DOCSLIB.ORG

About the Sydney Jewish LGBTQI Community

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
About the Sydney Jewish LGBTQI Community Shabbat Dinner for the LGBTQI community, May 18, 2018 We chose this date for our event as the closest Shabbat to May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. This booklet is dedicated to Dr Magnus Hirschfeld on the anniversary of his birth 150 years ago this week, on May 14, 1868. Dr Hirschfeld was a German-Jewish pioneer advocate for sexual minorities and the understanding of human sexuality. On May 15, 1897 in Berlin, Dr Hirschfeld founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee to campaign for the social recognition of gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and against their legal persecution. His organisation is considered the very first LGBT rights organisation in history. Contents 1. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Motion on Marriage Equality 2. Australian Jewish News “NSW Jewish Board of Deputies support same-sex marriage” 3. JWire “Australia ready for Same Sex Marriage equality” 4. “After the Postal Survey: What Next?” by Rabbi Benjamin Elton 5. Australian Jewish News “Marriage rites are rights for all” 6. Justice Stephen Rothman AM Letter to the Editor of the Australian Jewish News 7. Australian Jewish News “Emanuel makes history with same-sex wedding” 8. Star Observer “Sydney synagogue hosts first legal Jewish same-sex wedding” 9. About Dayenu, Sydney’s Jewish GLBTI group 10. Australian Jewish News “Mardi Gras ‘the biggest ever’” 11. About Rosh Pina, an independent, affirming Orthodox Jewish network 12. Visit the Sydney Jewish Museum 13. Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial 14. Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) LGBTIQ Commemoration 15. Incomplete list of famous Jewish LGBTQI individuals NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Motion on Marriage Equality, passed overwhelmingly at the Board’s Plenum meeting on September 19, 2017 This meeting of the Plenum of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies: STRONGLY ASSERTS that Rabbis must continue to be able to conduct marriage ceremonies in accordance with Jewish Law as they see fit REJECTS any attempt to impose a belief or value system on the Rabbinate or observant Jews or prescribe to them requirements that are in conflict with Jewish Law OBJECTS to any attempt to silence or stifle legitimate and fair minded debate on the issue of marriage equality regardless of the position taken. REAFFIRMS its commitment to freedom of religious practice and religious education in Australia. ACKNOWLEDGES that that as a matter of Orthodox Jewish law (halacha), same sex marriage is not permitted NOTES THAT: The question before Australia at the upcoming postal plebiscite is one relating to civil, not religious, marriage. Australian law and society has long allowed for same sex relationships between consenting adults. Many Jewish people are already in marriages that are recognised as such under Australian law yet are not recognised in Jewish Law. Current laws prohibit persons, other than religious organisations, from discriminating on the basis of homosexuality or gender. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies represents the whole Jewish Community in NSW, including those who are LGBTI and their families, friends and loved ones. Many couples in our community who are in committed, loving relationships are unable to have their relationship recognised by the state as a marriage in the same way that committed, loving relationships between heterosexual couples may legally be recognised. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies is committed to fighting all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, homosexuality, gender and disability and to supporting all members of our community as they strive for equality under the law. AND RESOLVES 1. To call on the Federal Government to ensure protections for practice of religious freedom and religious education; 2. To support the elimination of discrimination against same sex couples under Australia’s civil law by extending legal recognition to marriages between same sex couples who choose to marry; and 3. To support equal treatment under Australian law to same sex couples who choose to marry. https://www.jewishnews.net.au/nsw-jewish-board-deputies-support-sex-marriage/68749 THE NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) has overwhelmingly passed a motion calling for “equal treatment under Australian law to same-sex couples who choose to marry” at its monthly plenum tonight (Tuesday). The motion, which only one person voted against in a room filled with more than 100 people, stated that the roof body of NSW Jewry “strongly asserts that rabbis must continue to be able to conduct marriage ceremonies in accordance with Jewish law as they see fit”, “rejects any attempts to impose a belief or value system on the rabbinate”, “reaffirms its commitment to freedom of religious practice and religious education in Australia”, “acknowledges that as a matter of Orthodox Jewish law, same-sex marriage is not permitted” but then noted that “the question before Australia at the upcoming postal plebiscite is one relating to civil, not religious, marriage”. The motion also noted that the JBOD is “committed to fighting all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, homosexuality, gender and disability” and that it will support “all members of our community as they strive for equality under the law”. And finally, it resolved, “To call on the Federal Government to ensure protections for practice of religious freedom and religious education; to support the elimination of discrimination against same-sex couples under Australia’s civil law by extending legal recognition to marriages between same-sex couples who choose to marry; and to support equal treatment under Australian law to same-sex couples who choose to marry.” Former JBOD president Justice Stephen Rothman said that he was proud to speak to the motion at the plenum tonight. “Some members of our community consider same-sex relationships and morally repugnant, and that is dealt with in the motion,” Rothman said. “We don’t have to approve same-sex relations, in order to approve same-sex marriage. “In my view, in the case of members of the same-sex community they should be free to enjoy their commitment to each other in the same way that other can.” Rothman also noted that although same-sex marriage is not legal in Israel, the Jewish homeland does recognise same-sex marriages that take place in America or other countries were same-sex marriage is legal. “If it’s good enough for the Jewish state, it’s good enough for Australia.” Jack Pinczewski, who stepped down from the JBOD executive last month, spoke in support of the motion. “We owe it to our friends and families to take a stance on this matter,” he said. “It’s a matter of fairness, and a matter of separation between church and state.” The motion was drafted by JBOD president Jeremy Spinak, however his wife is in hospital expecting twins so he was not in attendance. In a written message, Spinak said the JBOD was obliged to act in what it considered the best interests of the community, which was to support marriage equality. “This is about vital members of our community being recognised,” Spinak wrote. “They have every night to be recognised as married. “It’s about standing for gay families, so that even if they would not be accepted halachically, they would be accepted in the community in which they live.” However, he reiterated that he respected rabbis and members of the community who took a different view and had a right to be heard, without being labelled as homophobic or derided for their opinions. Only one person spoke against the motion at the meeting. He claimed that people who are gay are “not equal”. As noted in the Guardian (Nov, 2017), “Only one religion, Judaism, had a positive correlation with a yes vote.” 61.6% of Australians who voted in the same sex marriage survey have voted YES to legislate marriage equality. Almost 80% of eligible voters registered their view. There has been a quick response from Jewish leaders. Anton Block President of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry Anton Block: “The government cannot ignore the high response rate to the survey on same sex marriage, even though participation was voluntary, and the fact that a strong majority has expressed a view in favour of such marriages being recognised in Australia’s civil law. We expect that an amendment to the definition of marriage in the Marriage Act will be enacted in the near future. This does not affect religious marriages. Members of the clergy will continue to have the right to refuse to perform or participate in any marriage ceremony at their discretion. We also expect that religious institutions and religious schools will continue to have the right to teach and preach their religious beliefs, including their beliefs about the institution of marriage being between a man and a woman. I do not believe there is a compelling case to permit individuals to conscientiously object to providing goods, services and facilities in relation to the solemnisation of a same-sex marriage. In matters of ordinary trade and commerce, as distinct from matters of religious practice, all people are entitled to be protected from discrimination on arbitrary grounds.” Rabbi Ben Elton Rabbi Dr Ben Elton of Sydney’s The Great Synagogue added: “Now that the issue of same sex marriage has been democratically determined, Rabbis and other faith leaders should turn to promoting the positive values that underpin strong families: fidelity, mutual respect and support, love, stability and responsibility. We also have to combat forces that disrupt families: alcohol, drug and gambling addiction, domestic violence and poverty. These are issues which all right minded people agree on, and after a divisive campaign we have to work together as a united community to promote the values we share.” The following statement was issued by Rabbi Kim Ettlinger (Chair of Progressive Rabbis of Australian Rabbis) and Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins – Chair of Masorti [Conservative] Rabbis of Australia.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • June 16, 2020 Chairman Eliot Engel Ranking Member Michael Mccaul House Foreign Affairs Committee House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, D.C
    June 16, 2020 Chairman Eliot Engel Ranking Member Michael McCaul House Foreign Affairs Committee House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul: As more than 350 Jewish clergy members from 36 states and the District of Columbia, we write today to raise our voices in support of global lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) human rights. As we mark Pride Month, our faith reminds us that all people are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the divine image, and that we must not stand idly by in the face of injustice. Unfortunately, we know that LGBTQI+ communities face hate and discrimination, and we are deeply concerned about COVID-19’s disproportionate impacts on the lives and dignity of LGBTQI+ people across the world. We strongly urge the House Foreign Affairs Committee to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the needs of LGBTQI+ people during this crisis, including the addition of non-discrimination language and bolstering protections for LGBTQI+ people and other vulnerable groups in international assistance funding and future COVID-19 relief packages, and to hold an LGBTQI+-focused hearing as soon as time allows. Too often, skewed interpretations of religious doctrines are used to stigmatize LGBTQI+ people, justifying the creation and defense of discriminatory laws and norms. As faith leaders, we unequivocally denounce these attempts to use religion to justify oppression. In 70 countries across the globe, being LGBTQI+ is criminalized and, in some countries, a person can be sentenced to death simply because of who they are or whom they love.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Lgbtq People in Us History
    Published online 2016 www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqthemestudy.htm LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History is a publication of the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. We are very grateful for the generous support of the Gill Foundation, which has made this publication possible. The views and conclusions contained in the essays are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government. © 2016 National Park Foundation Washington, DC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without permission from the publishers. Links (URLs) to websites referenced in this document were accurate at the time of publication. THEMES The chapters in this section take themes as their starting points. They explore different aspects of LGBTQ history and heritage, tying them to specific places across the country. They include examinations of LGBTQ community, civil rights, the law, health, art and artists, commerce, the military, sports and leisure, and sex, love, and relationships. STRUGGLES21 IN BODY AND SPIRIT: RELIGION AND LGBTQ PEOPLE IN US HISTORY Drew Bourn Introduction The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once observed that eleven o'clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in the United States.1 But segregation goes beyond a separation between black churches and white churches. There is a tremendous variety of religious communities in the US - Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, and others.
    [Show full text]
  • Preventing Harm, Promoting Justice: Responding to LGBT Conversion Therapy in Australia
    PREVENTING HARM, PROMOTING JUSTICE Responding to LGBT conversion therapy in Australia Timothy W. Jones • Anna Brown • Lee Carnie • Gillian Fletcher • William Leonard ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to the survivors of conversion therapy who agreed to speak with us and share some of their experiences. Telling your stories often came at a personal cost and we hope that this report respects the complexities and richness of your experiences and contributes to greater understanding and improved practice in the area of pastoral care of LGBT people within and outside religious communities. Thank you to the members of project steering committee for your advice: • Ro Allen, Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality • Nathan Despott (Brave) • Luke Gahan • Jamie Gardiner • Matt Glover (MGA Counselling Services) • Emma Halliday, Sean Mulcahy and Dale Park (Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby) • Michelle Kolev and Linda Cropley (Freedom2b) • Angus McLeay (Equal Voices) • Nicole O’Connor • Shaun Staunton (Beyond Blue) • Jonathan Tandos, clinical psychologist We thank the Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area at La Trobe University for providing funding for the project. We also thank Baker & McKenzie for generously hosting the steering committee meetings and providing pro bono research support, and thank Beau Paterson for his research support as a HRLC paralegal. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. We pay respect to elders past, present and emerging. © GLHV@ARCSHS, La Trobe University & Human Rights Law Centre 2018 For more information contact: GLHV@ARCSHS La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086 T: +61 3 9479 8760 E: [email protected] W: www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs Human Rights Law Centre Level 17, 461 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 T: + 61 3 8636 4450 E: [email protected] W: www.hrlc.org.au ISBN: 978-0-9953969-1-3 Suggested citation: Jones, T, Brown, A, Carnie, L, Fletcher, G, & Leonard, W.
    [Show full text]
  • Crown and Courts Materials
    David C. Flatto on The Crown and the Courts: Separation of Powers in the Early Jewish Im.agination Wednesday February 17, 2021 4 - 5 p.m. Online Register at law.fordham.edu/CrownAndCourts CLE COURSE MATERIALS Table of Contents 1. Speaker Biographies (view in document) 2. CLE Materials The Crown and the Courts: Separation of Powers in the Early Jewish Imagination Panel Discussion Cover, Robert M. THE FOLKTALES OF JUSTICE: TALES OF JURISDICTION (view in document) Cardozo Law Review. Levinson, Bernard M. THE FIRST CONSTITUTION: RETHINKING THE ORIGINS OF RULE OF LAW AND SEPARATION OF POWERS IN LIGHT OF DEUTERONOMY (view in document) Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities. Volume 20. Issue 1 Article 3. The King and I: The Separation of Powers in Early Hebraic Political Theory. (view in document) The Crown and the Courts: Separation of Powers in the Early Jewish Imagination Biographies Moderator: Ethan J. Leib is Professor of Law at Fordham Law School. He teaches in contracts, legislation, and regulation. His most recent book, Friend v. Friend: Friendships and What, If Anything, the Law Should Do About Them, explores the costs and benefits of the legal recognition of and sensitivity to friendship; it was published by Oxford University Press. Leib’s scholarly articles have recently appeared in the Yale Law Journal, Virginia Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, California Law Review, and elsewhere. He has also written for a broader audience in the New York Times, USA Today, Policy Review, Washington Post, New York Law Journal, The American Scholar, and The New Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • Jews and Judaism in the Rabbinic Era
    Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism Edited by Maren Niehoff (Jerusalem) Annette Y. Reed (Philadelphia, PA) Seth Schwartz (New York, NY) Moulie Vidas (Princeton, NJ) 173 Isaiah M. Gafni Jews and Judaism in the Rabbinic Era Image and Reality – History and Historiography Mohr Siebeck Isaiah M. Gafni, born 1944; BA, MA, and PhD from the Hebrew University; 1967–2012 taught Jewish History of the Second Temple and Talmudic Periods (500 BCE – 500 CE) at the Hebrew University; currently Professor Emeritus in Jewish History at the Hebrew University, and President of Shalem College, Jerusalem. ISBN 978-3-16-152731-9 / eISBN 978-3-16-156701-8 DOI 10.1628/978-3-16-156701-8 ISSN 0721-8753 / eISSN 2568-9525 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism) The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data are available at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2019 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. www.mohrsiebeck.com This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to reproduc- tions, translations and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed on non-aging paper by Gulde Druck in Tübingen, and bound by Groß- buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. For Naomi Table of Contents Abbreviations.............................................................................................. IX I Introduction .........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Conservative Judaism and the Patrilineal Question
    The Elephant in the Room: Conservative Judaism and the Patrilineal Question Rabbi Charles Simon January 2017 A publication of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, Inc. Keruv Initiative Rabbi Charles Simon Executive Director Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs Leadership, Innovation, Community The FJMC mission is to involve Jewish Men in Jewish Life by building and strengthening Men's Clubs in the Conservative/Masorti Movement. We accomplish this by: Leadership: mentoring leaders at the club, region and international level. Innovation: developing programming that better connects people of all ages to the Jewish community. Community: forming meaningful long-lasting relationships based on camaraderie, common interests and core values. Copyright FJMC January 2017 Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, Inc. 475 Riverside Drive #832 New York, NY 10015 2 Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Change and Innovation ................................................................................................................................ 4 Worldwide Challenges ................................................................................................................................ 4 Current Problems ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Biblical Support ..........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Coming Home to Judaism
    The HRC Religion and Faith Program is working to create a world where nobody is forced COMING to choose between who they are, whom they love and what HOME TO they believe. Thanks in part to this work, more and more Jews JUDAISM aren’t simply engaging in dialogue around LGBTQ equality, they’re AND TO SELF leading the conversation. They do this work not in spite of their Jewish belief or values, but because of them. To learn more, visit hrc.org/jewish To learn more about the Religion and Faith Program, visit hrc.org/religion 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-3278 www.hrc.org Welcome Table of Contents Dear Friends, We at the Human Rights ANCIENT FAITHS – NEW TRADITIONS א -Campaign have witnessed first hand the positive power that A PERSONAL JOURNEY religious communities wield in enacting social change. The FOUR MOVEMENTS, PLUS ב ,Jewish community, in particular has been at the forefront of REFORM this work, from the Civil Rights RECONSTRUCTIONIST Movement to the ongoing struggle CONSERVATIVE for LGBTQ equality. Despite all our progress, there is still work to ORTHODOX be done to ensure every person LGBTQ JEWISH COMMUNITIES of faith feels welcomed in their religious community. A NEW GENERATION ג I hope the following pages will provide both helpful insights FINDING YOUR COMMUNITY and practical advice to LGBTQ people seeking a home in A TRANSGENDER EXPERIENCE ד the synagogue, or hoping to become more fully involved and embraced in Jewish communal life. I hope, too, that we offer constructive advice to rabbis and other leaders who are ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER working to create communities that are more fully inclusive A FRESH LOOK AT TORAH AND TEXTS ה .of LGBTQ people THE LAWS OF LEVITICUS I want to offer a special thanks to the many scholars, rabbis and non-LGBTQ allies who have lent their voices and their SODOM AND GOMORRAH expertise.
    [Show full text]
  • The Jew Who Wasn't There: Studies on Jews and Their Absence in Old Norse Literature
    The Jew Who Wasn't There: Studies on Jews and Their Absence in Old Norse Literature The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Cole, Richard. 2015. The Jew Who Wasn't There: Studies on Jews and Their Absence in Old Norse Literature. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:23845410 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Jew Who Wasn't There: Studies on Jews and their Absence in Old Norse Literature A dissertation presented by Richard Cole to The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Germanic Languages and Literatures Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts May 2015 Copyright Notice This copy of the dissertation has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the dissertation and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. © Richard Cole, 2015. Abstract This dissertation explores certain attitudes towards Jews and Judaism in Old Norse literature. Regardless of an apparent lack of actual Jewish settlement in the Nordic region during the Middle Ages, medieval Icelanders and Norwegians frequently turned to the image of 'the Jew' in writing and in art, sometimes using him as an abstract theological model, or elsewhere constructing a similar kind of ethnic Other to the anti-Semitic tropes we find in medieval societies where gentiles really did live alongside Jews.
    [Show full text]
  • Are Jews an Ethnic Minority?
    Editorials ..................................... 4A Op-Ed .......................................... 5A Calendar ...................................... 6A Scene Around ............................. 9A Synagogue Directory ................ 11A News Briefs ............................... 13A WWW.HERITAGEFL.COM YEAR 45, NO. 28 MARCH 12, 2021 28 ADAR, 5781 ORLANDO, FLORIDA SINGLE COPY 75¢ Are Jews an ethnic minority? Alan Ginsburg is captured in a still-frame of the KCOA streamed event. KCOA holds largest fundraiser in its history The Kinneret Council on Aging held its climate in our country with Covid, the residents and their joy derives from their annual “8 Over 80” #SaluteOurSeniors economy and more,” said Carol Feuer- ability to help us at KCOA improve the event online this past week and raised man, president KCOA. “These new dollars lives for all our seniors.” more money and had a larger turnout raised will have a direct impact on both The event raised over $87,000.00 which than any previous fundraiser in the the quality and frequency of programs represents an increase of 25 percent over Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images organization’s five-decade history. that we can offer our over 300 resident last year’s Eight over Eighty event. BBC journalist Jo Coburn, seen standing outside Parlia- With Alan Ginsburg as the ever-festive, seniors as well as continuing to provide “We don’t know what the future holds ment in London, suggested during the debate that Jews have always funny emcee for the evening, meals to limited income Jewish seniors in terms of what this program will look succeeded in reaching high political office and therefore several hundred community members in our community.” like next year,” commented Rhonda “don’t need to be seen as a group needing recognition in the joined Zoom and/or the YouTube link for In addition to professionally produced Pearlman, President Kinneret Apart- same way as others.” an exciting, entertaining and fun event videos on each honoree, there was a car ments.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Full Publication
    Pedagogies and Practice: How Religious Diversification Impacts Seminaries and Clergy Austin Tiffany Fitzwilliam College September 2018 This Dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 1 Pedagogies and Practice: How Religious Diversification Impacts Seminaries and Clergy By Austin Tiffany ABstract This thesis considers how religious diversification has shaped the roles of clergy and seminaries. The focus of this qualitative, interview-Based study is seminaries and clergy affiliated with various denominations of Judaism and Protestant Christianity in greater London and New York City. Religiously diversifying societies in the US and England have Brought forth new challenges for clergy and seminaries, prompting new questions about how or why a faith community should or should not engage with diversity in the puBlic square. This study investigates how seminaries and individual memBers of the clergy, as sources of religious authority, are responding to religious diversification in different ways – the former sluggish to recognise the impact of religious diversification in curriculum and pedagogical structures and the latter seeing it as a resource for social action initiatives, local networks, and political activism. This has created a gap Between training and practice whereBy clergy have assumed greater religious authority in religious life. Beyond contriButing to the field of sociology of religion, this thesis concludes By allowing the experience of clergy in interreligious engagement to inform appropriate pedagogies that could Be employed By seminaries. 2 Preface This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text.
    [Show full text]
  • Shared Spiritual Leadership in a Reform Synagogue Setting: a Single Instrumental Case Study
    1 SHARED SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP IN A REFORM SYNAGOGUE SETTING: A SINGLE INSTRUMENTAL CASE STUDY A thesis presented by Lisa S. Eiduson The College of Professional Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Dr. Elisabeth E. Bennett, PhD Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts March 21, 2019 2 © 2019 Lisa S. Eiduson All Rights Reserved 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people who have helped to shape me and, by extension, this research: Thank you to Community Synagogue, the site at which this study was conducted. I am so appreciative to the rabbi, professional staff, and leadership of Community Synagogue for opening the doors of your wonderful congregation so graciously so that I could conduct the research for this dissertation. I could never adequately thank everyone enough for making sure I felt at home during every minute of my visits and for encouraging me along the way. Thank you also to the two Boston-based congregations that I served while pursuing the doctoral program at Northeastern University. I am so fortunate that both Temple Beth Avodah and Congregation B’nai Torah appreciated the significance of this course of study to me and that they continually found occasions to express and demonstrate their support of and excitement for this academic endeavor from its beginning through its conclusion and beyond. I am grateful for the many extraordinary mentors, professors, rabbis, teachers and guides I have had who taught me the difference between knowledge and wisdom, who demonstrated the connections between practice, perseverance and perfection, and who modeled how to live one’s lessons as well as learn and teach them.
    [Show full text]
  • Gays, Lesbians, and the Conservative Movement: the JTS Survey of Conservative Clergy, Students, Professionals and Lay Leaders
    Gays, Lesbians, and the Conservative Movement: The JTS Survey of Conservative Clergy, Students, Professionals and Lay Leaders Steven M. Cohen Research Professor of Jewish Social Policy, HUC-JIR And Director, Florence G. Heller / JCCA Research Center January 28, 2007 The Context: The CJLS Teshuvot On December 6, 2006, the Commission on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of the Rabbinical Assembly announced it had accepted as valid three teshuvot pertaining to gays and lesbians serving as clergy and related matters. They may be described succinctly in simplified form as follows: • One teshuva reaffirmed the prior position of the CJLS, which denied ordination as clergy to active homosexuals and also prohibited same-sex commitment ceremonies or marriage. • One teshuva, while retaining the Torah’s explicit prohibition as understood by the rabbis banning male homosexual intercourse, argued for the full normalization of the status of gay and lesbian Jews. Under this ruling, gay and lesbian Jews may be ordained as clergy and their committed relationships may be recognized, although not as sanctified marriage. • A third teshuva upheld the traditional prohibitions, argued that homosexuality is not a unitary condition, and urged the development of educational programs within the community to achieve understanding, compassion, and dignity for gays and lesbians. Each of these positions is now valid within Conservative Judaism, and individual rabbis and Conservative institutions will choose which position to follow. In the wake of these teshuvot affirming a variety of views as consistent with Jewish law, the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) may now decide whether to accept gay and lesbian students in its rabbinical and cantorial degree programs.
    [Show full text]