Originally published 8/11/10, 12:08 pm.
Rabbi Barry Freundel on
"Jews who are attracted to their own gender"
Posted with permission
One global comment:
"Educating ourselves on this issue makes sense, a public statement imh"o does not."
I would restate it thusly:
"Teaching the public on ANY given issue makes more sense, than Preaching to the Public."
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In 1986 I published an article in the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society entitled "Homosexuality and Halakhah" that took essentially the same approach in many of the same words as this statement.
Now while it is gratifying to see so many chaveirim and other leaders coming to publicly agree with me (and I believe the article does provide the necessary sources) I am not planning to sign the statement despite the fact that I believe even more strongly in what I wrote 25 years ago today, than I did then.
The reason for what might seem to be an inconsistency has to do primarily with the way the world has changed in 25 years. (there are also some phrases in the statement that raise questions for me but that might well be something that could be dealt with so I won't detail this any further here).
25 years ago gays were seeking -perhaps desperately seeking - the basic acceptance of their humanity that this statement provides. It was the primary reason I wrote as I did because I felt that halakhah demanded that we respond in this vein.
The article (which was criticized on the right as this statement is and will be) was seen as very positive on the left (although there were some detractors including one who called me a Nazi in a NY Gay publication)
Nonetheless, I am honored to say that it had its desired effect in many quarters. Orthodox therapists have told me that it allowed them to function with clients who saw themselves as homosexual while allowing both patient and therapist to continue to maintain their Orthodox identity. The Joint Chiefs of Staff read the article and it helped them decide on the "don't ask don't tell" policy of the US military. It has been used in many Orthodox High Schools. Very personally gratifying
But today the landscape has changed. Most people think this issue is a private matter that as long as it is not made public is no one's business. I have had "gay" couples in my shul (I know this because they told me so in confidence which I never breached) and they joined the shul as 2 single members.
Instead the cutting edge is now gay marriage which no one who believes in halakhah can accept within our community. In the face of this we have this statement. The same forces on the right are opposed to it and the left sees it (and here I quote the blogs) as "weak", "wrong" or "offensive". One of the contacts I have in the gay community that developed from my article described it as follows. "Gays see themselves as Rosa Parks trying to get to the front of the bus (I know the history is wrong - she refused to move to the back). All this statement does is let us move up two rows. But American society has moved well past that situation - so this is actually a negative."
For that reason I see every reason not to sign this statement today I do think that a position paper for the rabbinic community with the maarei mekomot (and some word modification) and/or developing a curriculum for our High Schools and other educational venues is appropriate (to which end there is an article from 1986 that I can recommend).
Educating ourselves on this issue makes sense, a public statement imh'o does not.
- Barry Freundel
1 comment:
As one who signed the Statement -- although I now (as outlined in my own post below) have some questions concerning the Statement -- I feel that I should respond to Rabbi Freundel's point. As one who only signed on but was not involved in drafting the Statement, I am somewhat limited in what I am able to say. I do not know the original intentions of those who drafted the document. I do feel, though, that a Statement of this nature was necessary.
Upon reviewing Rabbi Freundel's original article, with respect, I found a great distinction between the position he exprssed within it and the point of the Statement. Of course, in regard to the main issue of empathy there is overlap -- however within Rabbi Freundel's article he specifically wishes not to consider the homosexual individual, i.e. one with same sex attractions, but rather wishes to focus on how we should respond to one who carries out homosexual acts. One of the important objectives of the Statement, though, was to deal with individuals, wishing to observe Torah, who have same sex attractions. This includes issues such as outing them, directing them to therapy to change their sexual orientation (which Rabbi Fruendel almost mandated while the Statement clearly leaves it up to the individual without any coercion) and their place within the world of shidduchim. The Statement clearly had a different focus than Rabbi Freundel's article.
And this may be precisely why there was a need for this Statement. Rabbi Freundel's article indeed was trailblazing at the time. Now, though, his article as well as various other sources on homosexuality are known throughout the community. It is no longer simply an issue of learning. The knowledge as well as the diverse conclusions that emerge from this knowledge is known. What is thus demanded is a need to articulate positions -- to forcefully articulate such positions -- so that communities can respond to the situation.
That is why I signed the Statement.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
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