Navigate to News section

‘To Be Us, It’s Political’: Tel Aviv’s Drag Queens

A new short follows a first timer as she prepares to take the stage, exploring the unique quirks of the Israeli drag scene

by
Jesse Bernstein
February 20, 2018
(JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Israeli drag queens take part in the annual Gay Pride parade in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, on June 9, 2017.(JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
(JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Israeli drag queens take part in the annual Gay Pride parade in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, on June 9, 2017.(JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Refinery29 put out an excellent mini-doc about the Tel Aviv drag scene this week, following a young soldier named German as he prepares for his first performance as a queen, named Diamond. German trains under other Israeli queens like Nona Chalant and Asis D’Orange, new to most viewers but obviously stars to German. It’s also an exploration of the larger Israeli drag scene, and how it fits in to Israel’s religious environment.

One of the interviewees, Moishe, who performs as Moksha, doesn’t mince words when it comes to the specific issues that comes with his life as a queen that performs in Jerusalem. “I don’t think there is a reconciliation,” he says, and both his drag persona and the fact that he’s gay. “You just sort of stay in that conflict, sort of live with it, it’s a constant.” And what, I ask, could be more Jewish than an intractable conflict that requires constant re-evaluation?

Israel: The Jewish Drag Queens Of Tel Aviv



Most associate drag with sparkly dresses, drawn-out eyebrows, and plenty of pop music. But in Tel Aviv, the drag scene has become a place where queer and gay icons tackle issues surrounding equality and justice, all while wearing glamorous costumes and impressive eye makeup. With the powerful platform, however, comes plenty of critics.



Posted by Style Out There on Monday, February 19, 2018

Jesse Bernstein is a former Intern at Tablet.