On Welcoming Orthodox Synagogues
Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to speak to young gay and lesbian people. I often ask them to dream with me about their futures. What sort of Jewish lives were sufficiently possible to hope for or to make happen? What did they need in order to make a traditional Jewish life possible for themselves?
They all agreed that in order to remain involved in traditional Jewish life they needed a synagogue community. Because Sabbath and holiday observance is so communal in nature, it is absolutely necessary to shape Orthodox communities that welcome gay people. Were Orthodox rabbis to go as far they thought possible, and were gay and lesbian congregants to be fairly patient and understanding of the halakhic limitations, a practical way to address the problem might just be available. Many concrete realities are born of a shared policy constructed on the basis of divergent reasoning...."
More... By Rabbi Steve Greenberg excerpted from Wrestling with God & Men — Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition,, Published by BJPA Wagner/NYU