New York – Conservative Jews Approve Gay Wedding Guidelines

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    New York – The Conservative branch of American Judaism has formally approved same-sex marriage ceremonies, nearly six years after lifting a ban on ordaining gays and lesbians.

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    The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards issued the ruling Thursday on a 13-0 vote with one abstention, said Rabbi Elliot Dorff, the committee chairman. The panel of scholars approved two model wedding ceremonies and guidelines for a same-sex divorce. Rabbis can adapt the marriage ceremonies for the couples.

    “We acknowledge that these partnerships are distinct from those discussed in the Talmud as ‘according to the law of Moses and Israel,’ but we celebrate them with the same sense of holiness and joy as that expressed in heterosexual marriages,” the legal opinion states.

    Conservative Judaism is the second-largest Jewish movement in North America and holds a middle ground between liberal and traditional groups. The Reform and Reconstructionist branches accept gay relationships, while the stricter Orthodox Jewish movement does not. The Conservative law committee lifted the ban on gay ordination in December 2006.

    Called the “Covenant of Loving Partners,” the Conservative same-sex marriage document bases the ceremonies on Jewish partnership law. In the covenant, the couple pledges to be faithful. A ring ceremony binds the pair.

    However, the ceremonies do not include kiddushin, or sanctification, in which a groom “acquires” a bride by giving her a ring, which is considered the core of a traditional Jewish wedding. In recent decades, many rabbis have already been altering that part of the ceremony for heterosexual couples by having the bride and groom exchange rings, to signal equality in the marriage.

    “The result is still a Jewish marriage,” the legal opinion on gay marriage states.

    Dorff, an author of the ruling, said the committee’s discussions with gays and lesbians as the ceremonies were developed found a split in opinion that led the two templates for same-sex marriage. One adheres more closely to the traditional Jewish ceremony, while the other doesn’t.

    The divorce includes a “writ of dissolution” — similar to what is known in traditional Jewish marriage as a “get” — that either partner in the same-sex marriage can request.

    Dorff said he did not know how many members of the movement’s Rabbinical Assembly perform same-sex marriages. However, many rabbis had already been conducting ceremonies for gays and lesbians that they had developed on their own. Keshet, which advocates for gay and lesbian Jews, has started a public database of rabbis who would perform the ceremony called The Equality Guide.


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    100 Comments
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    rebbe123
    rebbe123
    11 years ago

    When will we see aready these perverts getting married to dogs/giraffes/monkeys?

    Yisroel
    Yisroel
    11 years ago

    “Gay Avek!” this ruling further demonstrates that Conservative Judaism has nothing to do with Hashem or His Torah which openly forbids this sort of activity. Conservative Judaism has long ago been rendered an irrelivent man-made religion and this ruling proves it.

    greenstein
    greenstein
    11 years ago

    Hashem Rachem

    11 years ago

    As the great gaon and Tzadik Harav Avigdor Miller Zt”L said when asked about what he thought about the fact the the conservative Jewry movement (at that time) had decided to ordain female rabbis, (he actually said in his quote “female shmahttes”) “They are sliding to 7734 (that’s hell backwards) already, this just helps grease the pole”. This latest move makes sure they stay there!.

    qazxc
    qazxc
    11 years ago

    Wedding takanos?

    yidelle
    yidelle
    11 years ago

    Ah great talmid chuchum

    BoruchN
    BoruchN
    11 years ago

    “We acknowledge that these partnerships are distinct from those discussed in the Talmud as ‘according to the law of Moses and Israel.”
    NEWS FLASH!…BREAKING NEWS!
    The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards Has Just Admitted That They are Wiser and Smarter Than ‘Moshe Rabbeinu!
    “It is with great temerity, humility and penitence, and after careful analysis, contemplation, and deliberation, that we announce, that we are smarter and wiser than HaShem and ‘Moshe Rabbeinu.'”

    11 years ago

    Even without formally including kiddushin, most frum rabbonim would not approve of this “ceremony”. However, its probably better that they have clearly defined rules so that everyone knows what to expect if their little Avromole comes home and says he met his beschert, Duvidl.

    11 years ago

    desperate act on their part. they are a dying movement /. all the movements reform, conservative ,Conservative Traditional Judaism , Progressive, Reconstruction, would do anything to attract a crowd…

    yaakov doe
    Member
    yaakov doe
    11 years ago

    They keep moving closer to reform and unitarian.
    What are they going to lein Yom Kippur Mincha?

    11 years ago

    Do we really care how these “rabbis” will deal with “Agunos”

    DRSLZ
    DRSLZ
    11 years ago

    This article, from the Associated Press, is indicative of the moral depravity that has gripped our society. “Conservative” Jewish “scholars” are now leading the charge down the slippery slope to moral depravity.
    Maybe this will convince rational people that there is absolutely no validity to this movement, but rather kefirah.
    Will there be a public statement from any orthodox Jewish organizations (besides Agudah)? Why not contact the O.U. and National Council of Young Israel and similar organizations to insist that they come out publicly against recognition of what the Torah calls a toey-va

    hey_you_never_know
    hey_you_never_know
    11 years ago

    I guess being conservative Jew now reached a new low…lets face it, as a Jew you either grow religiously or importunately fall…the beauty of being religious is that although you fall you can still hang in and bounce back at some point. A conservative Jew which has no boundaries when it comes to Torah and being a true Jew will never bounce back and will only fall lower until reached the lowest point possible…

    tehillim_119_72
    tehillim_119_72
    11 years ago

    this is tragic (despite the fact that even normal conservative wedding are worthless) because this will lead to Jews being over on a most severe avairah

    Avrumele
    Avrumele
    11 years ago

    Conservatism is not a branch of Judaism, it is a version, and an adulterated one as such. They are Jews, of course, if they are burn into Judaism, but their religion as far a Jewish religion, is not more Jewish than Jews for J.

    bigwheeel
    bigwheeel
    11 years ago

    This (The official sanctioning of the performance of gay wedding ceremonies.) is just another stop on the way to becoming equal with the Reform movement. It is truly heartbreaking. Because the Conservative movement started in Europe, in the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century essentially as a traditional movement. The early founders (In both, the US and Europe.) intended to introduce slight modifications to the observance and practice of the Laws of the Torah, as prescribed in the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch, which they considered to be “Archaic”.
    As late as the early l960s, women were not (Yet) being called to the Torah, and Sabbath observance was still essentially intact. But they went on a “Slippery Slope” and abandoned more and more of Halacha.
    This should be an abject lesson for some segments in the “Modern Orthodox” movement, (Note. the emphasis is on “Some”.) –who shall remain unidentified–
    who are “Pushing the envelope” in abandoning tradition, always coming up with new ideas, that might bring them (As a movement) to the brink of diluting Orthodox, Halachic observance altogether.

    Insider
    Insider
    11 years ago

    Big Joke. Grand Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, the Reform Posek, ruled that if a man and woman marry, divorce, marry others, divorce their second spouses, they may again marry their first spouses. He ruled that since the Orthodox do not recognize Reform marriages, therefore it is as though they were never married and, suprize, they may marry!!!! If a witch-doctor performs a Jewish wedding ceremony, is that also acceptable. How about polygamy ??? or incestual relationships. Are they then not a loving couple??? As predicted by our Gedolim at the inception of Reform and Conservative (so-called) Judaism (sic), the abomination reveals itself.

    Wise-Guy
    Wise-Guy
    11 years ago

    Worst news in a long time!
    Those traitorous arrogant SOB’s lending a “Jewish” stamp of approval on what the written Torah clearly states is an abomination!
    Their recognition and validation of this deed is worse than the deed itself (according to Chazal) .
    Their insolent and contemptuous behaviour is Nebich going to cost them dearly.
    I hope it won’t cost me and my peers dearly. We cast them out of Klal Yisroel!

    And I fully expect to get “earful” for stating the above, but honestly, it’s not my personal opinion. I’m basing it on what was clearly established and written by our creator quite a bit before any of us arrived on the scene. (Including the nauseating practitioners and supporters of same-gender-marriage.)
    And need I remind anybody that he (The Creator/Boss/Commander) is always right?

    LESkid
    LESkid
    11 years ago

    It’s nice to read that toevah “marriage” is the biggest problem in life of some bourgeoisie Yidden.

    Member
    11 years ago

    A torah fell one month before a gay marriage ceremony in the conservative synagogue in my town a few years ago. Just a consideration…..

    lazerx
    lazerx
    11 years ago

    I am waiting for them to OK marriage between man and his dog, after all isn’t man’s best friend his dog?

    11 years ago

    The Reform, Conservative, Progressive, and Reconstructionist movements were never Judaism, to begin with, but different religions.

    The fact that the Conservative religion finally approves Toeivah “marriage” is no surprise.

    So if a man wants to marry his brother or his (if single) father, is that considered incest?

    MyComment
    MyComment
    11 years ago

    This is a great opportunity for the orthodox community to open their doors and welcome those conservative members who will leave their movement.

    RobertS
    RobertS
    11 years ago

    And they drive to wedding receptions on shabbos to make brachot for shellfish and pork. Seriously, though, they make chillul Hashem by mocking Jewish practice. At least the reform movement doesn’t make a pretense of keeping Halacha, even if its rabbis might not be Jewish.

    chayala
    chayala
    11 years ago

    This is ridiculous, Jewish weddings r about kedisha ,they aren’t sanctifying anything except they’re animalistc need to sin. Judiasim? I don’t think so there is one and only ONE Torah, along with ONE set of rules. If u have the need to live in any other way then the Torah said. GO FOR HELP!!!

    chayala
    chayala
    11 years ago

    So that means In afew years from know there will be 2 daddy’s or 2 mommy’s at graduation. Will there be mechitzas?

    11 years ago

    To 22 and 25.
    Sinas chinam is much worse than anything conservative yidden may or may not do. I presume you understand the consequences of your words for yourselves and the klal.

    11 years ago

    They already marry goyim to Jews, is anyone really surprised they would do this?

    11 years ago

    #15 : I may be misunderstanding you, but do you really think anyone is going to start engaging in homosexual activity because the Conservative movement OKs gay marriage?

    Avreich1
    Avreich1
    11 years ago

    I am a gay man and I most definitely DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT approve of the very idea of gay – so-called – marriages. The very idea is an abomination.

    In many countries (including my own) “civil partnerships” exist to protect property and inheritance rights. That concept makes sense, but there is absolutely no point whatsoever in “marriages” for same sex couples. Marriage is defined by HaShem for the principal purpose of procreation, so no further comment on my part on that issue is necessary.

    I really hope that VIN will publish this opinion as it is necessary that other people know and realize that not all gay people think alike.

    Thank you.

    Ariela
    Ariela
    11 years ago

    One thing I know is “you do not get clean to get G-d, You get G-d to get clean” So if synagogues open their doors to all sinners this is good, yet to endorse the sin is not good.

    SherryTheNoahide
    SherryTheNoahide
    11 years ago

    Wow. This is totally disheartening to me. Our local Conservative Shul was the ONLY place our gentile family could find any community of Torah-abiding people. Even if where we lived had an orthodox Shul… we’d never be able to attend! And so it was nice to be so welcomed to the Conservative one.

    But eventually, we stopped going (mostly this year), and a lot of that has to do w\my learning about the differences between Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc. When we visited for Rosh Hashanah for example, I almost fell out of my pew when they had flown in a FEMALE Rabbi from New York to conduct the ceremony, etc!

    But now this?!?! Even a gentile such as myself who isn’t near as capable of understanding Jewish Law, etc. knows this is going off the derech! Now my “feelings” about my family maybe not worshipping there anymore, make a lot of sense!

    Wow, wow, wow…. my husband isn’t awake yet: but wait until I tell him THIS news! This is but another nail in our coffin, as far as looking for a “community” for our family to belong to. 🙁

    We truly have no place to go now…

    Thank G-d for the internet, or I’d never hear TRUE Jewish teachings ever!

    This is a sad day.

    RobertS
    RobertS
    11 years ago

     kalbiderman: let them practice, yes, of course, but not make chillilul Hashem. Conservative movement is dying by its own hand, undermining the very Torah it claims to follow.

    OscarMadison
    OscarMadison
    11 years ago

    It would seem that the Conservative movement has been hijacked by popular globalist trash. These are the same people that brought us that nonsense green hechtsher which included mandated rules for green energy conservation.

    Avreich1
    Avreich1
    11 years ago

    This debate is getting harder and harder to follow. How can one differentiate between all the various “Anonymice”?

    What is so difficult about choosing a screen name? Is it against דעת תורה? Is a potential contributor obliged to seek advice from a local posek before identifying oneself here?

    SherryTheNoahide
    SherryTheNoahide
    11 years ago

    There is NO Orthodox shul where I live for the nearest 3 hours drive, for anybody asking why I’d walk in a Conservative shul in the 1st place. Most people on here know that about me by now… that I have virtually ZERO access to a tight-knit, orthodox synagogue, or any orthodox Jewish families.