Jewish Leaders: Same-sex Marriage Ban Represents Hatred, Injustice and Persecution

Madison.com ^ | March 22, 2006 | Misc. WI Jewish "Leaders"

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Dear Editor: As leaders of the Jewish community in Madison, including its three synagogues, the Madison Jewish Community Council, and Hillel Foundation at the University of Wisconsin, we express our outrage and deep disillusionment at the Wisconsin Legislature's passage of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

Our Jewish values impel us to create a society that is democratic, pluralistic and just. This amendment, however, does just the opposite and promotes hatred. As religious people, we cannot be silent. The amendment denies equal rights to a historically persecuted group and relegates them to second-class status. Under federal law, over 1,000 rights, responsibilities and privileges accrue to married couples and their families. The history of the Jewish people compels us to vigorously oppose any attempt to limit the rights of a minority, and this amendment clearly is intended to do just that.

Moreover, with the amendment's preventing the state from recognizing "substantially similar" relationships like civil unions and domestic partnerships, same-sex couples will be denied critical legal protections and rights they currently enjoy or might enjoy in the future from their employers. This will hurt real families who live in every part of our state.

Proponents inform us that it will be the courts that will decide what "substantially similar" means. Yet, it is those same proponents who claim that the purpose of the amendment is to stop "activist judges" from defining marriage. Either they are being hypocritical with respect to the role that they want or don't want the courts to play, or they are being untruthful. Perhaps they are being both.

Many, though not all, of us recognize the religious status of same-sex marriage. However, this amendment seeks to ban civil marriage for same-sex couples, which is an entirely different matter. It is not for the state to define for religions what is or is not permissible.

We stand firmly in support of the separation of religion and state, a cherished value that ensures religious liberty for the Jewish community and for people of all faiths and beliefs. Whatever else this amendment may be about, it is also about which religion or religious view shall be the law of our state. That is precisely what the Founders sought to avoid and what we in this state have avoided for 157 years.

Jewish tradition teaches us that every human being is created in the image of God. Each one of us is truly sacred and deserves to be treated with equal respect and dignity. We, therefore, must embrace our human diversity and demand equality for all.

As religious leaders committed to fostering values that strengthen the love and commitment between human beings, we urge citizens to vote no on the amendment, and we urge you to join with us in mobilizing other citizens to do the same.

Rabbi Jonathan Biatch, Temple Beth El; Rabbi Kenneth Katz, Beth Israel Center; Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman, Congregation Shaarei Shamayim; Steven H. Morrison, Madison Jewish Community Council; Greg Steinberger, Hillel Foundation; Rabbi Andrea Steinberger, Hillel Foundation; Rabbi Renee Bauer, Congregation Mayim Rabim; Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

[MarkL]

These are the Jews from the anti-semetic wing of the Jewish community (borrowed and paraphrased from the Jew Scout episode of South Park).

Actually, they're just hard core leftists who happen to like lox, creamcheese, and bagels on Sundays. That makes them "cultial Jews." They're not so crazy about the "icky" religious parts. Or that silly "Bible thingie."

Mark

[Giant Conservative]

Why do you hyphenate "G-D"?

Writing GOD won't hurt anyone.

[MarkL]

Can I just say how much Reform Judaism frustrates me? I'm not even Jewish, but it drives me crazy talking to Jewish friends who buy into this stuff. Conservative Judaism? Fine. Orthodox? Great! Branches of Sephardic that border on Orthodox? Spectacular. But Reform just frustrates me. I look at it and say that this can't be Judaism, but who am I to say that it isn't? I can call it ascriptural to anti-scriptural if I want, but that doesn't seem to bother them.

My late Grandfather would be what many called "ultra-Orthodox." He had a name for Reform Jews: "Christians."

Mark

I hope that my Christian friends here on FR don't mind my quoting him here. It's not a put-down on Christians. He believed in honesty. And as far as he was concerned, Reform Jews were more interested in assimilation with the popular culture, and he saw America as a Christian country. Honestly, that's what he thought. But then he was born in Poland in 1890, and died in 1984.

[Aliska]

I don't remember that about the tribe of Benjamin being wiped off the face of the earth. St. Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin. In Revelation 7:1:

"One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;[a]
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

The tribes of Ephraim and Dan are missing. At one time, I believe the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were one. I don't presume to know exactly what this means.

[YOUGOTIT]

"I don't remember that about the tribe of Benjamin being wiped off the face of the earth"

Judges 20 and 21 The only remaining 600 men who ran from the battle. The Israeli army slaughtered the entire population of the tribe of Benjamin men, women, children, cattle and burned every city and village in the entire land. Read Judges 19 for the reason for this punishment.

[Aliska]

19 was enough. He cut up his concubine into 12 pieces. But those who abused her wanted men instead. Evidently it was for this. Why would he get away with murdering his concubine? True, though, most of the Benjaminites were slain.

This caught my eye:

"Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss."

I look for genetic clues in the bible, not appropos to the subject under discussion.

[Crusher138]

Jews, and some Christian denominations, believe that writing the "name" of God is a sin. Since God is more or less a title in English, most don't have a problem with it. Depending on what Christian or Jew you ask, God' real name is Jeh_vah or Jahw_h.

Sorry about the underscores. Not taking any chances, don't you know.

Rastafarian's shorten Jahw_h to just Jah for similar reasons.

[Giant Conservative]

Why "Jehovah"/"Yahweh" instead of "El" as in "Israel"?

[little jeremiah]

More fake religious people demanding that sin be whitewashed into "good".

[VOA]

Here's a good view on the subject of homosexuality from a Jewish perspective...
by conservative radio-show host Dennis Prager.

WARNING: GRAPHIC ADULT CONTENT at linked material.
(the content is presented in historical context, but some of it will
be offensive to some readers)

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0003.html

[Giant Conservative]

Judges 20 and 21 The only remaining 600 men who ran from the battle. The Israeli army slaughtered the entire population of the tribe of Benjamin men, women, children, cattle and burned every city and village in the entire land.

According to that passage, they acknowledged slaughtering children.

That is never right.

[darkangel82]

ping

[SuziQ]

They should be identified as 'Cultural' Jewish Leaders. RELIGIOUS Jewish Leaders wouldn't be saying any such thing.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

They contend that Judaism is in accordance with their stance on gay marriage. Many other Jewish groups, like the ADL, contend likewise. Why not accept their position about their own religion?

Genesis (1:27, 2:18)...

Morality and all of its associated concepts are from the belief some higher power defines what is correct in human behavior. Today, "morals" are a religious pagan philosophy of esoteric hobgoblins. Transfiguration is a pantheon of fantasies as the medium of infinitization. Others get derision for having an unwavering Judaic belief in Yahweh or Yeshua, although their critics and enemies will evangelize insertion of phantasmagoric fetishisms into secular law.

Mosaic Law (of which the Ten Commandments is just a part) is the foundation of Western Civilization. Genesis is the primary focus of the Declaration of Independence, from where our Constitutional rights are derived. The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our judicial system.

Moses wrote Genesis. This is why such people will jump up and down screaming when the Ten Commandments are displayed or the Creationist idea of monogamy from the book of Genesis is introduced.

The latter (Genesis) also ruins the illogical and non-biological arguments of homosexual monogamy. In a secular sense, homosexuality is an idolatry of perversion. It is in no way an anatomical function of the human organism, but a phantasmagoric creation from within the mentally disturbed human mind, a social psychosis, naked and on full exhibitionist display.

This is the whole crux of their attack on creationism - - they are really frustrated by Genesis, but cannot destroy the axiomatic state of procreant human biology, it does not fit their religious agenda.

Homosexual monogamy advocates seek ceremonious sanctification of their anatomical perversions and esoteric absolution for their guilt-ridden, impoverished egos.

Neither of those will satisfy their universal dissatisfaction with mortality or connect them to something eternal. With pantheons of fantasies as their medium of infinitization, they still have nothing in them of reality, any more than there is in the things that seem to stand before us in a dream.

Homosexual deviancy is really a pagan practice (and a self-induced social psychosis) at war with the Judaic culture over what is written in the book of Genesis (1:27, 2:18).

This is exactly what the National Socialists were at war with... so, when someone uses the term "Gaystapo," they might not realize how close to the truth they really are.

Many will seek ceremonious sanctification and esoteric absolution in some type of marriage rite, but that still fails to give them a connection to the eternal in both a religious and temporal, procreant sense - - the union does not produce offspring.

Dissatisfaction with inevitable mortality only feeds the impoverishment of the ego further. Homosexuals really hate human life; their whole desire is rooted in the destruction of it...

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

If they're Jews, they skipped that part about Soddom.

And whole chapters of Leviticus.

Genesis (1:27, 2:18)...

[Giant Conservative]

Christianity, not the Ten Commadments, is the foundation of Western Civilization. The U.S. Constitution exists because of the values Christianity propagated.

[Giant Conservative]

Why not simply accept that the majority of practicioners of Judaism are in fact socially liberal on issues like gay marriage and abortion? Why pretend that Judaism posits the same positions on social issues that Christianity does, when all evidence says just the opposite?

[AmishDude]

Buncha drama queens.

[Spirited]

Jdg 21:17 "And they said, [There must be] an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
Jdg 21:18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [be] he that giveth a wife to Benjamin."

If you read all of chapter 21 you will see how Benjamin was regenerated. It was still the smallest tribe but Judah would not have been able to reign in Jerusalem if Benjamin had not been given to Judah as "light bearers" when teh Kingdoms were divided because Jerusalem was in the alottment of Benjamin's land.
Later in history they were called Galileans, I believe.

They were almost lost when God caused a breach but God arranged for the regeneration.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

The very idea that human beings have individual rights not subject to the whims of a monarch, but subject to the laws of Yahweh, is directly from Moses.

Historically, this is proven over and over again with the successive conflicts between the forces of paganism and the Judaic culture. It is being played out here and all over the world today...

Observing this as an atheist, I prefer the paradigm of a Judaic culture to the chaotic death cult of New Age neo-pagan absurdity.

It is no coincidence Islamic pagans hate Israel, Jews, Christians and Western Civilization. The entire basis of Western Civilization is Mosaic Law, something both the Neo-Pagan Left and the pagan Islamic thugs cannot abide and wish to destroy.