Braiding Identities: A Lecture and Creative Workshop for Queer and Trans Jews
Thu February 27 @ 18:30 - 20:30
For many queer Jews, navigating their gender and sexual identities alongside their family and cultural heritage can be complex. Led by naveed L. salek nejad, one of the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s microgrant recipients, this community-arts workshop is an opportunity for queer and trans Jews to write biographically about their intersecting identities.
As part of their microgrant, naveed analyzed interviews with survivors of ‘March 1968’ with a queer lens to understand forms of Jewish national belonging beyond the national/foreigner binary? March 1968 refers to the expulsion of fifteen thousand Poles of Jewish origin by the Polish communist government under the pretext of domestic political unrest. While the historical context of naveed’s project is unique, the workshop is designed to be inclusive and accessible to queer and trans Jews from across the Montreal community.
On February 27th, the workshop will begin with a lecture on naveed’s research on “Polish-Jewish Nationality as Queer?”, which inspired this project. Through the art of paper braiding, participants will then reflect on their personal and family experiences through writing, guided by prompts and opportunities for sharing. At the end of the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to take home their paper braids, which can serve as mementos, decorations or bookmarks.
Admission is free. Due to limited capacity, pre-registration is required for all who wish to attend. Click here to reserve your spot.
naveed L. salek nejad (they/them/elle) is an artist-writer and cultural mediator. Having grown up by the sea, notions of fluidity and the ‘littoral’ help naveed to move beyond the binaries of diaspora/home, here/there, and cis/trans. Aiming to consider their own role in caring for their communities, naveed draws from anti-oppression pedagogies and feminist care theory in both their creative and educational practice. naveed holds a BA cum laude in Liberal Arts from University College Maastricht (2020) and an MA from Concordia University’s Individualized Program (2024). As part of their graduate studies in curatorial studies, naveed was a visiting scholar at the Centre for Research on Social Memory in Warsaw, reviewing how coloniality is reproduced and sometimes also challenged in Polish museums. Born to a Polish mother and Irâni father in Germany, they reside in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal and maintain professional ties to Berlin and Warsaw.
Accessibility: Please note that the upper levels of our building are not currently accessible to visitors with limited mobility. This workshop will take place on the ground floor. Our main entrance is accessible from the street via ramp.
Photo Credit: Eheversprechen von Felice Schragenheim and Elisabeth Wust, Berlin 29. Juni 1943, Papier, Tinte, Lippenstift, 26,15 × 19,9 cm (geschlossen); Jüdisches Museum Berlin, Inv.-Nr. 2006/37/87, Schenkung von Elisabeth Wust, Foto: Roman März.
This event is a part of the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s 2025 Microgrant Program for Creative or Cultural Exploration, made possible with support by the Azrieli Foundation, the Betty Averbach Foundation, and CANVAS.