Conservative Jews allow for same-sex unions and gay ordinations

By Huw Richardson

Judaism's Conservative Movement has opted to hold two positions at the same time: while still holding to a ban on same-sex activity, the movement will allow any Rabbi who wishes may bless same-sex unions, and seminaries may ordain gay men and lesbians. Such contradictory decisions, by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, teshuvas in Hebrew or interpretations in English, are allowed because Jewish tradition looks for valid understandings, rather than "the one right one".

The Conservative Movement is one of several denominations within Judaism, it is the third largest grouping. Generally it is not as strict about some of the laws and traditions as are Orthodox Jews, but it is not as liberal as the Reform Movement and the Reconstructionist Movement.

In covering this story, Time reports:

Conservatism is actually in a classic American centrist bind. Since 1991 Reform Judaism has allowed gay rabbis and same-sex commitment ceremonies, a position probably slightly to the left of the Episcopal Church of the USA. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, regards homosexuality as deviant, and gay Orthodox Jews are as closeted as they are in, say, the Southern Baptist Convention. Until today Conservatism followed Orthodoxy’s legal lead, based in part on the biblical injunction that "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman." But many Conservative congregations have openly gay members, and pro-gay-rights sentiment is on the rise, especially among younger Jews.

The leaders of the Reconstructionist movement - the first denomination to endorse the ordination of gay and lesbian rabbis (in 1984) - applauded the move. As have leaders at both Conservative seminaries - in Los Angeles and New York.

The move angered some traditionalists, The Jewish Daily Forward reports that four members of the panel resigned over the decision. The Forward article also provides more of an historical background on gay issues within the Conservative movement.

According to the Jerusalem Post the movement's Israeli arm is not bound by the move. Yet they are discussing the issue, as well as what to do about the American move. The Post notes that Israeli rabbis are also split. In addition to more traditionalist members...

Rabbi Andy Sachs, director of the Rabbinic Assembly in Israel, has publicly supported a more liberal halachic position on homosexuality and Rabbi David Lazar, head of Congregation Tiferet Shalom in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, already performs same-sex commitment ceremonies.

When coupled with the news of last month's Israeli supreme court ruling that ordered the government to register the marriages of same-sex couples married abroad in countries that recognize such unions, there is good news brewing... but not here yet. Israel does not have to do anything other than statistically recognise unions made in other countries that allow them. As that does not - yet - include the USA, there is still a lot of room for more good news on this front.

Comments

[Eliezer Pennywhistler]

The Conservative Movement does NOT "still hold to a ban on same-sex activity", It's anal sex. No more, no less.

[Huw Richardson]

Eliezer - thanks for that clarification. I got from the news reports almost nothing about lesbians or lesbian sex, so I had assumed they were focusing on male activities. Your comment has boiled it down further.

[Kosher Holiday]

The term conservative was meant to signify that Jews should attempt to conserve Jewish tradition, rather than reform or abandon it, and does not imply the movement's adherents are politically conservative. Because of this potential for confusion, a number of Conservative rabbis have proposed renaming the movement, and outside of the United States and Canada, in many countries including Israel and the UK, it is today known as Masorti Judaism (Hebrew for "Traditional").