Hineini (Hebrew for “here I am”) follows high school student Shulamit Izen's efforts to establish a gay/straight alliance at the New Jewish High School of Greater Boston (nicknamed “New Jew”). While the school's mission is pluralistic—drawing students from a variety of Jewish sects—Izen felt torn between religious traditions forbidding homosexuality and her increasing awareness of herself as a lesbian. With her family's backing, Izen became involved in the gay/Jewish activist group Keshet (producers of this film), mapped out New Jew's power structures, and began advocating for the school to recognize a gay/straight alliance group. By the end of Izen's junior year, one of New Jew's four gay teachers came out at a school assembly on Judaism and homosexuality, and the school's administration agreed to let the students form the support group Open House. Interviews with Izen, fellow students, gay teachers, and then-headmaster Rabbi Daniel Lehmann tell the story of Izen's activism, while also offering personal perspectives on their thoughts about Judaism and homosexuality. With the exception of one student, Hineini does not feature comments from conservative Jews, although Lehmann does talk about the school's struggle to educate students about homosexuality without pressuring those whose religious beliefs purportedly forbid it. In filmmaker Irena Fayngold's Hineini, viewers will see that while Izen often felt uncertain, discouraged, or hurt, she persisted and ended up having a lasting impact on her teachers as well as her peers. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, as well as updates on students, teachers, and Open House. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)
Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School
(2005) 60 min. In English & Hebrew w/English subtitles. DVD: $125: public libraries & high schools; $250: colleges & universities. Keshet. PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 24, Issue 2
Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School
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