Update on Conservative Judaism and Sexuality

[rymenhild]

(cross-posted to one_in_a_minyan)

From the Rabbinical Assembly's website:

RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON JEWISH LAW AND STANDARDS REAFFIRMS INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO GAYS IN CONSERVATIVE JEWISH LIFE
Current Ruling on Sexual Behavior Still Binding
Halakhic Inquiry on Issue On-Going

New York, NY, April 7, 2005 – The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of the Rabbinical Assembly, the central halakhic authority for the Conservative movement, released a statement today in the wake of a special two-day meeting on April 5 and 6, which was devoted to revisiting the movement’s current ruling concerning homosexuality. The statement appears below.

The Conservative movement is concerned with maintaining its bonds to Jewish tradition and halakhic integrity even as it undertakes a topic of great social relevance and controversy. While the committee has met several times over the past two years in consideration of this matter, this week’s meeting is the first in which the teshuvot, responsa on various aspects of the issue, were presented.

“It was an intense and constructive meeting,” commented Rabbi Kassel Abelson of Minneapolis, chair of the CJLS, in the aftermath of the gathering. “We are involved in the very process which will lead us to important decisions. Because it is an halakhic process, it requires careful study and will therefore extend into the coming months.”

Although there are a range of views currently held by members of the Committee, the spirit of the latest discussions was one that seeks to involve gay and lesbian Jews in Conservative Jewish communities in much fuller ways, obliging them to religious and communal responsibilities, and extending to them membership and leadership rights to the greatest extent permitted by halakhah (Jewish law).

At the conclusion of its meeting, the CJLS drafted a four-point Statement for the Conservative Community. It reads as follows:

• At the heart of the Torah is the concept of holiness (kedushah) expressed in its command, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord am holy.” Flowing from this declaration are policies regulating the spiritual, ritual, social and sexual lives of Jews. Kiddushin, the sanctification of love in heterosexual marriage, is a centerpiece of Jewish life.

• For a variety of reasons, the Jewish ideal of heterosexual marriage is unrealistic for many Jews. We emphatically recognize the human dignity (k’vod habriut) of all such individuals, and invite them to participate within our religious communities.

• Recalling the Torah’s command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord,” we rededicate our movement to making its congregations and educational institutions inclusive and welcoming of all Jews regardless of their marital status or sexual orientation.

• The parameters of sexual conduct for gay and lesbian Jews, their eligibility for admission to rabbinical and cantorial school, and commitment ceremonies remain the subject of a lively debate within the ongoing deliberations of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.

The CJLS last reviewed the issue in 1992, when it emphasized the acceptance of gays and lesbians within congregational life yet upheld the biblical injunction against homosexual behavior. The process will resume at future meetings of the committee.

The CJLS is the sole body empowered to deal with, and rule on halakhic issues within the Conservative movement. Chaired by Rabbi Abelson, it is composed of 25 rabbis and 6 non-rabbinical members, who serve on a rotating basis for a period of at least 5 years. A list of committee members is appended to this release. {The list was not present on the website. -rymenhild}

The Rabbinical Assembly, founded in 1901, is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The Assembly actively promotes the cause of Conservative Judaism, publishes learned texts, prayer books and works of Jewish interest, and administers the work of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards for the Conservative movement.

The Committee for Jewish Law and Standards has been functioning since 1927 as a guide for the Conservative movement in matters of Jewish law.

For further information on this matter or any other matter relating to the Rabbinical Assembly or to the Committee for Jewish Law and Standards, or to set up interviews with leadership, please contact Shira Dicker at 212.663.4643/917.403.3989 or by e-mail at shira.dicker@sd-media.com.

My analysis

First -- this isn't over yet. The CJLS has not closed the issues of ordaining gay and lesbian clergy, nor has it closed the issue of permitting or prohibiting same-sex marriage or commitment ceremonies. That's a good thing. The worst thing that could possibly have happened last week would have been that the committee simply ruled against one or both of those issues. Such a ruling could leave same-sex marriages and commitment ceremonies unquestionably illegal in the Conservative Movement, and absolutely forbid gay and lesbian Jews openly to attend the rabbinical and cantorial schools.

I might perhaps have been happier with a decision to accept gay and lesbian Jews into the seminaries and to have at least one halachically valid opinion (among many opinions; I can imagine no situation in which all the binding Conservative opinions would agree here) which would permit same-sex marriage, but such a decision made at this point might still seem too abrupt for the more conservative Conservatives. At least the discussion is ongoing.

While there are no major changes from previous policy, there are minor changes; these alterations are all to the good. The consensus statement above goes much further in welcoming "all Jews regardless of their marital status and sexual orientation" than the 1992 consensus statement. Among other things, the 1992 statement said that individual rabbis were empowered to decide "whether homosexuals may function as teachers or youth leaders in our congregations and schools". Thus, between 1992 and 2005, a congregational rabbi could legitimately forbid someone to lead a USY (United Synagogue Youth) chapter merely on the basis of the proposed chapter leader's sexual orientation. I know of one instance in which a USY leader was nearly fired because of his orientation, until the congregation members protested.

I think it is notable that only the fourth bullet point, the one discussing ordination and same-sex marriage, specifies "gay and lesbian Jews" as the subject of discussion. The other bullet points are, I think, intentionally nonspecific. While the CJLS is only talking about permitting same-sex marriage to gays and lesbians, it is now willing to include people "regardless of their marital status and sexual orientation" in its gesture towards congregational inclusion. Bisexual Jews and Jews of other less-easily categorizable orientations, thus, are now supposedly welcome in synagogues and schools. The CJLS does not seem willing to consider ordaining open bisexuals, or marrying them to people of the same sex, any time soon, but at least it's not completely rejecting them.

Comments

[elfsdh.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. I'm actually a bit surprised that there isn't more of a direct response to the old Consensus statement in the new one. Especially the part about how gays and lesbians may be treated in Conservative congregations. The statement they do put in doesn't seem to repudiate it enough:

we rededicate our movement to making its congregations and educational institutions inclusive and welcoming of all Jews regardless of their marital status or sexual orientation.

Being "welcoming" is one thing. The CM really has no basis for disallowing participation in services. I think it should have been more explicit about that.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I actually think it should have been more explicit about quite a lot of things. I'm trying to convince myself to be optimistic here, so I suppose I was playing up the positive bits of analysis above.

Do you know of incidents in which participation in services was disallowed?

[elfsdh.livejournal.com]

No, but I don't travel to loads of Conservative synagogues. And, asking about shul politics is not something I would do on a first trip to a shul either. I would presume that any that had such issues would try to keep them quiet. But, the fact that the RA had that statement on the books was the troubling part. They didn't say the same thing about people who break Shabbat in public, which is a much more serious problem for the movement than people's private orientations.

[elfsdh.livejournal.com]

clarification: by the way, I'm not trying to suggest that they adopt that standard, only that they not apply double standards.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you. IMHO, very single one of the 1992 statements and teshuvot, including the ones that didn't get into the books because they were "too permissive", had significant problems in halacha, science, and/or common sense; every one of them said something unpleasant about the movement as a movement. The double standard is one of the largest problems with the 1992 consensus statement, but surely not the only one. Also, there are large problems with the new statements above, but I don't actually want to depress myself by discussing them in detail.

[sovay]

I found this a rather hedging sort of statement, in that I'm not sure how much has actually changed in practice rather than attitude, but I'm all for "We emphatically recognize the human dignity (k’vod habriut) of all such individuals, and invite them to participate within our religious communities" and I'm holding out hopes for the lively debate.

Here's the list appended to the e-mail I saw. Hope it's what you were looking for.

Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law & Standards
Chairman: Rabbi Kassel Abelson/Vice Chairman: Rabbi Elliot Dorff

2006
Rabbi Ben Zion Bergman University of Judaism Bel Air, CA
Rabbi Robert Fine Congregation B'nai Israel Rumson NJ
Hazzan Sheldon Levin* Neve Shalom Metuchen, NJ
Rabbi Aaron Mackler Duquesne University Theology Dept. Pittsburgh, PA
Rabbi Joseph Prouser Little Neck Jewish Center Little Neck, NY
Rabbi Paul Schneider Krieger Schechter Day School Baltimore MD
Dr. Marilyn Wind* Bethesda, MD

2007
Rabbi Jerome Epstein United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism New York, NY
Rabbi Susan Grossman Beth Shalom Congregation Columbia, MD
Rabbi Vernon Kurtz North Suburban Synagogue Beth El Highland Park, IL
Rabbi Avram Reisner Baltimore, MD
Mr. Mark Rotenberg* Minneapolis, MN
Rabbi Gordon Tucker Temple Israel Center White Plains, NY

2008
Rabbi Kassel Abelson Beth El Synagogue Minneapolis, MN
Rabbi Pamela Barmash Washington University St. Louis, MO
Mr. Marc Gary* Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Myron Geller Temple Ahavat Achim Gloucester, MA
Rabbi Paul Plotkin Temple Beth Am Margate, FL
Rabbi Joel Roth The Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY

2009
Mr. Franklin Kreutzer* Miami, FL
Rabbi Leonard Levy The Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY
Rabbi Alan Lucas Temple Beth Sholom Roslyn Heights, NY
Rabbi Daniel Nevins Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills, MI
Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz The Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY
Rabbi Philip Scheim Beth David B'nai Israel Beth Am Toronto, Ont Canada

2010
Rabbi Elliot Dorff University of Judaism Bel Air, CA
Rabbi Myron Fenster Roslyn, NY
Rabbi Israel Francus The Jewish Theological Seminary New York, NY
Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl Beth Tzedec Congregation Toronto, Ont. Canada
Ms. Rosalind Judd* Albany, NY
Rabbi Loel Weiss Temple Beth Am Randolph, MA SECRETARY
Rabbi Melissa Crespy The Rabbinical Assembly New York, NY


EX - OFFICIO
Rabbi Perry Raphael Rank Midway Jewish Center Syosset, NY
Rabbi Joel Meyers The Rabbinical Assembly New York, NY


* Non-Voting Members

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[fleurdelis28.livejournal.com]

NOT to imply any correlation, but does the CJLS reccommend the same rules for known adulterers?

[elfsdh.livejournal.com]

AFAIK, the only times the question has come up for the movement were in regards to gays and lesbians and intermarried couples. (If anyone can think of any others, post away...)