Tonight I had a wonderful experience.I went to a homosexuality and orthodoxy panel tonight.
For those of you who remember Ailon Goldstein - he was the adjudicator/host of the evening.
It began with a talk from Rabbi Benny Lau of the famed Ramban community in Katamon. He spoke of the need for patience in the gay community because their families and communities will take a while to accept them but that baby steps happen all the time and slowly slowly the religious world is progressing.
Then Rabbi Arleh Harel (the past Rosh Yeshiva of Shilo) who spoke about how homosexuality, both the act and the lifestyle, is forbidden. Furthermore that in his role as a counselor for homosexual religious boy-men, he refers them on to conversion therapy.
After that a gay-religious lawyer spoke very charismatically about how in place of patience in our society we need tolerance (it's a good play of words in hebrew). He also spoke about how homosexuality is a sin between man and his maker and therefore as a community we shouldn't interfere here, but rather we should focus on mitzvot that are between man and his neighbour and hence we should be more inclusive.
This was followed by a lesbian representative who echoed the lawyers requests. She added that she doesn't want any privileges but rather simply the same rights as heterosexuals, the right to get married, the right to have children/adopt.
There was then a speaker from Hebrew University who used to be Haredi and now also heads a secular Beit Midrash. He read out many of the very offensive things that rabbis have written about homosexuality in recent times. He also sought to argue that lesbianism is a totally new prohibition invented only in the wake of the feminist/sexual revolution.
After that there was alot of arguing backwards and forward - but it was generally done in a very polite and respectful manner. The crowd were abit rowdy - but I found that entertaining more than anything.
If you would like to check out the website please see http://www.hujihillel.org.il/59460/%D7%90%D7%AA-%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%94%D7%91%D7%94-%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%A9%D7%99
Other then that - my personal response to this evening is one of immense pride. I went to a homosexuality panel in Australia (I even helped host it) and the speakers said nothing controversial in the least. It was, to put it in Jew terms, very parve. I also read the Yeshiva University panel transcript and that also wasn't nearly as passionate. At this panel I feel they managed to get over their fear of offending people and really deal with the issues. They didn't resolve them, obviously, but they were raised n discussed. Which I suppose is all that we can expect for the present.
In any case - it was very impressive.
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