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Reader's Guide Reader’s Guide: March 2015 LGBT Issues Edited by Seth Chalmer with Steven M. Cohen and with a guest introduction by Rabbi Daniel Nevins (Image: NPR) Guest Introduction: Rabbi Daniel Nevins Dean, JTS Division of Religious Leadership Seldom has public opinion on a charged social issue reversed as quickly as has occurred regarding LGBT equality in America. Gay rights rose in public consciousness in the 1980s during the devastating outbreak of HIV-AIDS. Initial homophobic declarations by religious leaders (including by my Rosh Yeshivah) about divine punishment evoked a rising tide of indignation led by members of the LGBT community. They were soon joined by allies—family, friends and faith leaders whose conscience could no longer abide the preaching of intolerance and even hatred within their tradition. For some faith leaders—both Jewish and Christian—a reversal of policy was quickly achieved, and the teaching of gay pride became its own religious imperative. Among more traditional denominations, the process was slower and even torturous. Was it possible to accomplish a dramatic shift in the ancient heteronormative assumptions of tradition without undermining all that remained precious and holy within its structures? For some communities, the answer was and remains no, or at least not yet. Even in the most traditional circles, whether Orthodox Jewish or Roman Catholic, there is a notable softening of rhetoric and an informal respect for LGBT people, though policy has not changed, and prominent homophobic voices remain. Still, the liberal and centrist strands of the Jewish community have preceded and influenced the wave of change in American society as marriage equality has displaced the recent consensus in “defense of marriage.” The essays included in this collection reflect the varied trajectories of different sectors of the Jewish community on LGBT inclusion and are an important archive of this chapter of American Jewish history. Within the Conservative Movement of Judaism, I witnessed a profound shift over the course of twenty years. While that span seemed an eternity for many engaged in the process, it is but a blink in the course of Jewish history. In 1991, when I was still a rabbinical student at JTS, the first round of debates in the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards included some vitriolic statements regarding the threat posed by gays to the Jewish family. The 1994 consensus statement was to “welcome” gays, Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Guest Introduction (cntd.): Rabbi Daniel Nevins but not as married couples, much less as clergy. By 2006, when the CJLS voted again, the votes were literally split down the middle, with 13 of 25 rabbis voting for two opposed papers (one voter was himself divided!). Rabbi Joel Roth argued that Jewish law simply could not accommodate gay rights, but Rabbis Elliot Dorff, Avram Reisner and I argued that the halakhic principle of human dignity demanded an accommodation to allow gay Jews to form a committed relationship with a beloved partner, and to bring their talents and faith to the service of God and the Jewish people as leaders, including as clergy. By 2012, when our same team proposed ceremonies for same-sex marriage and divorce, our paper received unanimous support. Just recently, one of the colleagues who voted against our 2006 paper wrote a moving article about his decision to perform a wedding for two men, and his gratitude that our approach had prevailed despite his initial opposition. As dean of the JTS rabbinical school since 2007, I have been fortunate to welcome lesbian and gay, and then (after further process) bisexual and transgender students, to ordain them, and to see them begin their rabbinic careers. We are committed to continuing that process of reflection and growing sensitivity, even as other denominations have continued to adapt their liturgy and rites to celebrate the diversity of their community. By scanning this rich collection we are prompted to look back and reflect on how far American Jewry has come. Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Identity, Community, Sexuality Mazel Tov, You are a Jewish Lesbian | Rebecca Weiner. Sh’ma, Jan 1995 Response: A Contemporary Jewish Review--Complete Issue #67: Queer Jews | 1997 Sh'ma November 14, 1980: Homosexuality--Complete Issue Seeking a Mate: Inter-Group Partnerships among Gay Jewish Men Randal F. Schnoor, Morton Weinfeld. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 2005 Being Gay and Jewish: Negotiating Intersecting Identities | Randal F. Schnoor. Sociology of Religion, 2006 We Are You: An Exploration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Colorado's Jewish Community | Caryn Aviv, David Shneer, Gregg Drinkwater. Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Mar 2006 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Identity, Community, Sexuality Gay, Jewish, or Both? Sexual Orientation and Jewish Engagement Steven M. Cohen, Ari Y. Kelman, Caryn Aviv. JJCS, 2009 LGBT Alliance Study: A Needs Assessment of the San Francisco Bay Area LGBT Jewish Community | Caryn Aviv. Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, 2010 Celebrating Distinctions: A Strategic Plan for the LGBT Alliance Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, 2010 Gay, Iranian-Jewish, and American: Negotiating Traditional Identities in an Open Society | Samira Setareh. HUC-JIR, Aug 2013 Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011--Special Study on Jewish Households with LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender) Individuals | UJA-Fed NY, Jun 2014 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Leaders & Professionals The Impact of Changing Lifestyles on a Family Service Agency Sophie Harris. JJCS, Mar 1976 Homosexuals in Leadership Positions (1981) CCAR, 1981 Report of the CCAR Ad Hoc Committee on Homosexuality and the Rabbinate CCAR, 1990 Statement on Homosexuality in the Cantorate Adopted at the 1991 Convention of the American Conference of Cantors | American Conference of Cantors, URJ, Jan 1991 Resolution on Promoting Equal Employment Opportunities within the Reform Movement | UAHC, URJ, Apr 1991 Resolution on Gay and Lesbian Jews NATE, Nov 1991 Consensus Statement on Homosexuality RA, 1992 Jewish Norms for Sexual Behavior: A Responsum Embodying a Proposal Elliot N. Dorff. RA, 1992 In the Image of God: A Dissent in Favor of the Full Equality of Gay and Lesbian Jews into the Community of Conservative Judaism | Howard Handler. RA, 1992 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Leaders & Professionals Placing Homosexuals in Congregations Kassel Abelson. RA, 1993 Placing Homosexuals in Congregations Arnold M. Goodman. RA, 1993 Promoting Equal Employment and Leadership Opportunities for Lesbians and Gays in the Reform Movement | URJ, Dec 1995 The Ethics of Gay and Lesbian Adoptions Norman Linzer. JJCS, 1997 On Being a Rabbi at the Margins Rebecca T. Alpert. The Reconstructionist, 1999 Gays, Lesbians, and the Conservative Movement: The JTS Survey of Conservative Clergy, Students, Professionals, and Lay Leaders Steven M. Cohen, Jan 2007 Being Out at Work Susan Tanchel. HaYidion, 2007 Nurturing LGBTQ Jewish Leaders Nora Smith. eJP, Aug 2013 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Halakha & Values Homosexuality and the Halakhah David M. Feldman. Sh’ma, May 1972 Judaism and Homosexuality (1973) - Central Conference of American Rabbis Responsa Homosexuality: The Jewish Perspective | AJC, 1977 Accommodating to Diversity | Leonard Fein, 1980 Opening Up to Homosexual Family Members | Lawrence H. Fuchs. Sh’ma, 1995 CCAR Ad Hoc Committee on Human Sexuality Report | CCAR, 1998 In Support of Diverse Sexualities and Gender Identities Association of Humanistic Rabbis, 2003 Countering the Family Values Monopoly | David H. Ellenson. Jewish Journal, Feb 2004 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Halakha & Values Toward a Queer Jewish Theology Jay Michaelson. Sh’ma, Dec 2005 Homosexuality, Human Dignity and Halakhah: A Combined Responsum for the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards Elliot N. Dorff, Daniel S. Nevins, Avram I. Reisner. RA, 2006 Halakhic and Metahalakhik Arguments Concerning Judaism and Homosexuality Gordon Tucker. RA, 2006 Homosexuality Revisited | Joel Roth. RA, 2006 The Halakhah of Same-Sex Relations in a New Context Myron S. Geller, Robert E. Fine, David J. Fine. RA, 2006 Patrilineal Descent and Same-Sex Parents: New Definitions of Identity Renee Bauer. The Reconstructionist, 2006 'Abomination' is Hate Speech | Jay Michaelson. Sh’ma, Apr 2012 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Inclusion in Religious Life Must Homosexuals Be Jewish Outcasts | Anonymous. Sh’ma, Oct 1975 Homosexual Convert | CCAR, 1982 Helping the Families of Homosexual Jews Aaron Cooper, Pat Blumenthal. Sh’ma, Apr 1983 Lesbians and Their Children | CCAR, 1986 Gay and Lesbian Jews | URJ, UAHC, Nov 1989 Guide for Advocacy and Action by the Women of Reform Judaism National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods Implementing Resolutions Adopted in 1991 at the NFTS 38th Biennial Assembly -- The Rights of Gay Men and Lesbian Women National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, URJ, Jan 1991 Resolution of the National Federation of Temple Youth 1991 -- Homosexuality NFTY, URJ, Jan 1991 Becoming a "Kehillah Mekabelet" | Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF), 1998 Gay Teens and Jewish Schools | Steve Greenberg. CLAL, 1999 Alienated Jews: What about Outreach to Jewish Lesbians? Danita Mushkat. JJCS, Jun 1999 Resolution on Transforming Congregations into Inclusive and Jewish Caring Communities | URJ, UAHC, Dec 1999 Reader’s Guide: LGBT Issues Inclusion in Religious
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