Ordination of LGBT clergy in Judaism

The ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender clergy in Judaism refers to who are open about their sexuality or are in committed same-sex relationships is a debated practice within many contemporary Judaism.

History

The ordination of Jewish LGBT, started in 1984 with Reconstructionist Judaism when the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the sole Reconstructionist seminary, voted to accept and ordain gay rabbis.^[1]

This continued in the late 1980s when the primary seminary of the Reform movement, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, changed its admission requirements to allow gays to join the student body. In 1990, the Union for Reform Judaism announced a national policy declaring gay and lesbian Jews to be full and equal members of the religious community. Its principal body, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), officially endorsed a report of their committee on homosexuality and rabbis. They concluded that "all rabbis, regardless of sexual orientation, be accorded the opportunity to fulfill the sacred vocation that they have chosen" and that "all Jews are religiously equal regardless of their sexual orientation."

In 2006, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, the body for Conservative Judaism, adopted two majority opinions, one allowing the ordination of LGBT clergy, as well as the blessing of same-sex unions, and lifting prohibitions on most (but not all) same-sex conduct (specifically not same-sex anal sex) and the other majority opinion retaining traditional opinions. The two primary seminaries for Conservative Judaism, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in response started allowing openly-LGBT students.

Together, Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism make up 75% of Jewish Americans who belong to a synagogue. ^[2] The remainder of synagogue-beloning Jews belong to either Orthodox Judaism, at 21%, who do not ordain LGBT Jews, and a remaining 4% belonging to either an unaffiliated synagogue or another Jewish denomination which may or may not ordain gays and lesbians.

See also

LGBT portal

• Homosexuality and Judaism

References

1. ^ As Acceptance Grows, Gay Synagogues Torn Between the Straight and Narrow, The Forward, Anthony Weiss, March 20, 2008
2. ^ National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) 2000-2001, United Jewish Communities, February 2004