Hineini
Encyclopedia
Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School (2005) is a documentary film
by director Irena Fayngold.
The student, Shulamit Izen, enters 9th grade at The New Jewish High School (now Gann Academy
) in Waltham, Massachusetts
openly identifying as a lesbian
.
Set in an interview format, the Hineini documents Izen, her family, teachers, and other students who both support her campaign and those who oppose it.
Among themes examined in the documentary is the Jewish community wrestling with the issues of pluralism and diversity.
Hineini, along with Trembling Before G-d
and Encounter Point
, are featured in the Films That Change the World Purim to Passover Project.
"[Hineini] examines how one community balanced its members’ profound and conflicting needs…Fayngold captures [the] tension…[and] the emotional stakes." -The Boston Globe
"…it’s hard to resist the inspiring story of Shulamit Izen, a lesbian student who started a Gay-Straight Alliance at her private, religious New Jewish High School." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Director Irena Fayngold retraced Izen's journey, which took place in 2001, for her film...When she met Izen, Fayngold realized 'this wasn't the story of one girl. It was the story of a community,' she said."
"Poignant…Fayngold’s film reveals both the pathos and humor involved in the soul-searching that Izen and Gann Academy experience." -Jewish Telegraph Agency
"In the end it is perhaps [Headmaster Rabbi] Lehmann who articulates the film’s theme most precisely and most eloquently by noting that 'the core of our tradition is to bring together those conflicting opinions not in an attempt to somehow resolve them or create harmony, but to actually live in the tension of those differences.'"
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by director Irena Fayngold.
Plot
Hineini (Hebrew for 'Here I am') chronicles the story of Izen's attempt to establish a gay-straight alliance at a Jewish high school in the Boston.The student, Shulamit Izen, enters 9th grade at The New Jewish High School (now Gann Academy
Gann Academy
Gann Academy is an independent pluralistic Jewish high school located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1997 as The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, the school changed names in 2003 in honor of philanthropist Joseph Gann who donated $5,000,000 to the school...
) in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
openly identifying as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
Set in an interview format, the Hineini documents Izen, her family, teachers, and other students who both support her campaign and those who oppose it.
Among themes examined in the documentary is the Jewish community wrestling with the issues of pluralism and diversity.
Impact
The film was listed in the 2006 issue of Slingshot, a resource guide of the "50 most innovative Jewish organizations and projects" in the United States.Hineini, along with Trembling Before G-d
Trembling Before G-d
Trembling Before G-d is an 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare orthodox attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay...
and Encounter Point
Encounter Point
Encounter Point is an award-winning film directed by Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha. It depicts different families that have been affected by the violence in Israel between Israelis and Palestinians. In this film, Just Vision, a non-profit organization, follows these families for 16 months. It begins...
, are featured in the Films That Change the World Purim to Passover Project.
Reactions
"An engaging portrait of a pioneering teen activist...a terrific teaching tool. New Jew's take on religious pluralism is never less than fascinating as students and staffers hold forth, pro and con. Docu renders ancient concerns as vibrantly contemporary." - Variety"[Hineini] examines how one community balanced its members’ profound and conflicting needs…Fayngold captures [the] tension…[and] the emotional stakes." -The Boston Globe
"…it’s hard to resist the inspiring story of Shulamit Izen, a lesbian student who started a Gay-Straight Alliance at her private, religious New Jewish High School." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Director Irena Fayngold retraced Izen's journey, which took place in 2001, for her film...When she met Izen, Fayngold realized 'this wasn't the story of one girl. It was the story of a community,' she said."
"Poignant…Fayngold’s film reveals both the pathos and humor involved in the soul-searching that Izen and Gann Academy experience." -Jewish Telegraph Agency
"In the end it is perhaps [Headmaster Rabbi] Lehmann who articulates the film’s theme most precisely and most eloquently by noting that 'the core of our tradition is to bring together those conflicting opinions not in an attempt to somehow resolve them or create harmony, but to actually live in the tension of those differences.'"
See also
External links
- Official Website
- Films That Change The World
- Video Librarian: Review of Hineini, March-April 2009.
- Jewish Advocate: Film on gay Jewish student shown at State House event, May 31, 2006.
- Education Week Magazine: A Clear Stand, May 17, 2006.
- Hineini in The New York Times, Hadassah Magazine, and Lilith Magazine, March/April 2006.
- JVibe: No More Closets, Coming Out in a Jewish High School, March/April, 2006.
- Jewish Advocate: Gann Documentary Sparks Jewish-Gay Debate, November 11, 2005.