President Richard Joel and Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss Issue Statement Addressing Religious Proscription of Homosexual Activity
Yaelle Frohlich
Issue date: 12/21/09 Section: News
As a result of Tuesday's well-attended and much spoken-about panel entitled "Being Gay in the Orthodox World," Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel and Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary yesterday issued a written statement asserting the stance that homosexual activity remains forbidden according to Jewish law.
Tuesday's panel featured a Yeshiva University (YU) student and three YU alumni, who spoke about their emotional, psychological and social experiences of being gay and Orthodox.
President Joel and Rabbi Reiss's statement is reproduced here in full:
Message from the President and Menahel of RIETS
In light of recent events, we want to reiterate the absolute prohibition of homosexual relationships according to Jewish law. Of course, as was indicated in a message issued by our Roshei Yeshiva, those struggling with this issue require due sensitivity, although such sensitivity cannot be allowed to erode the Torah's unequivocal condemnation of such activity. Sadly, as we have discovered, public gatherings addressing these issues, even when well-intentioned, could send the wrong message and obscure the Torah's requirements of halakhic behavior and due modesty. Yeshiva has an obligation to ensure that its activities and events promote the primacy and sacredness of Torah in our lives and communities. We are committed to providing halakhic guidance and sensitivity with respect to all challenges confronted by individuals within our broader community, including homosexual inclinations, in a discreet, dignified and appropriate fashion.
President Richard M. Joel Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss
Tuesday's panel featured a Yeshiva University (YU) student and three YU alumni, who spoke about their emotional, psychological and social experiences of being gay and Orthodox.
President Joel and Rabbi Reiss's statement is reproduced here in full:
Message from the President and Menahel of RIETS
In light of recent events, we want to reiterate the absolute prohibition of homosexual relationships according to Jewish law. Of course, as was indicated in a message issued by our Roshei Yeshiva, those struggling with this issue require due sensitivity, although such sensitivity cannot be allowed to erode the Torah's unequivocal condemnation of such activity. Sadly, as we have discovered, public gatherings addressing these issues, even when well-intentioned, could send the wrong message and obscure the Torah's requirements of halakhic behavior and due modesty. Yeshiva has an obligation to ensure that its activities and events promote the primacy and sacredness of Torah in our lives and communities. We are committed to providing halakhic guidance and sensitivity with respect to all challenges confronted by individuals within our broader community, including homosexual inclinations, in a discreet, dignified and appropriate fashion.
President Richard M. Joel Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 25
Daniella Adler
posted 12/25/09 @ 12:08 PM EST
I assume this means that a large public forum with multiple viewpoints and faculty supervision, generating a huge amount of interest, was...inappropriate?
There was never any indication that the hosts of the panel felt that homosexuality is okay. (Continued…)
Graduate of 1985
posted 12/25/09 @ 2:11 PM EST
Daniella, I think the President and Menahel's statement was very necessary.
The title of the recent event was "Being Gay In The Orthodox World: A Conversation with Members of the YU Community". (Continued…)
YS
posted 12/26/09 @ 7:22 PM EST
Yeshiva has to allow all viewpoints to be expressed, including those that run counter to halacha. RIETS and the president's office should not feel they have to issue a public statement every time such a viewpoint is expressed. (Continued…)
chana
posted 12/26/09 @ 7:31 PM EST
I consider this a cowardly statement.
If they were concerned a about some of the opinions or suggestions expressed during the forum it would have been appropriate to issue a statement reiterating that the forum was not meant in any way to influence opinion about the halachic status of homosexual behavior, and that the views expressed by panelists does not reflect the official stance of YU on the matter. (Continued…)
ystud
posted 12/26/09 @ 8:04 PM EST
To respond to Chana - it should be known that, though more needs to be done, YU has begun to mount a modest but serious response. This Shabbos, Dr. Pelcovitz directly addressed the issues brought up by the panel, offered a more religiously sensitive take on some of the issues that were raised, and implied that there is more to come. (Continued…)
Note the Irony
posted 12/28/09 @ 12:32 PM EST
The statement by Richard Joel is so ironic, given the following, which appeared in The Commentator of December 31, 2002:
"Mr. Joel, Rabbi Mychal is the lesbian rabbi on campus. (Continued…)
binyamin (last for your info only: lebovits)
posted 12/28/09 @ 5:38 PM EST
Suppose some supreme court justices held a meeting at a law school in order to provide a forum for illegals to cpmmunicate the experiences their status inflicts upon them. (Continued…)
Sean Ross
posted 12/30/09 @ 1:37 PM EST
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Ya know, I graduated from this prehistoric institution some many years ago, and I simply cannot believe many of the viewpoints expressed here. (Continued…)
YUguy
posted 12/30/09 @ 4:14 PM EST
Sean, I'm ashamed that someone who graduated from YU would say something like that. You're using this one small issue to deny the absolute truth of Torah MiSinai, which is the basis for Judaism - well, Orthodox Judaism, at least. (Continued…)
Joy Ladin
posted 12/30/09 @ 6:11 PM EST
As YU's first - and only - openly transgendered employee, I can attest to the fact that both the University's and the Orthodox world's range of response to sexual and gender diversity is much broader than this statement suggests. (Continued…)
Post a Comment