Trembling Before G-d (2001)

Director:

Sandi Simcha Dubowski

Release Date:

6 December 2001 (Israel)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

The hidden lives of gay and lesbian Orthodox and Hasidic Jews.

Plot:

A cinematic portrait of various gay Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their faith and their sexual orientation.

Plot Keywords:

Jew | Gay | Lesbian | Orthodox Jew | Homosexuality

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Shlomo Ashkinazy	...	Himself - Psychotherapist
Steve Greenberg	...	Himself (as Rabbi Steve Greenberg)
Nathan Lopes Cardozo	...	Himself (as Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo)
Naomi Mark	...	Herself - Psychotherapist
Shlomo Riskin	...	Himself (as Rabbi Shlomo Riskin)
Yaakov Meir Weil	...	Himself - Psychiatrist (as Dr. Yaakov Meir Weil)

Also Known As:

Ils tremblent devant Dieu (France) (TV title)

Runtime:

Germany:80 min | Germany:94 min | UK:84 min

Country:

Israel | France | USA

Language:

English | Yiddish | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cinephil

Trivia:

The spelling of the last word in this movie's title comes from the Jewish tradition of treating any written representation of the name of God with respect, and not writing it on any document that might be treated carelessly or accidentally or deliberately defaced, destroyed, or erased (a longstanding Rabbinical interpretation of Deuteronomy 12:3). Since this movie, like most, had posters, sales materials, contractual paperwork, DVD covers, and other ephemera with its title on them go out into public hands, the filmmakers used the G-d spelling out of respect and recognition that there was no way to know how the documents on which the name would be treated outside or their presences.

Quotes:

Rabbie Meir Fund: ...so the Jew who is gay by choice... work like made to overcome it... a Jew who is, as we might say, wall-to-wall gay... I will hold his hand, figuratively,... and do the best I can to give him strength to serve G-d.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Trembling Before G-d/Midori (#4.25)" (2002)

Beating their heads against the Western Wall..

There will always be oppression, there will always be bigotry, and there will always be guilt and shame, because organized religion has given us all of these and more. And now here comes a group of gay Orthodox Jews asking their elders and family to deny millennia of religious writings and dogma and accept them unconditionally? I am gay and a Jew and accept the fact that not every person I meet will be happy with either of those affirmations. To find people that will accept both at the same time is rarer still. At least I had the good fortune NOT to be born into an orthodox household. I would have written them off years ago..

This documentary is a caring and touching look at several people caught in a moral and sexual dilemma. Whom do they deny, themselves, or G-d? If they proclaim their homosexuality to their world, they are dismissed or ignored, shunned or exiled. If they repress their feelings and accept the dogmatic teachings of their draconian faith, then they are driven to suffer in silence, or worse, suicide.

This is little more than a modern day inquisition with the parents, the rebbe's and the congregations turning the thumbscrews on these pathetic souls. My heart goes out to all of them, but in my opinion, it is a loosing battle. I would rather see them live as complete a life as they can, knowing they are doing the best that they can, and striving for a shift in attitude in general, not a change in religious doctrine, which will never come.