American Rabbis Have Called for more Acceptance of Gays and Lesbians


A group of prominent American rabbis have called for more acceptance of gays and lesbians in the Orthodox community. The “statement of principles”, signed by over 80 community leaders, affirms the rights of Jews of all sexual orientations to “be welcomed as full members of the synagogue and school community… and treated under the same halachic framework as any other member of the synagogue they join”. Six months in the making, the document – written by rabbis Nathaniel Helfgot of New York’s Yeshivat Chovevei Torah; Aryeh Klapper, dean of The Centre for Modern Torah Leadership in Boston; and Yitzchak Blau, an American-educated kollel head in Israel – states that harassing or demeaning gay Jews is “a violation of Torah prohibitions”.

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