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King_David

(14,851 posts)
Sun Dec 23, 2012, 08:00 PM Dec 2012

Op-Ed: Jewish organizations have made great strides in gay inclusion—but must do more

BOSTON (JTA) -- At the 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in Washington, 50 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews and their allies gathered in a small room on the ninth floor of the conference hotel.

The event was not part of the official GA program, and the room was in the hinterlands of the hotel, hidden from the public eye. It reminded me of photos of 1950s gay bars, underground dives with no signs or windows. At the biggest annual gathering of Jews in the world, it felt like LGBT Jews were still stuck in the closet.

It used to be rare for LGBT equality to be on the agenda of a major Jewish conference. Now it is rare for it not to be. The Jewish community is changing and, three years after that first gathering, I could feel and see that change at the 2012 GA.

At this year’s reception for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Jews, and their family, friends and allies, we celebrated the release of a new report, the Human Rights Campaign’s Jewish Organization Equality Index on the state of LGBT inclusion in North American Jewish organizations.



http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/11/28/3113056/op-ed-jewish-organizations-have-made-great-strides-in-gay-inclusion-but-must-do-more

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Op-Ed: Jewish organizations have made great strides in gay inclusion—but must do more (Original Post) King_David Dec 2012 OP
You might just as well post this in GD and Good Reads while you are on a 'roll'. LOL! eom Purveyor Dec 2012 #1
Go ahead ,I do not mind , King_David Dec 2012 #2
Oh, I'm busy right now...the 'Sound of Music' is on and I just cracked my first bottle of Warsteiner Purveyor Dec 2012 #3
Do not blame you, King_David Dec 2012 #4
USCJ ... United Synagogue Conservative Judaism meti57b Dec 2012 #5

King_David

(14,851 posts)
2. Go ahead ,I do not mind ,
Sun Dec 23, 2012, 08:10 PM
Dec 2012

Are you objecting to x-posting?

Some people in the Jewish group may not visit the LGBT group and miss out.

 

Purveyor

(29,876 posts)
3. Oh, I'm busy right now...the 'Sound of Music' is on and I just cracked my first bottle of Warsteiner
Sun Dec 23, 2012, 08:33 PM
Dec 2012

for the occasion.

Maybe later, perhaps.

meti57b

(3,584 posts)
5. USCJ ... United Synagogue Conservative Judaism
Tue Dec 25, 2012, 09:21 AM
Dec 2012

It looks like the Conservative "stream" has delegated to each rabbi and congregation the right to choose their position on this.

Decisions on the Status of Gays and Lesbians

http://www.uscj.org/koach/uscj_homosexuality_press_release.html

"No matter what a rabbi and congregation chooses to do about hiring gay and lesbian rabbis or commitment ceremonies, all must show respect and sensitivity to all Jews, no matter what their sexual orientation may be. All Jews must be welcome in all our congregations."

Our Conservative congregation and rabbi recently hosted a weekend of events with a gay Orthodox rabbi for information and education for our members. It looks like the Conservative movement is very open and accepting on gay rabbis and members of the congregation.

Such that, I would agree with the topic of the thread, "Jewish organizations have made great strides in gay inclusion—but must do more".

Conservative Judaism also has full equality for women.

"Conservative" is one of the three basic "streams" of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. We are virtually the same as Orthodox, except that women have equal rights and privileges in Conservative congregations, and gays have equal rights and privileges, apparently depending on the particular Conservative congregation.

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