Am I a Gay Rabbi, or Am I a Rabbi Who Is Gay? | My Jewish Learng

Contents:

• CAN RABBS BE GAY? 11 SURPRISG FACTS (UPDATED 2023)
• TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED
• WE ORTHODOX JEWS SPERATELY NEED GAY RABBIS
• CAN RABBS BE GAY OR LBIAN?
• GAY RABBIS GETTG MARRIED — AND MARRYG
• AM I A GAY RABBI, OR AM I A RABBI WHO IS GAY?
• FIRST OPENLY GAY ORTHODOX RABBI ORDAED JESALEM
• JESALEM CHIEF RABBI: GAY PEOPLE NNOT BE RELIG, SHOULDN’T PRETEND TO BE

CAN RABBS BE GAY? 11 SURPRISG FACTS (UPDATED 2023)

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. One rabbic source associat female homosexualy wh the activi of the Egyptians and Canaan, om which the Jews are supposed to absta.

The Levic vers also imply that is the act of homosexual sex, not the homosexual person, that is abhorred.

TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED

Several tradnal sourc temper the harshns of the “abomatn” by cg the lack of procreative potential as the reason for the abomable nature of the homosexual act. 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. In 1977 drafted a ll to crimalize homosexual sex and to end all discrimatn based on sexual how do one get around the apparently unambiguo biblil prohibn agast homosexualy?

Many who seek to tablish full relig rights for gays and lbians employ the rearch that pots to the voluntary nature of homosexualy. 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.

WE ORTHODOX JEWS SPERATELY NEED GAY RABBIS

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. Numero anizatns and support groups exist for gay Jews who are terted matag a tradnal Jewish liftyle. Steven Greenberg, a gay Jewish tor who was ordaed as an Orthodox rabbi, wr and lectur on the possibili for gays and lbians the Orthodox muny.

CAN RABBS BE GAY OR LBIAN?

Fally, Tremblg Before G-d, a crilly acclaimed 2009 documentary about gay Orthodox Jews, has ma a signifint impact raisg nscns about homosexualy the Orthodox world. "Alex AvilaAnd Gay Tim, a Brish LGBTQ news se, celebrated Friday, the day of the film’s official release, as “Barbie day“ and lled the world-renowned doll a “queer cultural phenomenon.

PicturIn an terview wh Fandango, actor Kate McKnon, who is openly gay and plays “Weird Barbie” the film, said Barbie is about “imagatn.

Many also flagged the teased scene which Barbie, now the real world, exchang a longg look wh Ameri Ferrera’s Gloria character; though, the relatnship between the two turns out to be a tribute to motherhood and the tradnal, nuclear before the film’s release, Robbie all but squashed the mors that some or any of the Barbi and Kens would be gay, tellg the Brish LGBTQ magaze Attu: The dolls don’t “actually have sexual orientatns.

GAY RABBIS GETTG MARRIED — AND MARRYG

There are brief appearanc by Earrg Magic Ken and Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken, both of which Mattel has always nied were tentnally gay-d.

AM I A GAY RABBI, OR AM I A RABBI WHO IS GAY?

”As far as the queer-d trailers and promotnal clips for the new “Barbie” film, Rand poted to a phenomenon known as “gay wdow advertisg, ” or the practice of advertisers gturg to queer dienc a way that will go over the heads of those who would disapprove. JERUSALEM (JTA) — On May 24, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that I would be ordag a gay Orthodox rabbil stunt who was nied the opportuny to receive smicha om his own Orthodox yhiva. But I also know that our muny sperately needs gay Orthodox rabbis, and we ignore that munal need at our own peril.

FIRST OPENLY GAY ORTHODOX RABBI ORDAED JESALEM

For gay stunts to survive such an environment, they mt not give any ht to their orientatn, which the hot-hoe of yhiva life soon be a radil form of self-nial.

The terventns feed an even more toxic and powerful nial: “Maybe we do have gay dividuals our school, fay or muny – but they n be fixed.

JESALEM CHIEF RABBI: GAY PEOPLE NNOT BE RELIG, SHOULDN’T PRETEND TO BE

A number would reunt sexual difficulti, sometim wh the news that their hbands were homosexually cled and that they went out to gay bars. If gay Jews leave the relig path, they disappear om our muni – and the theologil nflicts also vanish wh them. Durg my rabbic reer, I thought I treated gay Jews my ngregatn and yhiva no differently than straight on.

But by havg a group of people – gay Jews – who nnot keep the laws surroundg homosexualy, Orthodoxy driv self to an untenable realy.

A few LGBTQ Jews might aspire and acplish te lifelong celibacy, but the homosexual’s nstant state of ohn clearly needs another tegory or scriptn: It is plete both duratn and tensy. In the meantime, how should gay Jews who wish to be fully halachilly observant raise their children? Gay Orthodox rabbis will be able to ask more om their “ngregants” than straight on all sorts of relig and munal areas, for they posss a shared experience and language – and th credibily.