20190326_GenderStudies_Beyond_Binary_Gender_Biblical_Rabbinic_Texts

Location

Room 4.04 RRST
Room 4.04, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

More Info

Registration

Date

Mar 26 2019

Time

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Labels

Gender Studies Programme

Gender Studies Programme

Beyond the Binary: Gender in Biblical and Rabbinic Texts

 

Speaker: Rabbi Dena Bodian Jewish Chaplain and Campus Rabbi at Wellsley College(Boston, MA)

 

Abstract

While some religious communities might argue that the phenomenon we call transgender is counter to Biblical (and therefore divine) intent, the Jewish tradition has long recognized that gender does not always fit neatly into a male/female binary. From the rabbinic identification of six gender categories to traditional Jewish texts in which Biblical characters’ transition from one gender to another, our discussion will examine the ways in which religion can recognize and incorporate a more fluid construct of gender identity. ​

 

Bio

Dena Bodian is the Jewish Chaplain and Campus Rabbi at Wellsley College (Boston, MA). Prior to assuming that position this fall, she spent seven years at Colgate University, where she advised the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and atheist student groups and participated in campus-wide intiatives, including Yes Means Yes, Inter-Group Dialogue, Scriptural Reasoning, and faculty reading groups. During her last year at Colgate, she spearheaded the research, writing, and publication of a volume on the history of Jews at Colgate, marking the university’s bicentennial celebration.

In addition to serving as a past president of the National Association of College and University Chaplains, Rabbi Bodian also worked with the local rural Jewish community in upstate NY, running a Hebrew school, offering classes, and  performing weddings and funerals. Rabbi Bodian received rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Seminary of the Deaf in  Chicago, and holds both a BA (2001) and MA (2002) from Bryn Mawr College, where she studied urban planning and architectural history.

All are welcome.

Date/Time: Tuesday, 26/03/2019 16:30 – 18:00
Venue: Room 4.04, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus
Language: English

Registration HERE

Inquiry: genderst@hku.hk / 39174182

Go to Top