"Orthodox gay group holds 1st Shabbat in J'lem" J-Post
3/3/13 by Jeremy Sharon- The group, Havruta, aims to provide forum that is comfortable for members of the gay religious community.
Havruta, an association of religious homosexuals in Israel, held a communal Shabbat event in Jerusalem for the first time this weekend.
The group organized a Friday night prayer service at the residence of one of the members, followed by a number of separate Shabbat meals hosted by at various locations.
Although the turnout was relatively small, with just 15 men attending, the organizers expressed satisfaction with the initiative, stating it was another step in helping gay religious people feel there are others similar to them and that they are not alone.
The organization now intends to hold a similar event once a month in the capital.
Havruta chairman Daniel Jonas said that it was natural for different communities to coalesce around a synagogue and organized community, which often act as a social hub as well, and that this was one of the goals behind the new program.
He also emphasized that the goal was not to distance themselves from the general religious community, but to provide a regular forum for a Shabbat atmosphere that is more comfortable for members of the gay religious community.
“It’s only once a month, so we’re not cutting ourselves off and we’ll continue to go to our regular synagogues and services as well,” Jonas told The Jerusalem Post.
“We don’t think it is desirable to separate ourselves, but on the other hand Shabbat services can also be sometimes uncomfortable when people come up to you and ask you why you’re not married, or if they can introduce you to a girl, and things like that.”
Jonas noted that about a third of the attendees had not been to a Havruta event before, and some of them had not yet acknowledged to friends and family that they were gay.
“It does require courage to come to an event like this, but because it’s a smaller type of function it makes it easier in some respects, and it is also why we held it at a private residence, because it provides a more anonymous setting and a sense of security too,” he explained.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=305112
Other Blogs/Websites
-
JCCV advocates for safety of all Victorians following attack on transgender people
-
The JCCV has been advocating for the safety of all Victorians, including
our Jewish community. We know that on this occasion, the target of hateful
conduct...
4 days ago
-
Maariv – Confronting Critical Challenges: 70 OTS European Shlichim Gather for Regional Conference
-
Confronting Critical Challenges: 70 OTS European Shlichim Gather for
Regional Conference Impact of war, demographics, conversion and interfaith
relations t...
5 days ago
-
LSJS holds its first Rabbi Sacks Learning Fellowship Shabbaton
-
Rabbi Sacks zt”l devised a course over 40 years ago, with the aim of
introducing the main themes and challenges of Jewish faith, practice,
theology, and ph...
6 days ago
-
The Refreshed, Reset Cup
-
My favorite cup of coffee each year is the one sipped the morning after Yom
Kippur. It’s not only holy for its absence from my life for the past 48
hours ...
5 months ago
-
Bible Stories for Grown Ups
-
1 Start 2 Complete
Contact 1
First Name
Last Name
Email
Submit
1 year ago
-
Parsha with Chana
-
I've decided to write meditations on the weekly Parsha at my new substack,
'Parsha with Chana.'
Feel free to click here to subscribe and have it deliver...
1 year ago
-
Giving credit where it’s due
-
On the 1 year anniversary of the WHO calling Covid 19 a pandemic I received
my second Moderna vaccine. When I received it I felt an obvious sigh of
relief ...
1 year ago
-
The Evolving Role of Women in Orthodox Judaism
-
Introduction Orthodox Judaism is often seen as a bastion of tradition, with
deeply entrenched gender roles and limited opportunities for women in
religio...
2 years ago
-
Parsha Perspectives: Parshat Terumah
-
Parsha Perspectives: Parshat Terumah
Insights into Parshat Terumah by Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum – Director of OTS's
Beren-Amiel and Straus-Amiel Emissary Tra...
5 years ago
-
Update on Tuvia Perlman
-
On Tuesday, I published a Facebook post about a man named Tuvia Perlman,
who worked as a teacher and a choir director in Milwaukee after moving
there from ...
5 years ago
-
"Coming out” as a parent of a gay child
-
March 7, 2017, 1:47 pm
My elder son David was fifteen when he told us he was gay – not that he had
actually intended to tell us quite then.
He said he was...
6 years ago
-
When There Is No Derech from Which to Stray
-
This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to represent (JQY) Jewish Queer
Youth at Keshet's Shabbaton for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
and ...
8 years ago
-
All this happened!
-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-shmuly-yanklowitz/orthodox-rabbi-gay-marriage_b_4452154.html
A modern orthodox rabbi "comes out" in support of gay rights...
9 years ago
-
Blogging for Me
-
When I came out, it wasn’t for anyone but myself. I came out to be true to
who I was, because there was something inside of me that kept me from being
my...
10 years ago
-
Dvar Torah, Parshat Terumah
-
I delivered this Dvar Torah at Saturday morning services during this past
weekend’s KOACH Kallah at the University of Pennsylvania. Shabbat Shalom.
In this...
10 years ago
-
Remember me?! UPDATE!
-
Hello everyone!
Sorry I haven't written anything in quite awhile, but these past six
months have been very grueling! I was in two schools (LIM Col...
10 years ago
-
Everyone is Special
-
A few weeks ago, I was at a popular yeshiva day school in the tri-state
area. While I was there, the school was holding a “parade” to celebrate the
boys’...
10 years ago
-
Impact
-
I know I haven't written in quite a while- over a month, actually. It's
partly been because life has been extra-busy recently, and mostly because
of the wr...
11 years ago
-
The Spouse Hunt
-
I grew up with the mentality of looking at anyone who even thought to get
married before securing a job as completely ridicules and irresponsible. I
have r...
13 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
No comments:
Post a Comment
TO COMMENT: