Jewish group OK's same-sex marriage

The Jewish Community Relations Council, the major public policy voice of the Jewish community in Greater Boston, has voted overwhelmingly to endorse same-sex marriage.

The endorsement, by an umbrella organization representing 42 Jewish groups, is part of a growing effort by liberal religious voices to counter the strong opposition to same-sex marriage voiced by the state's Catholic bishops. The bishops of the state's four Catholic dioceses today plan to announce a major campaign to defeat same-sex marriage.

"This is a critical time, and there are a lot of faith groups lining up on the other side, but we will now have the authority to speak in support of the Supreme Judicial Court decision," said Nancy K. Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. "We would oppose any effort to compel religious leaders of any faith to perform ceremonies they don't condone, but as long as marriage is recognized as a civil institution, we feel that to deny the right to civilly marry is an act of discrimination against same-sex couples."

"The Jewish community has been in support of civil liberties because we understand that discrimination against one group leads to discrimination against all," said Rabbi Barbara Penzner of Temple Hillel B'nai Torah ...

Worth the read just for the quotes, as well as a short list of other Jewish groups already endorsing same-sex marriage:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/01/16/jewish_group_oks_same_sex_marriage/

Oh jeez, the make it sound like the war on terrorism.

I actually had a conversation(argument) with three Conservatives today about same sex marriage.It blows my mind how ignorant people can be. They talk themselves into a maze of confusion til' they come out sounding like * in one of his speeches.

I finally lost in when one of them said, "Hey, I would stop talking about it so much. Someone might start thinking you're..."

When people start ranting about the threat of gay marriage and gay rights,

I like to chime in with some quip about Cons being obsessed with homosexuality. It often causes a pause or change of subject.

...as what the bloody repukes and religious right idiots are.

Exactly how large is the Jewish community in Boston?

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/98wrb/juda_itr.htm
http://www.aish.com/travel/boston.asp

Including such luminaries as Leonard Nimoy, Abbie Hoffman, and Adam Sandler.

Speaking of Spock, the "live long and prosper" Vulcan hand signal is originally a Lithuanian-Jewish tradition based on the Hebrew letter Sheen*. The Boston connection: I first saw this hand signal artistically depicted in Leonard Nimoy's old synagogue in Beacon Hill (second photo on the left, kinda hard to make out):
http://www.vilnashul.com/vilna_shul_page.htm

*

nor Pat Robertson and the Catholic bishops. It's a trifecta!