Transgender Issues and the Jewish Tradition

Author: Azriel Apap

Field of Study: Judaic Studies; History

Program Affiliation: Summer Scholars and Artists Program (SSAP)

Faculty Mentors: Eliyana Adler

Easel: 77

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Azriel Apap spent the summer of 2025 completing wide-ranging research on topics of Jewish law and strands within Jewish mysticism that pertain to contemporary transgender issues. He produced an introductory discussion of the cross-gendered soul in Jewish mysticism, a small work of exegesis on the biblical creation story, and an outline for future research. This future research includes his current independent study, based on archival findings made during that time. This study focuses on an intersex Jew in Eastern Europe previously known only through a single second hand anecdote, and who has been “claimed” by contemporary transgender Jews. It also explores the expansive use of traditional Jewish terminology for intersex conditions in the Hebrew and Yiddish newspapers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This work was completed through the 2025 Summer Scholars and Artists Program under the mentorship of Eliyana Adler. The independent study is supervised by Gina Glasman.