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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Panel discusses reconciliation of being
Jewish, gay or lesbian
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF hho@media.ucla.edu In a religion as old and vested in tradition as Judaism, change can seem to resemble glacial flow, especially when it comes to something as religiously sensitive as homosexuality. The issue of reconciling being Jewish with homosexuality was the topic of a panel discussion following a screening of "Trembling Before G-d," a documentary about gay Orthodox Jews, Wednesday night at De Neve Plaza. Each of the panelists represented viewpoints that ran the gamut of orthodox to reconstructionist. The film by Sandi Dubowski shows Orthodox Jews who neither want to reject their religion nor their sexuality. Some of those filmed were virtually disowned by their parents, and others were advised to be celibate rather than have homosexual relations. The Orthodox ban on homosexuality derives from the Torah, mainly the book of Leviticus. "It says that a man should not lie with another man as he does with a woman," said Rabbi Mychal Rosenbaum-Copland, associate director of Jewish Student Life at Hillel. "The question from there goes to how one views and interprets text." Indeed, this was the central debate. "We are in a community that abides by its teachings," said Orthodox Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, director of Hillel. "It does say in the Bible that homosexuality is an abomination. We always have to deal with that no matter where you are." Orthodoxy represents less than a quarter of the Jewish population in the United States. Conservative Rabbi J.B. Sacks-Rosen, while still advocating strict adherence to tradition, found the texts more liberating. "In my reading of the text, I don't see homosexuality being condemned at all," Sacks-Rosen said. "In fact, it's hard for me to think of what the Biblical Hebrew word for 'homosexuality' is, because it doesn't exist." "If a heterosexual man shouldn't lie with another man, then maybe the corresponding law for a gay man is that he shouldn't lie with a woman as he would with a man," Sacks-Rosen added. The "illness" model of homosexuality came in part from a 1974 article by Rabbi Norman Lamm, which advocated compassion for gays, since sexual orientation is not a choice. While Seidler-Feller maintained the change from intolerance to compassion was a large paradigm shift, Sacks-Rosen cited a more progressive "scientific" model, backed by research by the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, that recognizes a wide variation of human sexual response which, he said, is normal. "There really is no such thing as reparative therapy or change therapy since there's no need to change anyone," said Sacks-Rosen, who works at a synagogue in Corona, Calif. "It's a matter of a person discovering who they are and living out the way they are made. Religion would say the way God made them." Sacks-Rosen said he has had his life threatened by other Jews, but he stays steadfast in his faith in Judaism. This faith was echoed by Steven Greenberg, the first openly gay orthodox Rabbi, who was featured in "Trembling." "It's not Judaism if it's not responsive to the human condition," Greenberg said. Now there are branches of Judaism devoted to being responsive to gays and lesbians. The Reform movement, of which the majority of Jews are part, now accepts gay marriages. The Reconstructionist movement, of which Rosenbaum-Copland – who is openly gay and who brought her partner to the discussion – is a member, embraces gays and lesbians, and urges people to take advantage of gay and lesbian synagogues, of which there are two in L.A. "Why can't (homosexual Jews) leave the orthodox community?" Rosenbaum-Copland said in a phone interview Tuesday. "There's so many places to go where you'd be welcome in the Jewish community." |
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