Editing Jewish views on homosexuality (section)

==Reform Judaism==
The [[Reform Judaism]] movement, the largest branch of Judaism in North America, has rejected the traditional view of Jewish Law on homosexuality and bisexuality. As such, they do not prohibit the ordination of openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual people as rabbis and cantors. They view Levitical laws as sometimes seen to be referring to prostitution, making it a stand against Jews adopting the idolatrous fertility cults and practices of the neighbouring [[Canaan]]ite nations, rather than a blanket condemnation of same-sex intercourse, homosexuality, or bisexuality. Reform authorities consider that, in light of what is seen as current scientific evidence about the nature of homosexuality and bisexuality as inborn sexual orientations, a new interpretation of the law is required.

In 1972, [[Beth Chayim Chadashim]], the world's first explicitly-gay-and-lesbian-centered synagogue recognized by the Reform Jewish community, was established in West Los Angeles, resulting in a slew of non-Orthodox congregations being established along similar lines. Beth Chayim Chadashim now focuses on the entire LGBT community, rather than just gays and lesbians.

In 1977, the [[Central Conference of American Rabbis]] (CCAR), which is the [[Union for Reform Judaism]]'s principal body, adopted a resolution calling for legislation decriminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults, and calling for an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians.<ref name="ccarnet2000">{{cite web |url=http://www.ccarnet.org/rabbis-speak/resolutions/2000/same-gender-officiation/ |title=CCAR |publisher=Ccarnet.org |access-date=2015-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309232303/http://www.ccarnet.org/rabbis-speak/resolutions/2000/same-gender-officiation/ |archive-date=2015-03-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The resolution called on Reform Jewish organizations to develop programs to implement this stand.<ref name="ccarnet2000"/>

Reform rabbi [[Lionel Blue]] was the first British rabbi to publicly declare himself as gay, which he did in 1980.<ref name="lionel">{{cite web|url=http://www.jta.org/2016/12/20/news-opinion/world/rabbi-lionel-blue-the-first-openly-gay-british-rabbi-dies-at-86 |title=Rabbi Lionel Blue, the first openly gay British rabbi, dies at 86 &#124; Jewish Telegraphic Agency |publisher=Jta.org |date=2016-12-20 |access-date=2017-06-22}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, the primary seminary of the Reform movement, [[Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion]], changed its admission requirements to allow openly gay and lesbian people to join the student body.

In 1990, the Union for Reform Judaism announced a national policy declaring lesbian and gay Jews to be full and equal members of the religious community. Also in 1990, the CCAR officially endorsed a report of their own Ad Hoc Committee on Homosexuality and the Rabbinate.<ref name="ccarnet2000"/> This position paper urged that "all rabbis, regardless of sexual orientation, be accorded the opportunity to fulfill the sacred vocation that they have chosen".<ref name="ccarnet2000"/> The committee endorsed the view that "all Jews are religiously equal, regardless of their sexual orientation".<ref name="ccarnet2000"/>

In 1995, Reform Rabbi [[Margaret Wenig]]'s essay "Truly Welcoming Lesbian and Gay Jews" was published in ''The Jewish Condition: Essays on Contemporary Judaism Honoring [Reform] Rabbi [[Alexander Schindler|Alexander M. Schindler]]''; it was the first published argument to the Jewish community on behalf of civil marriage for gay couples.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/judaism/2000/11/reform-rabbi-alexander-m-schindler-dies.aspx|title=Reform Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler Dies|website=www.beliefnet.com}}</ref><ref name="wenig">{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:fFLO9cY0WUUJ:huc.edu/news/docs/prlinks3/Wenig%2520PR.pdf+%22miriam+frank%22+%22margaret+wenig%22+%22mentally+ill%22+first&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESi23nbt0sf9HxA42m72kp-VshCZh5JKMb3Hij-nLKXhlNPM6VasnnCORZOT3VL0e3mlKGD8ZONJvC6gk8GgLZy_ZEsA74UoazDW6WKzPULQp5hJfW7Bea6V6AqAubipRho2owD1&sig=AHIEtbR6VRH-CJYWipd-wwBi6ItCM-6UmA |title=Powered by Google Docs |access-date=2012-04-12}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

In 1996, the CCAR passed a resolution approving the same-sex civil marriage. However, this same resolution made a distinction between civil marriages and religious marriages; this resolution thus stated:

:However we may understand homosexuality, whether as an illness, as a genetically based dysfunction or as a sexual preference and lifestyle—we cannot accommodate the relationship of two homosexuals as a "marriage" within the context of Judaism, for none of the elements of qiddushin (sanctification) normally associated with marriage can be invoked for this relationship.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups |title=Question 18.3.8: Reform's Position On...Homosexuality |url=http://mljewish.org/S.C.J/faq/18-03-08.html |access-date=November 26, 2014 |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124160434/https://mljewish.org/S.C.J/faq/18-03-08.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

:The Central Conference of American Rabbis support the right of gay and lesbian couples to share fully and equally in the rights of civil marriage, and

:That the CCAR oppose governmental efforts to ban gay and lesbian marriage.

:That this is a matter of civil law, and is separate from the question of rabbinic officiation at such marriages.

In 1998, an ad hoc CCAR committee on Human Sexuality issued its majority report (11 to 1, 1 abstention) which stated that the holiness within a Jewish marriage "may be present in committed same-gender relationships between two Jews and that these relationships can serve as the foundation of stable Jewish families, thus adding strength to the Jewish community". The report called for the CCAR to support rabbis in officiating at same-sex marriages. Also in 1998, the Responsa Committee of the CCAR issued a lengthy ''teshuvah'' (rabbinical opinion)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=8&year=5756|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217072309/http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=8&year=5756|url-status=dead|title=On Homosexual Marriage|archive-date=December 17, 2004}}</ref> that offered detailed argumentation in support of both sides of the question whether a rabbi may officiate at a commitment ceremony for a same-sex couple.

In March 2000, the CCAR issued a new resolution stating that "We do hereby resolve that the relationship of a Jewish, same-gender couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual and further resolve, that we recognize the diversity of opinions within our ranks on this issue. We support the decision of those who choose to officiate at rituals of union for same-sex couples, and we support the decision of those who do not."

Also in 2000, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion established the [[Institute for Judaism, Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity]] to "educate HUC-JIR students on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues to help them challenge and eliminate homophobia and heterosexism; and to learn tools to be able to transform the communities they encounter into ones that are inclusive and welcoming of LGBT Jews".<ref name=ijso>{{Cite web|url=http://ijso.huc.edu/|title=IJSO|website=ijso.huc.edu}}</ref> It is the first and only institute of its kind in the Jewish world.<ref name=ijso/>

In 2003, the Union for Reform Judaism retroactively applied its pro-rights policy on gays and lesbians to the bisexual and transgender communities, issuing a resolution titled, "Support for the Inclusion and Acceptance of the Transgender and Bisexual Communities".<ref>{{cite web|title=Support for the Inclusion and Acceptance of the Transgender and Bisexual Communities |url=http://urj.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=13462 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720193853/http://urj.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=13462 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-20 }}</ref>

Also in 2003, [[Women of Reform Judaism]] issued a statement describing their support for human and civil rights and the struggles of the bisexual and transgender communities, and saying, "Women of Reform Judaism accordingly: Calls for civil rights protections from all forms of discrimination against bisexual and transgender individuals; Urges that such legislation allows transgender individuals to be seen under the law as the gender by which they identify; and
Calls upon sisterhoods to hold informative programs about the transgender and bisexual communities."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrj.org/Advocacy/ResolutionsStatements/Resolutions2003/2003TransgenderandBisexualRights.aspx |access-date=April 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516091332/http://www.wrj.org/Advocacy/ResolutionsStatements/Resolutions2003/2003TransgenderandBisexualRights.aspx |title=Transgender and Bisexual Rights - 2003|archive-date=May 16, 2013 }}</ref>

In 2009, ''Siddur Sha'ar Zahav'', a prayer book written to address the lives and needs of LGBTQ as well as [[Heterosexuality|heterosexual]] and [[cisgender]] Jews, was published.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Our Siddur|url=https://shaarzahav.org/our-siddur/|access-date=2020-11-25|website=Sha'ar Zahav}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Copel|first=Rabbi Mychal|date=2020-06-22|title=Lots of Jewish resources to help you celebrate Pride's 50th anniversary|url=https://www.jweekly.com/2020/06/22/dont-let-prides-50th-anniversary-pass-by-lots-of-jewish-resources-are-available/|access-date=2020-11-25|website=J.|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2014, the CCAR joined a lawsuit challenging North Carolina's ban on same-sex marriage, which is America's first faith-based challenge to same-sex marriage bans.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mark Price |date=June 3, 2014 |title=Rabbis group joins N.C. same-sex marriage suit |newspaper=Charlotte Observer |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/06/03/4952335/rabbis-group-joins-nc-same-sex.html |access-date=November 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714154951/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/06/03/4952335/rabbis-group-joins-nc-same-sex.html |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Michael O'Loughlin |date=June 6, 2014 |title=Rabbis Join Marriage Equality Fight |url=http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2014/06/06/rabbis-join-marriage-equality-fight |publisher=Advocate |access-date=November 26, 2014}}f</ref>

In 2015, Rabbi [[Denise Eger]] became the first openly gay president of the CCAR.<ref name="Cutler">Tess Cutler, [http://www.jewishjournal.com/religion/article/rabbi_denise_eger_seeks_to_open_doors_wider_to_all_jews "Rabbi Denise Eger seeks to open doors wider to all Jews"], ''[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]'', March 4, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jta.org/2015/03/16/news-opinion/united-states/reform-rabbis-install-first-openly-gay-president-denise-eger |title=Reform rabbis install first openly gay president, Denise Eger &#124; Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=16 March 2015 |publisher=Jta.org |access-date=2015-03-16}}</ref>

Also in 2015, the [[High Holy Days]] Reform Jewish prayer book [[Mishkan HaNefesh]] was released; it is intended as a companion to [[Mishkan T'filah]].<ref name="jweekly1">{{cite news|url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/74278/gates-of-repentance-replacement-advances-reform-trends/ |title='Gates of Repentance' replacement advances Reform trends &#124; j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California |newspaper=J |publisher=Jweekly.com |date=2015-03-26 |access-date=2015-04-14}}</ref> Mishkan HaNefesh can be translated as "sanctuary of the soul".<ref name="jweekly1"/> It replaces a line from the Reform movement's earlier prayerbook, "Gates of Repentance", that mentioned the joy of a bride and groom specifically, with the line "rejoicing with couples under the chuppah [wedding canopy]", and adds a third, non-gendered option to the way worshippers are called to the Torah, offering "mibeit", Hebrew for "from the house of", in addition to the traditional "son of" or "daughter of".<ref name="jweekly1"/> The Mishkan HaNefesh includes several sets of translations for the traditional prayers. Psalm 23 includes the familiar "traditional" translation, an adaptation that is considered "gender-sensitive" but remains faithful to the traditional version, a feminist adaption from Phyllis Appell Bass, and the fourth was published in 1978 by a contemporary rabbi.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Reiner|first=Fred N.|date=2016-01-10|title=Adonai is My Shepherd: Theology, Values, and Sexism in Bible Translation|journal=Open Theology|volume=2|issue=1|doi=10.1515/opth-2016-0074|issn=2300-6579|doi-access=free}}</ref>