A NIGHT OF QUEERS, JEWS AND MONSTERS

One of Manhattan's queer little secrets is a vibrant LGBTQ program at the Jewish Community Center on Amsterdam Avenue and West 76th Street.  The Center itself is a lavish contemporary building with 14 levels including a rooftop terrace, an indoor swimming pool, a health club, a nursery school, an auditorium and a comprehensive arts center.  But what few queer Jews and queers in general do not know is the the JCC'S diverse community and activities includes queer programs that rival  most LGBT community centers around the nation.

For example, just this past summer, the JCC hosted the Faigele Film Festival, the first Jewish LGBTQ film festival in New York, a four day long event that explored the convergence of Jewish and queer identities.  Other activities include queer holiday activities, singles events and queer performance art.

I bring this up because next week on Thursday, November 16 at 7 PM, the Director of the JCC Gay & Lesbian Film Program and the Curator of the Faigele Film Festival are hosting a Gay Horror Film Fest. (Faigele or Faygeleh is Yiddish for Fairy or Queer.)

They will pose a challenging question:  Whats Scarier: Thinly-Veiled Homophobia or  the Knife-Wielding Maniac? In this critical and fascinating evening, JCC film program experts will explore scenes from classic and contemporary horror movies where LGBTQ antagonists display characteristics of evil and perversion.  Is it essential to the role? Or is it subtext, designed to firmly associate homosexuality with unwholesome behavior?

Among the films to be examined:  Basic Instinct, Silence of the Lambs, Interview with a Vampire and many more.

I've attended some of their events in the past and they are fascinating and eye-opening.  You're also bound to meet some very cute Jewish men in an environment that's a lot more intellectually and emotionally stimulating than a bar.

Comments

[angie]

Dear Author of A NIGHT OF QUEERS, JEWS AND MONSTERS - We at The JCC in Manhattan are so pleased with your write up! Thank you! We've been trying to let the city know about exactly what you've written. I would love to discuss with you. Be in touch if you can. Thanks! Angie [email protected]