunch will be being served. Schmooze and Eat!

On Saturday and Sunday there will be two continuous viewings:

Tobaron Waxman is a performance artist, specialising in digital media and voice. His work contextualises gender, embodiment, and the physical experience of time as systems of inscription. His work includes elements of traditional Jewish texts and philosophy, as well as politics and desire. A special version of Techiat ha Metim (Revival of the Dead), created for the Queer Shabbaton Amsterdam, will be shown on Saturday and Sunday as a continuous viewing in De Werkplaats.

Hineini/ Here I Am (Directed by Irena Fayngold , 60 min USA, 2005) chronicles the story of one student's courageous fight to establish a gay-straight alliance at a Jewish high school and the transformative impact of her campaign on everyone involved. This is the story of a community wrestling with the very definition of pluralism and diversity in a Jewish context. What emerges is a potent story of Jewish pluralism and a community navigating the cross-currents of Jewish tradition and social change. This continuous viewing during the Shabbaton is the films European premiere.

11:30– 12:30 p.m.
Culture and (self-) performance
Consciousness Raising Session I ­ Daniel Weishut
During the Shabbaton we will have three gatherings, at which participants can share thoughts, feelings and experiences on being Jewish and queer. These gathering will provide the opportunity to compare our cultural identities and life-styles, and discuss experiences from the weekend. In addition, there will be ample time to get to know each other better. The gatherings will be facilitated by professional workshop-leaders from Israel and The Netherlands.

12:45– 1:45 p.m.
Queering the Holy Tongue
Love!­ Gabriel Blau
A lot of passages in the Torah have been used to legalize and normalize heterosexuality and to marginalize queer desire. However, in this workshop we will read these passages and look for different, non-traditional interpretations. We’ll also search for specific queer narratives. This guided study session will focus on Jewish texts on Love.  We will explore some of the models of love in our tradition and look at the ways Love may be understood in a Jewish theology.  The process of study will reveal useful and accessible models that speak to LGBTQ people, instead of at them. All levels of study are welcome. The session will be part partner (or small group) study, and part large group. Texts will be provided.
Or

12:45– 1:45 p.m.
History and its role models
The Forgotten Names Project­ Klaus Muller
A relatively large number of gays and lesbians took part in the Dutch resistance against the Nazi-occupation (1940-1945). Example is the famous Frieda Belinfante, who was both queer and Jewish. After the war however, these names and stories were erased from the romanticized myth of the brave patriot. Only recently historian Klaus Muller published his books in which he tells these stories of oppression of and resistance by (Jewish) queers.

2:00– 3:00 p.m.
Queering the Holy Tongue
Queer Yeshiva – David Berger
We will take a queer and feminist view in re-reading certain passages from the Torah or other Jewish founding cultural texts. These stories will show that Western current-day 'legalized' concepts like heterosexuality and the patriarchal gender-roles are far from universal and authentic, as claimed in dominant Jewish discourses of today. But we will not only be searching for gay moments and icons. These queer examples from the Torah destabilize any notion of fixed identities through history and show that desire and identity are rather fluid and performative.
Or

2:00– 3:00 p.m.
Culture and self-performance
Black, White and Jewish ­ Rebecca Walker
Biracial and bisexual Rebecca Walker will be talking on her autobiography Black, White and Jewish, which deals with her search for self-identity and her struggle to deal with the prejudices of friends, teachers and her families, both black and Jewish.


3:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Gay Canal Parade or Shabbat Rest
Time off: Watch or even participate in Amsterdam Gay Pride 2006, which is held around the corner of our location!

Or: Chill at the Queer Shabbaton-lounge and schmooze, watch gay and lesbian classic videos or play Trivial Pursuit.
Or: Discover old Jewish Amsterdam in a guided Shabbaton-tour.
Or: Watch Hineini in our special screening-room .

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Culture and self-performance
Queer Theory and the Jewish Question ­ Ann Pellegrini
In 2003 Ann Pelligrini edited together with Daniel Boyarin and Daniel Itzkovitz the groundbreaking anthology Queer Theory and the Jewish Question. Tonight at the Queer Shabbaton she will introduce this tour de force of which writer Tony Kusner wrote: "Jews have always found ways to enrich, complefixy, subvert or openly resist orthodoxies and fundamentalisms; since the Diaspora, and maybe before it, these strategies have been an essential component of Jewish survival and the improbable, remarkable intellectual and cultural growth of the Jewish people in the face of murderous oppression. This book marks a glorious new installment in that history of courageous, even outrageous Jewish thought… It usefully situates some of the central figures of queer theory in a Jewish context and simultaneously displays them at their sharpest…"

6:50 – 7:50 p.m.
Culture and (self-) performance
Consciousness Raising Session II ­ Daniel Weishut
Impressions, feelings and thoughts of today will be discussed. Afterwards we’ll walk to the Uilenburger Synagogue for the evening program.

8:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Dinner and Havdalah
More food. More wine. More schmooze. More wine.

10:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Culture and (self-) performance
The Rebbetzin’s Tisch: The Shabbat Queen Escort Service
Older than Moses, younger than spring, the internationally acclaimed six-times-widowed Mrs. Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross will host a Shabbes Tisch. An unforgettable experience.

All sessions today will be held in De Werkplaats

9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
Hangover?
Coffee, tea, muffins and vitamins will be served.

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
Culture and self-performance
Sex and the Schtettl ­ Natan Meier
This workshop will introduce participants to a number of Jewish historical texts that deal with gay male themes. A scrutiny of these texts, ranging from early Renaissance-texts to Yiddish homoerotic poems from the 19th century, will show that same-sex desire and gender bending have been present throughout the ages and a celebrated subject in Jewish culture as well. As with all good Jewish texts, the material is full of pathos, humour and intrigue. Creative writing included.
Or

10:15– 11:15 a.m.
Culture and self-performance
Storahtelling Amsterdam ­ Amichai Lau Lavie
New York-based Storahtelling is a radical fusion of storytelling, Torah, traditional ritual theatre and contemporary performance art. Founder Amichai Lau-Lavie will lead an interactive theatre workshop on themes of Jewish identity and queerness.

11:30– 12:30 a.m.
Culture and self-performance
The Art of Memoir: Writing the Self­ Rebbeca Walker
Rebecca Walker has taught The Art of Memoir at numerous workshops, MFS programmes and writing conferences. This workshop will offer advice on using autobiographical experiences of Otherness and subjectivity in both fiction and non-fiction.

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
Bagels, salmon, eggs, humus, salads, herring, tuna, fruit ... and more of the goodies your bobe used to make.

1:45– 2:45 p.m.
Culture and self-performance
Queer Notes on Jewish Camp ­ Ann Pellegrini
Thought camp is just a gay thing? Wrong. In this workshop you’ll discover the particular Jewish influences and forms of gay male irony and aestheticism. In this audio-visual presentation, Ann Pelligrini will introduce to you a universe full of performers and anecdotes including clips of Sarah Bernhardt, Sandra Bernard, Rebbetzin Gross and many more. Insightful and hysterically funny!

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Politics and activism
Next Week in Jeruzalem! ­ Shai and Mike Hamel
From gay legal rights debates in the Knesset to the politics of the Jerusalem Open House, the position of Israeli lesbians and gay men has undergone a revolution over the last decade. In this workshop we will explore historical and present-day LGBT activism and politics in Israel through personal narratives, activist pamphlets and legislative texts. Members of the Aguda (Israel’s largest LGBT movement) will talk about this revolution, the challenges facing their organisation and about WorldPride 2006.
Or

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Politics and activism
My big Fat Gay Jewish wedding? ­ a discussion led by Gili Tzidkiyahu
With debates in Conservative Judaism going on at this very moment, same-sex marriage is far from accepted in Judaism. Even in ‘ liberated’ Amsterdam, Beit ha’ Chidush is the only Jewish congregation where same-sex couples can marry. Two Jewish same-sex couples (one married, one about to marry) will talk about their struggle to marry in synagogue, the acts of sabotage by several Jewish communities and organizations and about the many innovative strategies they developed in order to circumvent and eventually solve these problems.

4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
Culture and (self-) performance
Consciousness Raising Session III ­ Daniel Weishut
In this last session we will reflect on and compare the experiences we had this weekend on being queer and Jewish. Through these dialogues we will jointly innovate a queer Havdalah.

5:30– 6:00 p.m.
Queering the Holy Tongue
Queer Havdalah - all of us
All participants are invited to perform the newly-invented queer Havdalah to close off the Shabbaton.