Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Challenges Religious Establishments to Accept Homosexual Jews
January 8, 2009
Ynet. Reports:
At the Limmud Annual Conference, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin stated that in his view, while he does not support marriage for gay/lesbian people, he favors greater acceptance for gay and lesbian people in Orthodox congregations.
As someone who has gotten to know Orthodox gay and lesbian people, he says “I don’t object to gay-lesbian parents or single mothers bringing a child into this world, as long as they do so responsibly”.
In addressing the way the community should respond to it’s gay/lesbian members, hes says: “The synogogue is meant to accept any Jew. I must love the foreigner, as well as those who are different. Our role as parents is to love our children, and the rabbis’ role is to love the members of their congregation”.
Posted by queeryeshivameidel.
Entry Filed under: Halacha, Homophobia, Homosexuality and halacha, Judaism and Homosexuality, Living in the Orthodox World, Marriage & Commitment, News & Politics, Orthodox, frum, frum queer, orthodox judaism, orthodox lesbian. .
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1.
Bas Avraham | January 11, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Wow. This is progress!
2.
queeryeshivameidel | January 11, 2009 at 11:17 pm
It is. And I think he is right that if communities can learn to accept that there are many different sorts of people who want to be part of the community, and to contribute to it, they will be more open to treating their queer members with kindness. It is certainly the case that the communities where I have been most comfortable are places that welcome any Jew who wants to participate in Jewish communal life.