Statement of Principles on the Place of Jews with a Homosexual Orientation in Our Community

As a signatory of the above Statement (see http://statementofprinciplesnya.blogspot.com/), while I may have phrased some points a bit differently, I understood its value, importance and significance. There is a need to set a policy as to how our community should relate to individuals with an attraction to the same sex, especially as many of them attempt to observe the strictures of Halacha in this regard. It is doubly important given the false perceptions in the general society, from such items as the movie Trembling Before G-d (see my reviews at http://www.nishma.org/articles/commentary/commentaryindex.html), about the Torah standards in this regard. While maintaining without question our allegiance to Halacha, a statement reflecting our understanding of the challenge faced by homosexual individuals and the requirement to relate to them within this context had to be articulated. It is for these reasons that I signed the Statement.

Sadly, though, the Statement was still hijacked by various elements to express a position that the signatories did not intend and which could upset the whole endeavour. The San Francisco Sentinel declared U.S. ORTHODOX RABBIS: ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALS supposedly developing their article based on a presentation from Ynetnews.com. While this article does not really relay any falsehood directly, it does give the impression that the Statement was more liberal than the signatories obviously intended. In fear of further being misrepresented in the future, the result of an article such as this one will be that Orthodox rabbis will be more reluctant to sign such documents as this Statement. I can only really speak for myself but I find myself -- and while this was not the first time I encountered this although I clearly did not expect it in this case -- becoming more and more concerned that any demonstration of empathy will be hijacked to reflect a view which I clearly do not maintain. The result will be to be more cautious before stating any opinion of empathy -- to the detriment of those who need this empathy. Hijacking a statement such as the one made by this group of Orthodox rabbis, while it may seem to be motivated by care for homosexuals, ultimately reflects a lack of care for this group of individuals as it basically gives a message that if you try to reflect empathy while not adopting the complete agenda of the gay community, we will sabotage your caring intention.

Rabbi Ben Hecht