As a Modern "Orthodox" Jew and a Jewish educator, I have written,
spoken and taught about homosexuality and our need as a community to
address this issue within the framework of halacha it's simple it's assur, or Jewish law, for
many years. I had already been an advocate for the LGBTQ community for
decades when our daughter Rachie, one of our four children, came out
more than four years ago I wonder if there is a connection here, where were the rabbis condeming a "orthodox" jew advocating for LGBTQ?.
Why? Because I feel that as religious Jews, we have a moral imperative to ensure that all members of our community are safe, valued and healthy. We are taught to use the midah of compassion here, as we do for so many other issues. compassion doesn't mean throwing out the Torah in the garbage
When Rachie was 22 years old, she called me and my husband, and in the course of our conversation, basically said, “Mom, I am seeing someone I really care about, and this person is a woman. I am gay.” Neither of us were surprised. I asked her if she was happy and if this was a true expression of her core personality. My husband, Ken, just reminded her to stay safe and not do anything dangerous.
As an "educated" person, I am certain that biology and “how we are wired” is just the way G-d makes us educated means being able to back this preposterous notion with facts and figures. Furthermore, I am aware that 10 to 15 percent of any community is on the gay spectrum, and there is no exemption from this reality in the religious Jewish community since the 10 percent number which originated from Kinsey you should remember even he acknowledged that Orthodox Jews had much less homosexuality then everyone else.
My husband and I firmly believe that as shomrei mitzvot, or Torah-observant, Jews, we have an obligation to accept, protect and value all human beings who are created in the image of G-d, betzelem elokim which has nothing to do with homosexuality. G-d makes us as G-d chooses and we are not to stand in judgment nor are we to exclude those that G-d creates, for every human being is designed by G-d, and to allow any such exclusion is to directly insult G-d as well as the person excluded . Halacha teaches us this. does this also apply to pedophiles, burglars, rapists, murderers?
Of course, many in our community and extended family do not see it this way. Rachie has not been able to see herself associated with anything “Orthodox,” though she is observant except publicly violating in a lehachis manner for a issur deoryas that carries a punishment of malkos mardus and engaged Jewishly in profound and meaningful ways.
However, this has changed recently, due to her involvement in ESHEL, the "Orthodox" LGBTQ community that is named for the tent into which Avraham and Sarah invited all who came by. Rachie —and the rest of us — now has a home for her religiously "observant", gay self. more like nimrod
I am deeply saddened by any community that judges and pushes our daughter away. Any community that does not fully embrace and value Rachie is the one that loses, for she is a gifted young lady and an "observant" and knowledgeable Jew. I often lament how our observant communities are sending away some of our exceptional people who could contribute so much and would — if only they were embraced and valued instead of judged and excluded. she wants us to embrace homosexuals or homosexuality lets continue reading to find out.
Now that Rachie is committed to spending her life with her beloved Liz, our main challenge is how we as a family navigate our "Orthodox" community. We are making some decisions that are seen as compromises to some but allow us to more successfully achieve our goal.
For example, in planning a Shabbat "Kiddush" for the "couple", we will do this at our home with friends and community members, rather than at our synagogue, to ensure that those present want to be part of the celebration. We will plan their "wedding" with the same approach, knowing that some relatives and friends will not attend. "kiddush", "wedding" by "orthodox" jews to celebrate homosexuality see the problem yet?
As time goes on and we come to terms with the reality of all members of our observant world, our hope is that more of our community will learn to see and accept and value each of our children for who they are and the sexuality they were "born" with. she wants us to value not just the homosexual but homosexuality!
Sunnie Epstein and her family are active members of ESHEL, which is planning a Parent Retreat March 7-9 at Capital Camps in Waynesboro, Pa. Contact the author at: shulisrose@ aol.com or Miryam Kabakov at: miryam@eshelonline.org.
(Jewishexponent) highlights my comments
Why? Because I feel that as religious Jews, we have a moral imperative to ensure that all members of our community are safe, valued and healthy. We are taught to use the midah of compassion here, as we do for so many other issues. compassion doesn't mean throwing out the Torah in the garbage
When Rachie was 22 years old, she called me and my husband, and in the course of our conversation, basically said, “Mom, I am seeing someone I really care about, and this person is a woman. I am gay.” Neither of us were surprised. I asked her if she was happy and if this was a true expression of her core personality. My husband, Ken, just reminded her to stay safe and not do anything dangerous.
As an "educated" person, I am certain that biology and “how we are wired” is just the way G-d makes us educated means being able to back this preposterous notion with facts and figures. Furthermore, I am aware that 10 to 15 percent of any community is on the gay spectrum, and there is no exemption from this reality in the religious Jewish community since the 10 percent number which originated from Kinsey you should remember even he acknowledged that Orthodox Jews had much less homosexuality then everyone else.
My husband and I firmly believe that as shomrei mitzvot, or Torah-observant, Jews, we have an obligation to accept, protect and value all human beings who are created in the image of G-d, betzelem elokim which has nothing to do with homosexuality. G-d makes us as G-d chooses and we are not to stand in judgment nor are we to exclude those that G-d creates, for every human being is designed by G-d, and to allow any such exclusion is to directly insult G-d as well as the person excluded . Halacha teaches us this. does this also apply to pedophiles, burglars, rapists, murderers?
Of course, many in our community and extended family do not see it this way. Rachie has not been able to see herself associated with anything “Orthodox,” though she is observant except publicly violating in a lehachis manner for a issur deoryas that carries a punishment of malkos mardus and engaged Jewishly in profound and meaningful ways.
However, this has changed recently, due to her involvement in ESHEL, the "Orthodox" LGBTQ community that is named for the tent into which Avraham and Sarah invited all who came by. Rachie —and the rest of us — now has a home for her religiously "observant", gay self. more like nimrod
I am deeply saddened by any community that judges and pushes our daughter away. Any community that does not fully embrace and value Rachie is the one that loses, for she is a gifted young lady and an "observant" and knowledgeable Jew. I often lament how our observant communities are sending away some of our exceptional people who could contribute so much and would — if only they were embraced and valued instead of judged and excluded. she wants us to embrace homosexuals or homosexuality lets continue reading to find out.
Now that Rachie is committed to spending her life with her beloved Liz, our main challenge is how we as a family navigate our "Orthodox" community. We are making some decisions that are seen as compromises to some but allow us to more successfully achieve our goal.
For example, in planning a Shabbat "Kiddush" for the "couple", we will do this at our home with friends and community members, rather than at our synagogue, to ensure that those present want to be part of the celebration. We will plan their "wedding" with the same approach, knowing that some relatives and friends will not attend. "kiddush", "wedding" by "orthodox" jews to celebrate homosexuality see the problem yet?
As time goes on and we come to terms with the reality of all members of our observant world, our hope is that more of our community will learn to see and accept and value each of our children for who they are and the sexuality they were "born" with. she wants us to value not just the homosexual but homosexuality!
Sunnie Epstein and her family are active members of ESHEL, which is planning a Parent Retreat March 7-9 at Capital Camps in Waynesboro, Pa. Contact the author at: shulisrose@ aol.com or Miryam Kabakov at: miryam@eshelonline.org.
(Jewishexponent) highlights my comments
If your wondering how we got to a point that someone can claim to be Orthodox and write this trash
THIS
IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MOST OF OUR RABBANIM (FROM ALL CIRCLES) NEVER
SPEAK UP AGAINST THIS EVIL, AND WE VOTE FOR POLITICIANS WHO CAUSE THIS
TO BE COME MAINSTREAM
JERRY NADLER, HELENE WEINSTEIN, RHODA JACOBS, JOSEPH LENTOL, ELLEN JAFFE ETC.
EVEN THE FEW OF US WHO WOULDN'T VOTE FOR THOSE, AS BAD, AS I JUST LISTED STILL VOTE FOR POLITICIANS LIKE
EVEN THE BEST OF OUR POLITICIANS LIKE DOV HIKIND AND CHAIM DEUTSCH HAVE TERRIBLE RECORDS ON THIS ISSUE THAT SHOULD MAKE THE ENTIRE JEWISH COMMUNITY ASHAMED, AND EMBARRASSED
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