(JTA) — An Orthodox rabbi, Steve Greenberg, officiated at a same-sex wedding.
Greenberg, who is openly gay, married Yoni Bock and Ron Kaplan at the 6th & I Synagogue in Washington last week, Roee Ruttenberg reported in +972 Magazine.
The ceremony was held under a chuppah and included the breaking of a glass and the exchanging of rings. The ketubah, or marriage contract, was replaced with a Shtar Shetufim, or partnership contract.
"We were encouraged by the legislation of same-sex marriage in our home ‘state’ of Washington, D.C.,” Bock and Kaplan wrote in a guide to the ceremony, according to Ruttenberg. “At the same time, both of us wanted a ceremony that would be meaningful halachically (in terms of religious Jewish law) and create a set of Jewish legal obligations between us."
It is believed to be the first time that an ordained Orthodox rabbi has officiated at a same-sex marriage in the United States.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
