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Gonzalo Cardozo, Dr. Yaakov Meir Weil, David from Los Angeles, Rabbi Aharon Feldman, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin ... see more see more... , Rabbi Steve Greenberg , Malka from Miami , Leah from Miami , Michelle from Brooklyn , Shlomo Ashkinazy , Naomi Mark , Tamar from Jerusalem , Mark from London , Israel from Brooklyn , Devorah from Israel , Rabbi Nathan Lopes , Rabbi Meir Fund , Steve Greenberg

Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski makes his feature-length film debut with the documentary Trembling Before G-d, a look at gays and lesbians in Hasidic and Orthodox Judaism. Made over several years in Ne... read more read more...w York, California, Israel, Britain, and Florida, the film follows the lives of several people struggling to express both their faith and their sexuality. In L.A., pianist David is an Orthodox gay man who has been through over ten years of therapy to supposedly "cure" his homosexuality. He visits the Chabad rabbi whom he first came out to over 20 years before. Michelle is a Hasidic lesbian who lives in Brooklyn. Having married only to please her family, she's been ostracized from her community ever since the divorce. Also in Brooklyn, Israel is a gay man who's abandoned much of his Hasidic life and hasn't seen his father in over 20 years. In London, twentysomething Mark is a the son of an Orthodox rabbi. He came out during a trip to Israel, which was supposed to rid him of his sexual questioning. Some participants prefer to remain anonymous or at least slightly obscured, including a lesbian couple who met in Hebrew school and an ultra-Orthodox closeted lesbian. The film also features some footage with various doctors and religious leaders, including the progressive psychotherapist Shlomo Ashkinazy and the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, Steve Greenberg. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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64% liked it

1,446 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

61 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Sandi DuBowski, Sandi Simcha Dubowski

Release Date: October 24, 2001

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DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (84)

  • gator681
    January 13, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Trembling before G-d" is a documentary about the difficulties faced by gay men and lesbians living in the Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish communities where biblical passages have been interpreted to condemn homosexuality. Another obstacle is how tight knit thes... read moree communities are, making it extremely hard for a person to come out of the closet, especially when they are expected to marry and have children.(Thus explaining why certain participants have their faces blurred for the camera.) It is very sad seeing people forced to live lies.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]The movie talks to gays and lesbians in Los Angeles, Miami, Brooklyn and Israel, along with rabbis and psychologists in the community. Whereas some professionals are clearly empathetic, others simply ask their charges to change and conform.(By the way, I think the woman with 12 children is not depressed because of her husband's struggle.) In the end, it is much easier to tell someone what to believe than it is to tell them how to feel. And if god exists, then I would be sure that she loves gays and lesbians as much as everybody else. [/font]
  • jam233
    December 14, 2009
    jam233
    It's well made, but it seemed a bit repetitive, the subject matter seems more suited to a film of perhaps an hour. I was always interested, but there were definitely some slow stretches.
  • Skyambler
    October 25, 2008
    Skyambler
    An eye-opening video on homosexuality and the Jewish tradition. Ultimately, helps answer and ponder upon our lives direction that conflicts with religious beliefs and traditions. Gives you understanding.
  • PunkAlternative
    July 8, 2007
    PunkAlternative
    For a documentary, this video is very intriguing and moving. This is a film about being a gay Orthodox Jew in America. Most of Jewish Orthodoxy in the US rejects homosexuality as being against the literal text of Leviticus (a portion of the Torah--the "Hebrew Bible"--which is par... read moret of what the Christians refer to as the Old Testament).

    As this film shows, a number (probably a relatively small number) of American Orthodox rabbis recognize that being gay is a natural state that can't be denied. They tell their gay congregants to obey Leviticus, but these rabbis say that expressing same sex love is OK within those limits.

    The film gets legal/halachic about it, showing that this Orthodox rejection of gay sexual practices is specifically rejection of "sodomy." Beyond that there isn't any technical problem with gay expressions of love, as some Orthodox rabbis have concluded. In the biblical sense, sodomy is defined in a very limited way--not like some people's interpretation which is that any gay sexual act is sodomy.

    Personally, I think the broad interpretation of sodomy is incorrect. I think the more limited definition is the correct one. But, I believe sodomy even in that limited sense is not a violation of the subject prohibition in Leviticus, even if that prohibition is read literally. This is based on reasoning that is beyond the discussion in this review.

    For some for whom sodomy is not an important element of sex, the Orthodox rule is easy to obey. There are more gay people (including men) who do not perform sodomy than most believe.

    The views of some non-Orthodox Jewish rabbis in the US are much more tolerant than American Jewish Orthodoxy. A growing number of Jewish rabbis in the Reform & Reconstructionist movements, and in some synagogues of the Conservative movement, even conduct Jewish marriage ceremonies for gay couples. Looking beyond the US, the rabbis of Israel, generally, do not view homosexuality favorably. Despite this, if you look up non-rabinic Israeli attitudes towards homosexuality, you will find them to be the most liberal in the Middle East and one of the most liberal in the world (ahead of the US in fact). Check it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_rights_in_Israel

    My commentary will now go beyond the film, as I discuss an example of the views towards gays of Jewish & non-Jewish clergy in Israel. I followed the news on the 2007 Gay Pride parade that was planned for Jerusalem. I believe that the clerics of the three principal "religious" faiths who spoke out against the parade made a big mistake. They don't seem to realize that gay people are persecuted and discriminated against not unlike Jewish people, not unlike Arabs & not unlike Catholics in certain countries. I would prefer these clergy to be accepting of those who are different, because that's what their followers ask of other people.

View All Trembling Before G-d Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
December 12, 2002
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A unique documentary about the crisis confronting gay and lesbian Jews who wish to remain part of the Orthodox and Hasidic branches of Judaism.

July 20, 2002
Chicago Tribune

So how do gay men and lesbians who want to practice Orthodox Judaism reconcile these two seemingly contradictory forces in their lives? Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski's Trembling Before G-D examines t... Full Review

Geoff Pevere
July 19, 2002
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

To the film's considerable credit, it focuses on the power of faith more than on the power of desire. Full Review

Ray Conlogue
July 19, 2002
Ray Conlogue, Globe and Mail

A remarkable film, for thoughtful people of all beliefs. Full Review

Joe Baltake
April 26, 2002
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Does an incisive job in defining the contradictory natures of Orthodox Judaism and homosexuality, and honoring the condemned people caught in the middle. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
March 1, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

It's that dilemma -- a commitment to Orthodox life, the refusal to deny one's sexuality and the fear of expulsion once that sexuality is revealed -- that director Sandi Simcha DuBowski illustrates so ... Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen
February 27, 2002
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

... the film succeeds in shedding revealing light on a group of individuals who are particularly reluctant to face a camera lens.

Kevin Thomas
February 22, 2002
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Sandi Simcha DuBowski's wonderful documentary, Trembling Before G-d, extends a warm embrace to those struggling to reconcile sexual orientation with the teachings of the religion in which they were ra... Full Review

Susan Stark
February 8, 2002
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Bravely, carefully, urgently, DuBowski addresses a subject long concealed by multiple barriers.

Alona Wartofsky
January 25, 2002
Alona Wartofsky, Washington Post

A compelling illustration of the all-too-human need for acceptance and approval.

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