Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

As Go the Episcopalians, So Go the Jews
Wednesday, December 6, 2006

In the 19th century, denomination after denomination of Christianity in America splintered over the issue of slavery. Now we're seeing almost exactly the same thing over homosexual rights. First, the Episcopalians. Now, the Jews.

Today, Conservative Judaism made the long-expected decision to allow gay rabbis and unions. And just as quickly, the splintering began. The NYT reports on the early skirmishes, soon to play out in every Conservative shul in the country.

But in a reflection of the divisions in the movement, the 25 rabbis on the law committee passed three conflicting legal opinions — one in favor of gay rabbis and unions, and two against.
In doing so, the committee left it up to individual synagogues to decide whether to accept or reject gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies, saying that either course is justified according to Jewish law.
“We believe in pluralism,” said Rabbi Kassel Abelson, chairman of the panel, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, at a news conference after the meeting at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York.
“We recognized from the very beginnings of the movement that no single position could speak for all members” on the law committee or in the Conservative movement.
In protest, four conservative rabbis resigned from the law committee, saying that the decision to allow gay ordination violated Jewish law, or halacha. Among them were the authors of the two legal opinions the committee adopted that opposed gay rabbis and same-sex unions.

Another step in what I have long believed will be the end of tripartite Judaism in my lifetime.

Labels: Bible in America, Christianity, Judaism

Posted by B Feiler at 11:33 PM
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