Posted on 02/10/2008 11:37:27 AM PST by Alouette
After establishing first website, ultra-Orthodox gays appeal in letter written to religious leadership, ‘Accept us as a living, viable part of ultra-Orthodox society’
Kobi Nahshoni Published: 02.10.08, 14:37 / Israel Jewish Scene
Not 10 days after its inception, the HOD website, catering to the ultra-Orthodox gay community, has broadened its operations. In a letter distributed to Orthodox community leaders Saturday night, site operators appealed to the Orthodox community to recognize them as “a living, viable part of its rank and file.”
The letter was sent to a wide array of rabbis, religious MKs, mayors, community leaders, and organization heads, including Conversion Authority head Rabbi Haim Druckman and Rabbi Yuval Sherlo, and notes that it is only ignorance and lack of awareness that lead to the senseless hatred against homosexuals within the ultra-Orthodox community.
Rabbi R., a community rabbi who answers questions for visitors to the HOD website, told Ynet that “people who have homosexual tendencies suffer greatly, especially within the religious community. Many gays feel rejected not only by Orthodox society, which does not look favorably upon their lifestyle, but also by God. We therefore must slowly find a way to broach and remedy this difficult situation.”
The rabbi further notes that “open dialogue and interaction with the gay community are the first step, seeing as this topic has only recently been broached in Orthodox circles. Speaking to gay men, rabbis, families, and educators helps us understand fully the sheer distress and anguish that Orthodox gays feel. We cannot be obtuse to their suffering, or the suffering of any human being for that matter.”
'Fear no defense for senseless hatred'
“Fear of the gay lifestyle is no defense for senseless hatred, violence, deligitimization of the gay lifestyle and other severe infraction of the mitzvoth between men and his fellow,” notes the HOD letter. “We do not want to ‘break’ or twist halachic demands, wrote the Orthodox gays, “only live within the niche which halacha affords us as Orthodox individuals.”
Itai, one of the HOD website’s operators, stated that it was the tremendous response generated by news of the site’s launch on Ynet that led him and fellow site founders to appeal to the Orthodox community.
“People were asking me on talkbacks and forums why an Orthodox gay website should be such a big deal when we contend daily with Qassam rocket attacks and the Winograd Commission, “said Itai. “Why make such a huff over it, people were asking. The big problem is that the Orthodox community refuses to discuss the gay dilemma, and sees even broaching the topic as a huge taboo.”
'Our intention is not to subvert halacha'
Itai furthermore denied the notions that Orthodox gays would like to subvert halchic constraints. “Like all religious people we accept the stringent demands of Torah law and would gladly sacrifice ourselves on God’s alter. We do no expect rabbis to annul or alter halacha law on our behalf. The problems with Orthodox gays is mainly a social issue, but those seeking to silence us can easily state that we(gays) are trying to go against the Torah and its demands.”
HOD website founders also noted that many ‘straight’ individuals—including parents, friends and even rabbis—have entered the site since its official launch. “This is mainly due to disgust from the persecution and senseless hatred gays experience,” noted Itai. “Most of these individuals have no affinity for the gay culture whatsoever.”
“Orthodox culture cannot unceremoniously excise us from its ranks,” Itai further stated. “There are other groups that are similarly subjugated, and we would like to be a test case for acceptance of the ‘other’ in Orthodox community.”
In summing up the site’s mission, Itai said that “the way gays are treated in the Orthodox world today violates many of the commandments between man and his fellow man. We appealed to individuals that can give us a semblance of acceptance in the Orthodox world, and we hope that other rabbis and leaders will be willing to talk to us as well.”
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That’s like saying there are “anti-abortion abortionists.” It’s an oxymoron, morons.
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I think I might know an Orthodox man who might have that orientation. He is slight, talks with a lisp, gentle, etc. If he didn’t wear the black hat or kipa people would surely automatically ASSUME he was gay by the way he speaks.
But this man married, and has about 4 kids so far. He is a good family man. He may have the orientation but he didn’t shave his beard and run off to Santa Monica Boulevard. He seems happy to me!
Pick any verse in Scripture, the secularists will dismiss 95% of them out-of-hand as being part of a "fairy tale" and the ones they do accept will be conditioned on moral relativism.
C.S. Lewis warned fifty years ago that the greatest threat to Judeo-Christian society would come from secular humanism/moral relativism. These people have a disconnect which allows them to believe that what was wrong thousands of years ago can somehow be right today.
That's a stereotype and has nothing to do with being gay. My son fits that description, and he is married with 5 kids (another one on the way)
According to this article, they are specifically targeting religious Jews with the specious excuse "You can be gay and religious too!"
What it means is that Satan isn't satisfied with enticing Jews to eat cheeseburgers or go to the movies on Shabbat--Satan wants them to go directly to the MAJOR SINS.
Very true, Satan has incrementally convinced many if not most Jews and Christians that all sin is justifiable. We live in a society that openly endorses the violation of every one of the Ten Commandments.
That is why I said MAYBE twice in the same sentence.
I live in a city known for its large gay population and there are many men who speak that way and are obviously gay. These days, one ASSUMES that someone with that precise “accent” is a gay man. But here was a frum and decent man with the very same “accent,” if you will, who is living the heterosexual busy family life and is enjoying it, regardless of “orientation” if that is even the case. You know? It may not be a choice to have the orientation but it is a choice to live that lifestyle.
That’s what I was thinking as well.
Isn’t this like meat eaters demanding entry into the vegetarian club?
If these were homosexuals who pledged to live moral lives and follow the rules like any other Orthodox Jew is supposed to do, I suppose one would have reason to be sympathetic to them (I'm not Jewish and I certainly don't presume to speak for anyone). However, it seems, as usual, that this is a case of people who live licentious lifestyles who want to hijack a religion and force their sinful ways on others and they want the religion to give its blessing to their immorality.
Perthaps a remedial reading course is needed..
Odd, that's the second time in two days that I have seen altar misspelled. But that's besides the point.
Main Entry: al·ter
Pronunciation: \ˈȯl-tər\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): al·tered; al·ter·ing \-t(ə-)riŋ\ Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin alterare, from Latin alter other (of two); akin to Latin alius other — more at else
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to make different without changing into something else
2 : castrate, spay
intransitive verb
: to become different
synonyms see change
Okay, so they don't want to subvert Halacha, they want to neuter it...
The answer, Itai, is that internal attacks on the souls of Jews are more dangerous to Judaism than external attacks that injure the body but not the soul.
Hamas are rank amateurs compared to the failures known as Haman and Hitler. More Jews have been lost to God through Haskala than through any pogrom.
To paraphrase an adage regarding Satan: The smartest thing that those behind the Gay Agenda did, was to convince everybody that there isn’t one.
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