Breaking: Conservative Panel Votes To Permit Gay Rabbis ,
Four Committee Members Resign To Protest Decision
JTS has not updated their website (shockingly), but Rabbi Jason Miller, of Columbus Ohio, posted the decision on his blog, which I've reproduced below. I'm going to go do a little dance and take a few deep breaths, make a few congratulatory phone calls and then I'll be back to address the issue in depth.
For Immediate Release
The CJLS of the Rabbinical Assembly concluded its two-day meeting on the subject of Homosexuality and Halakhah, or Jewish Law, this morning. The discussions and teshuvot of the CJLS reflect a deeply shared commitment to halakhah, Jewish Law and the Torah principle of kvod habriot, the God-given dignity of all human beings.
The Rabbinical Assembly is the international professional association of Conservative rabbis. The CJLS is the central halakhic authority for the Conservative movement, which represents more than two million Jews worldwide.
The following statement was drafted at the conclusion of the meeting:
Founded in 1927, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards is empowered to deal with, and rule on, halakhic issues within the Conservative movement. The role of the CJLS is to issue rulings shaping the practice of the Conservative Jewish community. As such, it is an advisory, not a judiciary body. Parameters set by the committee guide all of the rabbis, synagogues and institutions of the Conservative movement, but within these bounds there are many variations of practice recognized as both legitimate and essential to the richness of Jewish life. As a result, there have been instances when two or more responsa, representing conflicting viewpoints, are validated by the committee. When that happens, the local rabbi determines which of the responsa to follow.
At the CJLS meetings, five specific teshuvot were extensively discussed in a spirit of collegiality and open-mindedness. Two teshuvot -- one authored by Rabbi Joel Roth and the other authored by Rabbis Elliot Dorff, Daniel Nevins and Avram Reisner -- obtained clear majority support. Rabbi Roth's responsum "Homosexuality Revisited" reaffirmed the prior position, which denied ordination as clergy to active homosexuals and also prohibited same sex commitment ceremonies or marriage.
In contrast, Rabbis Dorff, Nevins and Reisner, while retaining the Torah's explicit prohibition, as understood by the rabbis banning male homosexual intercourse, argued in "Homosexuality, Human Dignity and Halakhah" for the full normalization of the status of gay and lesbian Jews. Under this ruling, gay and lesbian Jews may be ordained as clergy and their committed relationships may be recognized, although not as sanctified marriage.
A third teshuva accepted by the CJLS, written by Rabbi Leonard Levy, which upheld the traditional prohibitions, argued that homosexuality is not a unitary condition and urged the development of educational programs within the community to achieve understanding, compassion and dignity for gays and lesbians. There was also some support on the committee for a more comprehensive repeal of the prior ban against homosexual relationships. All authors of teshuvot shared a universal appreciation for the principle of kvod habriot and the welfare of gays and lesbians in our community.
During its deliberations the CJLS did not discuss - nor do any of the papers reflect- any determination regarding gay marriage.
The meeting of the past two days on the issue of homosexuality and halakhah reflects a wide diversity of ideas and opinions. These distinct and divergent opinions may be used by rabbis, synagogues, institutions and individual members of the Conservative movement as a guide in welcoming gays and lesbians in our movement.
The teshuvot may also serve to determine the extent to which gays and lesbians may be admitted into our seminaries and guide the clergy of our movement on the question of whether to initiate commitment ceremonies for gays and lesbians.
The CJLS is united in its concern for the unity of the Conservative movement worldwide. The diversity of opinions issued today reflects an essential strength of the Conservative movement - namely, its very pluralism. Indeed, a multiplicity of approaches to halakhah has been a key feature of the Conservative movement since its inception.
The CJLS is composed of 25 rabbis and 6 non-rabbinical members (who are non-voting) and who serve on a rotating basis for a period of at least 5 years. The Rabbinical Assembly, founded in 1901, is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The Rabbinical 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.
8 comments:
This is a wonderful step. It is very illogical.
You can be a gay rabbi, have a gay commitment ceremony but you can't be gay with your partner.
Nice work...keep at it! Almost there.
But who's going to stop you? The CJLS doesn't have security cameras in your bedroom.
I'm with BZ. This will be the start of some very important changes. Thank goodness.
Maybe I can stop scoffing at the Conservative Movement soon. Maybe.
smeliana-
I don't think that will happen
bz-
you never know where big brother is lurking.
But clearly Time Mag and CNN online have it figured out:
"Don't Ask, Don't Kvell"
I have the like on the blog.
As much as the Conservative movement would like to be Big Brother, they're just not that powerful. They have power over JTS admissions policy, and nothing else. This will become yet another thing where the C movement says to do something and no one listens, so there's nothing to worry about.
(The corollary is that if I took the Conservative movement seriously, then I wouldn't be as happy about this result.)
Its just nuts. They can approve multiple contradictory opinions- so everyone is happy and no one is happy. That's the way to have a spine!
So the result is that people who take halakha seriously are upset because the ruling went to far, and the people that don't take halakha seriously don't really care what the ruling says to begin with. Sounds like the driving t'shuva all over again.
amishav, not only did they approve contradictory opinions, but each opinion got 14 out of 25 votes. So 3 Rabbis voted for contradictory opinions.
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