He said: “Ultimately, we felt this was a matter of prophetic justice. The prophets taught us that we need a society based on justice and fairness, and the involvement of LGBT people in our communities is part of that ethic.”
Rabbi Mark Solomon, who was the first Orthodox rabbi to come out as gay, credited Judaism for leading the way in tolerance towards LGBT people.
He said: “As a Jewish community, we are in some ways way ahead in our internal conversation, because as Jews we like talking and arguing and discussing.”
At the opening of the exhibition, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that the “demonisation and vilification” of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Russia echoed the abuse faced by Jews under the Nazis.
His remarks came as the Winter Olympics opened in Sochi. Campaigners had called for a boycott of the games in response to the passing of a law banning the promotion of homosexuality.
Rainbow Jews, sponsored by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, runs until the end of February.