Co-sponsored by Kol Tzedek West Philadelphia Synagogue and Bindlestiff Books

Tuesday, July 9, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Philadelphia author Warren Hoffman will read from and discuss his new book, The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture. Hoffman’s book explores queer Jewish identity in 20th-century American literature, drama and film. Hoffman examines pre-Stonewall Jewish literature, including the 1907 Yiddish play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, the cross-dressing films of Yiddish actress Molly Picon, and several short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. He also analyzes the English-language novels The Rise of David Levinsky (Abraham Cahan), Wasteland (Jo Sinclair), and Portnoy’s Complaint (Phillip Roth). Hoffman highlights the ways in which the characters in these canonical texts attempt to “pass” as white, straight, and American in the early and mid–twentieth century.

Questions? Contact socialjustice@kol-tzedek.org.