Terms found in the text:

·         Trance-sexual woman

·         Dionysos: a cross-gendered God (raised as a girl)

o   Maenads: his female followers (took on male characteristics)

·         Mechitza, trichitza

·         Gender change

·         Desire

·         Crossing sexuality

·         Transgender

·         Personal narratives take place in a progression of Jewish contexts, moving from secular toward the sacred

·         Transphobia

·         Transgender gender expressions

·         Jewish community

The Mechitza is described as the Hebrew word for a barrier that separates men from women in a Jewish Orthodox synagogue.  The Mechitza can take different forms such as a physical wall, a clothesline from one end of the room to the other, or a balcony, but all examples serve the purpose of making a distinction between men and women.  This separation is visible in a synagogue but also serves as a way of thinking about life in the Jewish tradition and Western culture.  The umbrella of identities that fit under the term transgender, including someone whose body contains both female and male genetic material, is described as a reality of humanity and a challenge to the traditional view of the Mechitza in the Jewish faith.  This is a story about the struggles of practicing Jewish people to be recognized for their true gender identity within their faith community.  Members of the Jewish faith will find this book inspiring and practical and readers not of the Jewish faith will learn of oppression that may especially exist for Jewish transgender people, but will also find the commonalities of challenges faced by all transgendered people.  The book features personal essays of transgender individuals who are practicing Jews and who are giving voice and ideas to living their Jewish life to the fullest with recognition of their true gender identity. 

According to the introduction, this book includes “the words of scholars, activists, and spiritual leaders who are using the time-honored tools of the Jewish tradition to shape a Judaism that not only includes, but also embraces transgender persons.”

According to the book’s own summary:

“Balancing the Mechitza contains spiritual autobiography, rituals, text study, assistance for community organizing, and theory to advance the idea and the practical reality of transgender inclusion in mainstream and queer Jewish spaces.  The book provides classical Jewish texts with traditional and activist interpretations that support and validate transgender lives.  Some essays invite personal reflection on the nature of the transgender Divine.  Each chapter introduction will provide an overview of the essays in that chapter.”