Reconstructionist Rabbis Approve Homosexual Commitment Ceremonies

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association has approved commitment ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples.

The right of rabbis to perform such ceremonies is one of seven policies and guidelines relating to homosexuality and Judaism that the 160-member association approved at its annual convention, held in Chicago earlier this month.

The other guidelines urge all people affiliated with the Reconstructionist community to educate themselves on issues relating to homosexuality and Judaism, to reach out to gay and lesbian Jews and to welcome them as full members in Reconstructionist organizations.

The guidelines also affirmed the Reconstructionist rabbis’ commitment to “a full place for gay and lesbian members in the leadership of our movement organizations.”

They urged groups affiliated with the movement to employ a policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation, and to be sensitive and inclusive in liturgy, ritual and biblical readings, as well as institutional pronouncements.

The 62 attendees also unanimously approved a position paper, “Homosexuality and Judaism: The Reconstructionist Position,” which was approved by the movement’s lay arm, the Federation of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot in January 1992.

Approval of the guidelines and official adoption of the paper relates to the fact that “Jewish holiness may be found in relationships between gays and lesbians, just as it can be found between heterosexual couples,” said Rabbi Robert Gluck, executive director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.

“Just as sexual ethics are important to guide heterosexual couples, so too are they important between same-sex couples,” he said.

“In Reconstructionist form,” the paper “draws from Jewish tradition and attempts to relate to contemporary reality. It views the contemporary reality of real people as one of its starting points,” said Gluck.