The laws of purity and impurity can feel oppressive and patriarchal or feminist and radical depending on how we interpret this ancient set of ideas and how we live these laws in today’s bodies and reality. Come join Kohenet Priestess Ariel Vegosen for a subversive deep dive into Niddah (menstruation laws), Mikvah (ritual bath), red tent culture, and queer sex in Judaism. This talk will be a mixture of ancient stories and modern day lived experiences with the goal of smashing the patriarchy one rebellious Jewish gender-queer lecture at a time! Bring your questions and be prepared for passion, engagement, edginess, wit, and some patriarchs to roll over in their graves.
Ariel Vegosen is a professional gender inclusivity trainer, Jewish educator, consultant, coach, writer, workshop facilitator, mentor, performance artist, and ritualist. Ariel is the founder of Gender Illumination and for over 18 years has facilitated trainings, workshops, and retreats for organizations, corporations, nonprofits, schools, communities, and faith based groups. This work has taken Ariel all over the US and internationally. Ariel is an ordained Kohenet Hebrew Priestess and Jewish cultural educator with a Certificate of Spirituality and Social Change from the Pacific School of Religion Changemaker Fellowship. Along with gender justice, Ariel’s work focuses on intersectionality, commitment to working from an anti-oppression lens, and creating communities across diverse cultural backgrounds. Ariel loves to play with pronouns, use theater and dance as a means to liberation, bring joy into all aspects of life, and creatively spark conversations and connections. Ariel is available for trainings, workshops, coaching, performing, teaching, rituals, and speaking engagements and can be reached at ariel@genderillumination.com