Washington – President Barack Obama has decided to nominate Chai Feldblum, a Georgetown University law professor who has advocated for flexibility in the workplace and for expanded rights for gays and lesbians, to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the White House said Monday.
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She is a former legislative counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union’s AIDS Project, where she helped draft the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the White House said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Feldblum would fill one of five seats on the commission. The positions are full-time. In May, Obama announced Jacqueline Berrien, associate director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, as his choice for EEOC chair. Berrien is awaiting confirmation.
According to Professor Feldblum Committee on the Judiciary testimony on 05/12/99 she said that she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home in Washington Heights in NYC, and comes from a long line of Orthodox Jewish rabbis.
She studied at Yeshiva University High School for girls in Manhattan, majored in Ancient Studies and Religion at Barnard College, and considered becoming a Talmudic scholar prior to choosing the fields of law and politics. She considers her work to be inspired by Jewish values and ethics. She was one of the plenary speakers at World Pride in Jerusalem.
How about “formerly” orthodox, this woman is a lesbian and is not frum at all.
Till onsma will not take a satmar woman its not news worthy.look! Every human beings is created equal so everyone deserved it.
a horribly sick betrayal of True Torah Orthodoxy!
Where is satmar come in to the picture ?
do you have proof of all this do you know her family personlly
I’d rather have an Italian fellow with with good ol’ family values fill the post.
Homosexuality is against jewish law – and there is only one jewish law – the torah. The torah specifically prohibits homosexuality. There isnt even a question. If she is a lesbian she is not a religous jew according to any reading of torah, be it a strict or orthodox reading, or even lehavdil, a reconstructionist reading. there can not be two interpretations.
Let’s remember that in this is a secular society where we have to work with people of all different “types”. This woman has a remarkable record of service. She fights for people like us who have to work in secular businesses. She fights to make it difficult for companies to fire us for being shomer mitzvos. She has been a strong advocate for non-discrimination for religious practice in the workplace.
Just so you have a bit of background on her:
1. She was one of the attorneys who worked with Congress to draft the Americans with Disabilities Act.
2. She was one of the drafters of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act
3. She was one of the drafters of laws which eventually became HIPAA
While I believe that companies should have the right to choose who they want to hire and not hire by any criteria they see fit, they don’t have that right. The laws are unfortunately setup with protections. However, most of the protections she has fought for are “common sense” protections that most rational people would hope companies would just adopt on their own anyway. Therefore, nobody really fights back against them.
It’s very nice that Dr. Feldblum is being appointed to such an important post. However, the Torah does say that gay partnerships are an abomination.period! To say you grew up in an Orthodox setting and are descended from distinguished rabbis-and then be a vocal proponent of gay/lesbian rights is pretty much a contradiction. All we see here is another case of a misguided, liberal Jew who is obviously convinced she is doing good in the world…very sad.
No where in the article does it say she is a lesbian?? So why are all of you going crazy? It just says she fights for their (lesbians/gays) rights in employment etc….
Her religious and sexual orientation aside, she was nominated by the Obama administration. ‘Nuf said.
I’m sure the yeshiva she graduated from must be very proud of its alumni
1. Female homosexuality is not called an abomination in the Torah. If it is biblically prohibited, it would be on the basis of “ke’ma’asei Eretz Mitzrayim.”
2. The word is alumna, not alumni. Feminine singular. And she is certainly a singular feminine.
3. If she considers herself “formerly Orthodox,” that means that she still has a kesher to our mesora, and was drawn away either by her ‘orientation’, which is not uncommon, or by her drive to succeed, also not uncommon.
4. There are plenty of smokers and others with inappropriate habits out there who know they should stop, both ahl pi halacha and ahl pi seichel, and they don’t stop anyway. The Yeitzer Hara is a very powerful enemy, and during Elul it would be smarter to recognize where we have failed, rather than pointing fingers at others who nebach weren’t omeid be’nisayon.
correct me if I’m wrong, but isnt only male homosexuality banned by the torah outright. lesbianism is not directly banned by the torah. Im not saying its not an obimination, but technically, halachically, it should be muter, right?
Just another Obama appointee with high-profile liberal credentials, whom the secular media can use words like “Orthodox” and “observant” to try to falsely promote the worldliness and openness of this dangerous administration. The prez can hide behind the cover of such chachomim as Emanuael, Axelrod, Feldblum, and others, but he doesn’t fool me or others out there. Sadly, most Jews eat this up and shep naches.
You are all just jealous because you could not get into Barnard and Harvard Law School
you guys are all close minded. you live in a box. you think everyone who doesnt look like your box is nothing. wake up there is a big world out there, yes there are frum yidden who dont look like you. stop being spiritially arrogant.
I’m sure Obama didn’t chose her based on VIN’s qualifications for government or academic posts. No one cares what her ethnic or religious background is and it’s not a qualifier for important positions. She rose to the position because of her legal and academic background and expertise something that most of VIN readers don’t care about.
As a member of Chai’s family living in Israel, please stop making assumptions and accusations on our behalf. I think many commenters would benefit from reading the rules of the site (below), along with Shmirat HaLashon.
…and don’t forget – Rahm Imanuel is orthodox too, and a “family man”!…
This woman needs to stop publicizing the fact that she was once orthodox or else people are going to think that the Orthodox say it is ok to be gay.
How do we know she is a lesbian?
For the ignoramous who have stated that lesbian relationships are not prohibited by the torah, I refer you to the Rambam, Hilchos Isurei Biah, 21:8, where he says:
נשים המסוללות זו בזו–אסור, וממעשה מצריים הוא שהוזהרנו עליו: שנאמר “כמעשה ארץ מצריים . . . לא תעשו” (ויקרא יח,ג); ואמרו חכמים, מה היו עושים–איש נושא איש, ואישה נושאה אישה, ואישה נישאת לשני אנשים
This halacha is brought down by the Tur and Shulchan Aruch as well.
Wemen are also prohibited – see Yevamos 76a, and Rambam on Mishnayos Sanhedrin 7:4
Her father was HaRav HaGaon Mayer Simchah Feldblum, zatzal, a young holocaust survivor who was a Rosh Yeshivah at YU and the first recipient of a PhD at its Revel Graduate School. After making aliyah, he was Professor of Talmud at Bar-Ilan. Her mother, Esther Feldblum, aleha hasholom, was the daughter of HaRav Yolles of Philadelphia, received a PhD from Columbia U., was appointed to the faculty of Brooklyn College, when she was tragically killed by a drunken driver.
It appeasr from her record that she champions the cause of all people who are “different”, including orthodox jews in the workplace. If she can still find it in her heart to go to bat for frum jews after they have illegitemized her (as illustrated by some of the comment here), she’s sure got my vote!
“To say you grew up in an Orthodox setting and are descended from distinguished rabbis-and then be a vocal proponent of gay/lesbian rights is pretty much a contradiction.”
Only to the intellectually challenged.
‘This woman needs to stop publicizing the fact that she was once orthodox or else people are going to think that the Orthodox say it is ok to be gay.”
Have no fear; no one would suspect we’re anything but fundamentalists.
Ok here it is..
rambam issurei biah chapter 21. That it is a chok mitzrayim and its NOT permitted.
And charley hall your wrong on that.
The Gemara is in shabbos..
Rashi explains that its a form of zinus.. A kohen may not marry such a woman..
So now your against rashi and the rambam.. Just shows how Jewish you are..
Besides the fact that she sides with the Gays..
She is immoral.. She is a shame for the Jewish community..
So she ‘studied’ in a Jewish Yeshiva. Wow..
chai rachel feldblum is the granddaughter of rabbi ephraim yolles of philadelphia and daughter of rabbi meir simcha feldblum of new york
It is great how many people are raui to judge people. I am sure the RS”O is pleased. It makes his job so much easier.
I would like to start this comment off with saying “I have never seen such closed-minded, ignorant, and hateful comments,” but unfortunately I have, and right here on this blog.
First, to all of you ignorant mindless sheep: Homosexuality is NOT against the Torah. One sexual act is specified- that is, a man sleeping with another man the way one would lie with a woman. BEING gay is not against anything. If people are born that way, or are pushed in that direction through environmental factors, whatever you believe, it is not their fault. NO ONE says that being a homosexual is wrong, so educate yourselves before you spew your vile mindless lies.
Second, in Elul of all times you would think people would learn to judge THEMSELVES before others. How many people do you know PERSONALLY that are mechallel Shabbos or many other mitzvos all the time? Yet people keep quiet about that. But when it comes to *gasp* homosexuality, suddenly people throw out words like abomination, sickening, you can’t be frum, apikores, and whatever else. Total homophobia, ignorance, and hypocrisy. Lucky for you, you don’t have to deal with the issues that gay frum Jews (yes, OMG, I know, but they exist!) do on a daily basis, such as conflicting ideas and emotions, personal struggles, torn between religion and happiness, acceptance and rejection. Of course everyone has their own nisyonos, but you don’t have theirs, so don’t be so quick to judge and be so disgustingly HATEFUL about it. Think about how your words can make others feel. If you came back as a gilgul and were gay, how would you handle it? Try walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
Is it better to continue being so hateful and chase away anyone who is hanging on to yiddeshkeit as best as they can and still has other mitzvos they can perform, or completely scare them away from our religion by making them feel hated, unwanted, rejected, and hurt, so that they don’t do any mitzvos at all? All of you who act so obnoxious and ignorant are very guilty yourselves of many aveiros, and if you have any part in chasing someone away from frumkeit then you are a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing and have many serious aveiros of your own to answer for. Do you think Hashem is proud of you for screaming apikores at the top of your lungs while you chase away one of HIS precious children?
SHAME SHAME SHAME on you.
This woman is extraordinary. She defends the rights of those who hate and defame her and shows respect for people she disagrees with. How many posters on this board have such big hearts? She is a terrific example. We can all learn from her.
I wish her well and much success in her new position.
for all those saying a woman is not commanded on pirya vrivya, she is still obligated in sheves, that is to populate the earth by having children.