while Orthodox Judaism generally
condemns homosexuality, there is a growing
group of devout gay Jews in Israel unwilling to
abandon their faith and demanding a place in
the religious community.
"As much as I fled it, the heavens made it
clear to me that that's who I am," Hadar said.
He is marching Thursday — out of costume —
in Jerusalem's annual gay pride parade.
Hadar, a telemarketer by day, has taken the
gay Orthodox struggle from the synagogue to
the stage, beginning to perform as one of
Israel's few religious drag queens. His drag
persona is that of a rebbetzin, a female
rabbinic advisor — a wholesome guise that
stands out among the sarcastic and raunchy
cast of characters on Israel's drag queen
circuit. This year, Hadar found acceptance — and self-
expression — at Drag Yourself, a Tel Aviv
school offering 10-month courses for budding
drag performers. Students learn how to teeter
on high heels, apply false eyelashes and
fashion their own drag personas. Hadar, still a
beginner, graduates next month.
The drag school, much like Israel's gay
community itself, offers a rare opportunity for
Israelis to interact with others from disparate
and sometimes warring sectors of society. The
school may be the only place where a Jewish
settler, a lapsed ultra-Orthodox Jew, an Arab-
Israeli and Israeli soldiers have stuffed their
bras together.


www.aprokomania..com

Hmmm, interesting.