Gay hasidic jews

The issue has been a subject of contention within modern Jewish denominations, and has led to debate and division. Traditionally, Judaism has seen homosexual male intercourse as contrary to Judaism, not homosexuality in-and-of-itself. This opinion is often still maintained by Orthodox Judaism. Many gay Orthodox Jews attempt to ignore their sexual impulses, perhaps even marrying and raising families.

Others act on their impulses to a point–avoiding intercourse because of the biblical prohibition. In a small room in Jerusalem, Hasidic men are rocking back and forth, clutching their prayer books to their chest, rubbing ice cubes on their foreheads. They have come to the Atonement Ceremony for Sexual Sins, an ancient ritual, to repent for harboring sexual thoughts, to cool their passions.

Halacha is a code of behavior that covers a vast range of ethical rules, social mores, ritual practices and spiritual disciplines. A quarter of the medieval code, the Shulchan Aruch, which to this day guides Orthodox Jews, focuses on sexual practice and marriage. Judaism celebrates creation as an inherent good. Question: According to Jewish law, how should a person react to homosexual feelings?

Do homosexuals fit into the Jewish community? You’re reading an installment from The Freeman Files. Don’t miss the next one. Subscribe here. Excerpted and reprinted, with permission of the author, from Moment Magazine , April It is impossible to get an accurate number of gay Orthodox Jews. There is no official membership, and only a handful of people are willing to put their names on support-group lists.

Shlomo Ashkinazy, a gay-rights activist and Orthodox Jew who lives in New York City, says he has spoken with over gay Orthodox Jews over the past few years. Filmmaker Sandi DuBowski, who produced and directed Trembling Before G-d , interviewed hundreds of gay frum observant Jews over the past few years for his movie. And those involved in gay community outreach say there are many more out there.

In the New York area, home to the largest concentration of gay Orthodox Jews, at least four support groups have sprung up to meet their needs. There are also a number of informal groups that meet on a monthly basis for Shabbat meals or Talmud study. Some of these informal groups, many of which operate in secret, have been around for years.

With your help, My Jewish Learning can provide endless opportunities for learning, connection and discovery. The three founders of the Gay and Lesbian Yeshiva Day School Alumni Association chose that name specifically to attract a gay group with an Orthodox background. The group was publicized solely through word-of-mouth. Sixty people showed up at the first meeting. For Chaim, then 28, walking into a room and meeting people like himself for the first time was a powerful experience.

Chaim estimates that about 2, people have come to meetings over the past five years. Hasidishe [Hasidic] people. And they come from all over. They come to see that there is something out there for them. Similar groups exist in Israel, England, and California. The first West Coast support group was founded in Los Angeles by "Jacob," a year-old Orthodox gay Jew who had been married and living in a New York suburb until ten years ago, when he confessed to his wife that he was gay.

He tried attending Reform synagogues, but because of his level of observance, he was not comfortable. He started attending an Orthodox synagogue, but was treated as a second-class member he did not receive aliyot [he was not called up to the Torah], for example because he was gay. The anonymity provided by the Internet has been a godsend to Orthodox gays.

Suddenly, questions can be asked without fear of exposure. Another Web site, Orthogays, provides resources and answers to the most frequently asked questions. Is it possible to be Orthodox and gay or lesbian? What does the Torah say about homosexuality?

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What can I do about sex as an Orthodox gay Jew? Can I still be Orthodox if I have gay sex? Why did God make me gay? What about the mitzvah of peru urevu procreation? How can I contribute to the continuity of the Jewish people? Chat rooms enable people to safely meet and talk about topics that would normally be viewed as taboo.