Homosexuality

Dignity and sense

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:51:09 +0100

Only one figure emerges with credit from this week's unedifying intra-community row over gay marriage: Vivian Wineman, the President of the Board of Deputies.

The Board's interfaith adviser, Rabbi Natan Levy, had every right to sign a letter to the Daily Telegraph opposing gay marriage - although one wonders what went through his mind when deciding that it would be a good idea to co-sign a document with Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad. But it was imperative that Mr Wineman then dissociated the Board from the letter - and not simply because of the co-signatories.

The Board does not - and must never - take sides in doctrinal disputes within the different strands of Judaism. The whole point of an umbrella body is that it includes different views. And whatever some might like, there are different views of gay marriage within Judaism. So it was both ignorant and crass for the head of the Federation Beth Din, Dayan Yisroel Lichtenstein, to attack Mr Wineman for having "brought shame to the Jewish community".

Far from bringing shame, Mr Wineman has behaved with dignity and sense.

'Shame'-sex marriage? Rabbis clash over Bill

Simon Rocker — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:30:15 +0100

The Federation of Synagogues this week launched a blistering attack on Board of Deputies president Vivian Wineman for failing to back his interfaith adviser in opposing same-sex marriage.

Federation Beth Din head Dayan Yisroel Lichtenstein said that “in his burning desire to represent all strands of Judaism, Mr Wineman winds up representing no one and has only brought shame to the Jewish community”.

On Monday Mr Wineman dissociated the Board from a letter, co-signed by its interfaith adviser Rabbi Natan Levy, which called on the government to halt legislation to approve same-sex weddings.

Rabbi Levy, the former minister of Shenley United Synagogue, was the only Jewish figure to put his name to the letter to the Daily Telegraph, which was signed by more than 50 people, predominantly Christian or Muslim.

They wrote that it had been “wrongly assumed that opposition to the redefinition of marriage is confined to a small number of Christians”.

Mr Wineman said that Rabbi Levy had signed the letter “in a personal capacity” and, while entitled to his views, they “do not represent those of the Board”.

The Board was “cross-communal”, Mr Wineman said, “and has worked with civil servants and ministers to ensure that the final legislation works to allow each denomination of Judaism to practise their chosen beliefs as they best see fit and to ensure that no-one is obliged to act contrary to his own beliefs.”

Other signatories of the letter included the Anglican Bishop of Bristol Michael Hill, Sheikh Abdul Qayum of the East London Mosque and controversial preacher Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad.

Dayan Lichtenstein said that it was “a sad day” when "the rabbi’s attempt to publicise the Torah view on this matter was quashed by a lay leader of Anglo-Jewry.

“The Torah view on homosexuality is clear. It is a forbidden relationship and the Talmud praises those non-Jews who refuse to legitimise it.”

While the Board prided itself on defending such Jewish institutions as shechitah and brit milah, he said that “to protest against legitimising homosexual relationships was no less important from a Torah view”.

He added: “And yet when the board’s rabbi on interfaith matters, Rabbi Natan Levy, courageously states the Torah’s view, instead of being applauded, the president of the Board of Deputies rushes to assure everyone that Rabbi Levy did not speak on behalf of the Board.”

Dayan Lichtentstein queried whether the Board had consulted its ecclesiastical authorities, including Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, whose view, he maintained, was “well-known”.

Suggesting that Mr Wineman’s position reflected a wish “not to upset some of the non-Orthodox movements”, he remarked: “It sadly appears that Orthodoxy cannot rely on the Board of Deputies.”

Lord Sacks did not attend this week’s debate when the Lords voted by a massive majority to allow the same-sex legislation to proceed.

Jewish peers voted by six to one against an amendment attempting to block it.

Speaking in favour of the government’s Bill, Baroness Neuberger said that at her West London Synagogue, there were around 30 gay couples, most in civil partnerships, who were “waiting for the day when they can marry under the chuppah, the wedding canopy, with their parents under that canopy, witnessing them make their vows.”

The legislation was about “righting a wrong”, she said.

“I expect the first days after it becomes law, as I hope it does, to consist of marriage after marriage in my synagogue, bringing joy, equality and renewed commitment to people who, until this point, have been denied it.”

Two weeks ago, Lord Sacks publicly denied that he had “come out strongly” against the Bill and said that, while Judaism had clear sexual ethics, “religions should never seek to impose their view on society as a whole”.

His comments struck a different tone from the response of his own rabbinical court, the London Beth Din, to a government consultation on same-sex marriage last year. Opposing legislation for both civil and religious marriage for same-sex couples, the Beth Din – of which Lord Sacks is the titular head – said that this would undermine the concept of marriage.

Karen Newman, spokesman for the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group, commenting on Lord Sacks’s recent comments, said; “Given the raucous voices with which he is surrounded urging him to be stridently opposed, I think his commitment to acknowledging, whether tacitly or overtly, the diversity within the present Anglo-Jewish community is truly impressive, choosing, wherever possible, not to align himself with the views of those comfortable with upholding discrimination.”

She also welcomed the Board’s move to distance itself from the views of its interfaith adviser.

Welcoming the vote, the co-chairman of Liberal Judaism’s rabbinic conference, Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, said: “We are now looking forward to celebrating the first fully legal and fully Jewish marriage under a Liberal chupah”.

Under the proposed law, religious organisations who are opposed to same-sex ceremonies will remain exempt from having to perform them.

Board adviser's view on same-sex marriage 'does not reflect offical policy'

Simon Rocker — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:19:40 +0100

The Board of Deputies has made it clear that a letter co-signed by its interfaith adviser Rabbi Natan Levy, which calls on the government to halt legislation to allow same-sex marriage, does not reflect its policy.

Rabbi Levy, the former minister of Shenley United Synagogue, was the only Jewish figure to put his name to the letter to the Daily Telegraph which was signed predominantly by Christians and Muslims.

In the letter, they said; “We are disappointed that the government has failed to engage in meaningful debate with many different communities in Britain. It has wrongly assumed that opposition to the redefinition of marriage is confined to a small number of Christians.”

Board president Vivian Wineman said on Monday: “Rabbi Natan Levy, our interfaith consultant, decided to sign this letter in a personal capacity. His personal views, to which he is perfectly entitled, do not represent those of the Board.

“The Board is cross-communal and has worked with civil servants and ministers to ensure that the final legislation works to allow each denomination of Judaism to practise their chosen beliefs as they best see fit and to ensure that no-one is obliged to act contrary to his own beliefs.”

Other signatories of the letter include the Anglican Bishop of Bristol Michael Hill, Shaykh Abdul Qayum of the East London Mosque and controversial preacher Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad.

A bill to promote the legalisation of same-sex marriage is due to be debated by the Lords today.

I’ll make Tel Aviv greener (and pinker)

Anshel Pfeffer — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:45:44 +0100

If Nitzan Horowitz wins Tel Aviv’s municipal election in October, the city will be able to mark a double first.

The Meretz MK will become the Middle East’s first openly gay mayor, and the first politician in the region to have allowed his homosexuality to become part of his electoral campaign. “It’s not a gimmick,” he says. “There is a meaning to this… I can understand why people are talking about it.”

Mr Horowitz’s candidature will inevitably prompt talk of Tel Aviv as a hub of social freedom. But the veteran civil rights campaigner and former journalist insists that Tel Aviv still needs a healthy dose of liberalism and social justice. At the top of his agenda are improving education, eco-friendly policies and better deal for immigrants.

“The position of Tel Aviv mayor is influential way beyond the borders of the city,” says Mr Horowitz, who announced his candidacy last week.

“I joined politics to campaign for ideals of social justice, better education and environment. I can achieve these as Tel Aviv mayor more than I can as an MK. And Tel Aviv is not just some little town on the sea, it is the most influential city in Israel, the centre of its media and economy.”

Mr Horowitz will have to beat three-term Mayor Ron Huldai, who won each of his elections with landslides. Despite the uphill challenge, a recent poll gave Mr Horowitz the best chance of any candidate of beating Mr Huldai.

But how will he convince the city’s voters to replace a mayor who has presided over a period of unprecedented prosperity? “There are a lot of good things in Tel Aviv and Huldai has done a lot, but there is still a lot that needs fixing: crowded classrooms, a dilapidated public transport system, an acute shortage of kindergartens and the neglected south of the city.”

One of his passions is to improve the city’s woeful bus network. “They have been talking about an underground rail in Tel Aviv since the early 1960s,” says Mr Horowitz. “It hasn’t happened and, in the meantime, they have neglected other solutions. We have to face the fact that not all cities are alike and the solutions that work in London may not be the ones for Tel Aviv. We have to explore ideas such as trams, electric buses, special lanes for public transport.”

Another issue he plans to deal with is the large colony of African migrants that has grown up around the main bus station in south Tel Aviv.

As a former chairman of the Knesset Foreign Workers sub-committee, Mr Horowitz believes that the migrants in Tel Aviv should be allowed to work legally. “Israel still brings over 27,000 foreign workers to work in agriculture, it’s ridiculous that those in Tel Aviv not be allowed to work.”

As a former foreign correspondent and editor for Haaretz and Channel Ten, Mr Horowitz is one of a wave of candidates who have given up journalism and gone into politics. What’s more, he is making the most of his outsider’s perspective: “There is no lack of talented managers but what Tel Aviv needs now is vision,” he says.

Creating a safe space for minority students

Zoe Winograd — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:57:44 +0100

“Feminism is seen as a dirty word within the Jewish community and I want this to change.” That is the view of Melissa Leigh, co-chair of the new Union of Jewish Students Women’s Network.

Ms Leigh, 20, is clearly excited about the launch of three UJS projects which aim to improve university life for Jewish students who feel under-represented and marginalised: women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, questioning (LGBTQ) students; and the disabled.

Ms Leigh, a student at Manchester University, said: “Despite the increase in the number of female Jewish

students, sexism still exists within individual JSocs and is disguised as ‘banter’.

“This includes jokes about rape culture and the belief that women should still be in the kitchen.”

She said she had personally found it “difficult to incorporate egalitarianism into an Orthodox Jewish life,” and believed the new networks would encourage Jewish women to “speak their minds”.

The Women’s Network will run socialising opportunities, motivational talks by inspirational speakers and career guidance sessions to help women at university feel empowered to take leadership roles.

Ms Leigh said: “For too long women have been ignored within the Jewish community and we want to ensure we have a place within the Jewish student movement.”

Emily Carp, also 20 and studying at Manchester University, sits on UJS National Council and is a co-founder of the LGBTQ Network alongside Yael Shafritz. She said the network had two main goals — to create a “safe space” for Jewish LGBTQ students who want to be involved in university life and to ensure that UJS is more inclusive overall.

“Some JSocs are not welcoming to people under the LGBTQ umbrella, but they should be. From the beginning of my university journey, I looked to UJS and I saw that it didn’t represent me — the president and national council were all straight men,” she said.

The second-year student said there were no official figures on how many Jewish members would identify in a LGBTQ group, but the network’s Facebook page has already attracted interest from around 65 students since it was launched in March.

“There must be more people who identify as LGBTQ and are Jewish who we simply don’t know about. We hope to gain a visible enough presence that they feel comfortable to come to us and engage,” said Ms Carp.

Founder of the Disabilities Network, Hannah Brady, 20, was diagnosed with a moderate-to-severe hearing impairment as a child and has had to rely on lip-reading to communicate for the past 14 years.

“I have had problems in the past with university events being held in places with bad acoustics, background noise or lighting which have made participation more tiring and difficult,” said Ms Brady.

The King’s College history student hopes the network will “provide an opportunity for disabled students to assert themselves more strongly within the Jewish community and take greater control over the services provided to them”.

Ms Brady is in the process of organising the network’s first event. She stressed that each individual student’s unique disability could have a hugely challenging affect on their daily university life.

“But we are ultimately seeking to remove any stigmas which may be present among Jewish students surrounding disabilities,” she said.

Homophobia is tackled at schools

Sandy Rashty — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:16:04 +0100

Campaigners against homophobic bullying in schools have translated posters into modern Hebrew as part of a UK-wide programme.

Through a joint initiative between gay rights groups Keshet UK and Stonewall, a series of translated tolerance posters have been put up for the first time at a Jewish school, JCoSS in
Barnet.

The posters read: “Some people are gay – Get over it!”

Keshet UK volunteer Benjamin Ellis said seeing the poster in Hebrew “had a real impact. It marked a space where it is possible to be Jewish and gay, something I never felt existed growing up as an Orthodox Jew.”

Keshet co-convenor Alma Smith added: “We were invited by JCoSS and would love to go to other Jewish schools. At the moment we’re waiting for them to come to us. But we’ll approach when we can to promote opportunities of diversity and inclusion.”

Keshet has also been working with youth movements and synagogues “to fight against homophobia, prejudice and ignorance”.

Gay Jewish parents slam Catholic MP’s anti-family allegations

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:51:18 +0000

Jewish same-sex parents have hit back at Liberal Democrat minister Sarah Teather’s claim that gay marriage will make family life more unstable.

In a letter to Ms Teather, Natalie Grazin, who is bringing up her children with her partner Samantha Cohen, wrote: “I completely agree with you about marriage being the right context in which to have children. That’s precisely why we chose to have a religious wedding in 2005, before we began the process of conceiving.”

One Jewish lesbian mother, Pippa, wrote to Ms Grazin supporting her stance.

She said: “People like us need to speak out because our children are just regular kids."

“My children are very clear on their identity. One of them is through a Jewish marriage to a man. The other one is [through] donor insemination at the London Women’s Clinic.”

Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich will today give evidence today to the Public Bill Committee on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.

He will argue for Liberal Judaism’s right to opt into offering same-sex marriage ceremonies. The movement was the first religious denomination to publish official liturgy for same-sex ceremonies.

A spokeswoman for Ms Teather declined to comment.

Gay marriage: shuls ready

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:43:28 +0000

Gay Liberal and Reform couples are already making plans for wedding ceremonies after the House of Commons this week approved the Same-Sex Marriage Bill.

The two movements have already said they will conduct same-sex weddings if they are made legal.

Though civil partnerships have been available since 2004, the use of religious symbols, music or readings during civil same-sex services was prohibited until 2012.

The new law will mean that non-Orthodox, same-sex Jewish couples no longer have to have separate civil and religious ceremonies.

Rabbi David Mitchell of West London Synagogue had the UK’s first Jewish civil partnership with his partner Ian Kirsh. He said that although they had a Jewish ceremony, they “couldn’t have a chuppah at the time”.

Now, Rabbi Mitchell said: “We hopefully have the opportunity to go through a further ceremony which offers us the full legal recognitions that we deserve after 11 years together, eight of them as ‘married’.

To some, we’re not legally married, but everything about our lives suggests that we are.”

West London Synagogue, he said, was planning to hold a series of gay and lesbian weddings on the day that same-sex marriages become legal. “Ian and I will be one of the couples celebrating”, Rabbi Mitchell said.

Finchley residents Natalie Grazin and Samantha Cohen have been together for 16 years and held a brit ahava (covenant of love) ceremony in 2005. They said they “felt strongly” they had to get married before having children.

Ms Grazin explained: “It was a Jewish ceremony, with a ketubah that we’d written in Hebrew and kosher catering. Our parents stood under the chuppah with us. It was very similar to all our straight friends’ weddings but we didn’t call it a wedding, solely for halachic reasons.”

The president of the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group (JGLG), Peggy Sherwood and her partner Alison, met at a JGLG meeting 12 years ago this week. They described their joy at the prospect of finally obtaining “full equality”.

Ms Sherwood said: “By putting your status as ‘civil partnership’ on various forms, such as insurance, you automatically ‘out’ yourself. This is absolutely not necessary and irrelevant. ”

Jim Fletcher and Martin Phillips had a civil partnership in 2007. Later that year, they cemented their union with a brit ahava, the first in the UK to be held in a Reform synagogue.

Mr Fletcher said: “In our eyes, we already are married. We have made a public declaration of commitment to each other. I think the option of gay marriage should be there so that people can make a choice.”

Top rabbi: more honesty needed on homosexuality

Sandy Rashty — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:38:46 +0000

A senior modern Orthodox rabbi has said that the violation of Shabbat is worse than homosexuality.

Rabbi Dr Aharon Lichtenstein made the statement that recognised homosexual feelings, according to a report on Ynet news.

Rabbi Lichtenstein also said that halachic concern should focus on the breach of Shabbat rituals or fraudulent behaviour – rather than invoke an “aggressive” attitude to homosexuals.

In an unprecedented announcement, Rabbi Lichtenstein (who leads the Har Etzion Yeshivah in Israel) said: "I’m not in favour of homosexuality - but we do need to agree to abide by a greater measure of honesty in dealing with that community than I think at present applies.”

Though Rabbi Lichtenstein still asserts that homosexual people can be “cured”, a spokesmsan for Kamoha, an organisation for homosexual Orthodox Jews, said: "The rabbi placed a mirror in front of the public, demonstrating that many times the fear of homosexuality does not stem from halachic considerations but from pure homophobia.

“We are glad that a senior rabbinical personality like Rabbi Lichtenstein chooses to voice his opinion openly and without fear."

Israeli lesbians win landmark discrimination case

Anna Sheinman — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:43:20 +0100

An Israeli lesbian couple living in London have won a landmark case in an Israeli court preventing non-religious organisations from discriminating on ground of sexuality.

After a four-year wait, Tal Ya'akovovich and Yael Biran were last week awarded NIS 60,000 (£9,500) against the Moshav Yad Hashmona events hall, which is run by messianic Jews. The couple had wished to hold a wedding party for Israeli family and friends following a London civil partnership ceremony, but their reservation was cancelled when the owners realised the event was for a lesbian couple.

Yael Biran, an animator, and her partner, a theatre director, spoke from their home in Lewisham, where they live with their 22-month-old son Ben.

Ms Biran said: "I was so shocked [when the reservation was cancelled]. I called Tal and sobbed down the phone.

"When we had our civil partnership ceremony in Islington Town Hall, we had a vow that thanked everyone who had gone before us and made such a ceremony possible. We realised then it was our turn to do our part".

Israel has progressive anti-discrimination legislation, and when their case was taken up by leading Israeli gay rights lawyer Ira Hada, the couple felt confident they would win.

Ms Ya'akovovich explained: "The law is there, but if it isn't enforced, it carries no weight, this is why this case was so important."

The Jerusalem magistrates' court judge said that even though the function hall was run by religious people, the moshav company which owned it was not in itself religious, and so was not legally exempt.

The second part of the ruling was also a significant step forward for LGBT rights. It was held that sexual assault is not just sexual exploitation, but includes discrimination and humiliation on grounds of sexuality.