To addrs the subject of homosexualy and Judaism, we spoke to a gay Jew and had the followg exchange:
Contents:
GAY AND LBIAN JEWS
In North Ameri today, is timated that 100,000 Reform Jews - and 500,000 members of the larger Jewish muny - are gay or lbian. Over the last fifteen years, the UAHC has admted to membership four synagogu wh an outreach to gay and lbian Jews. Hundreds of men and women who once felt themselv alienated om Judaism and unwele mastream ngregatns have joed the synagogu, addg their strength and mment to our relig muny. * do jews accept gays *
While that rolutn urged that ngregatns not discrimate employment, did not addrs rabbic employment, pendg the report of the CCAR ad hoc Commtee on Homosexualy and the Rabbate.
Two vers Levic (Levic 18:23 and Levic 20:13) exprs unequivol nmnatn of male homosexual sex (although is not clear whether what is referred to is terurse or all sexual acts between men).
”READ: Puttg The Prohibn Agast Homosexualy ContextAs evint by s language, the biblil prohibn do not extend to female homosexual acts, though later mentators disapproved of lbianism. Nohels, the tradnal Jewish posn on homosexualy is still difficult for many liberal-md Jews, and the liberal nomatns have bated the extent to which gays and lbians n be fully tegrated to relig Conservative Halakhah and HomosexualyThe first and least ntroversial step taken by the Conservative, Renstctnist, and Reform movements was to endorse civil equaly for gays and lbians.
LGBTQ PRI MONTH: OY VEY, WHY ARE SO MANY JEWS GAY?
Th some Jewish thori have argued that sce homosexualy is not chosen, s exprsn nnot be, the Reform movement do not nmn homosexual sex, and openly gay people are eligible for admtance to Reform rabbil schools. In addn, the Reform movement approv of rabbic officiatn at same-sex marriag and mment Denomatnal Approach on Ordag Openly Gay and Lbian RabbisDaniel Siegel, the Rabbic Director of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, has endorsed same-sex marriage specifilly bee he believ that hols should not be limed only to certa people and certa relatnships. Usg this as her startg pot, Rebec Alpert, a Renstctnist rabbi, has argued that the ernment’s refal to regnize same-sex marriage vlat relig rabbis wh the Conservative movement also ce the ncept of on ( which an dividual has no real choice) permtg homosexual sex.
In December 2006 the Conservative Movement’s Law Commtee voted to accept two ntradictory thuvot (posns) on homosexualy halakhah — one reaffirmg the stat quo, and one affirmg change. The rult of the vote is that rabbis, synagogu, and other Conservative stutns may choose to ntue to not perm mment ceremoni and not hire openly gay or lbian rabbis and ntors, or may choose to do so. The cisn also paved the way for the movement to orda openly gay recent years, there has been an creased awarens of the prence of gays and lbians more tradnal Jewish muni as well.
“ARE THERE GAY JEWS?”
In rponse to the Supreme Court’s lg favor of marriage equaly, the Unn of Orthodox Congregatns released a statement, sayg, “We reerate the historil posn of the Jewish fah, enunciated unequivolly our Bible, Talmud and Cos, which forbids homosexual relatnships and nmns the stutnalizatn of such relatnships as marriag.