Lgbt Jews

I wear my yarmulka because I am proud: I am Jewish and gay. I am equally proud of both identities and would not want see anyone discriminated against because of either.

Chaim Levin chronicled the intense psychic duress that struggling to maintain a gay and Orthodox Jewish identity created for him. Subsequently, he was criticized in an op-ed in the Jewish Press.

This year's Purim marks three years since I started my incredible journey of coming out. Until three years ago I struggled in isolation with my identity as a gay man and an Orthodox Jew.

On the face of it, "Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders" (just out from University of Wisconsin Press) is the story of how Jay ...

Now is not the time for us to shy away from challenging ourselves to make substantive change for the better. We have the opportunity to raise the bar in the faith-based world by forging a culture in which inclusivity, diversity and equality are paramount.

Many LGBT Jews may not have the luxury of a synagogue that welcomes them. However, an ambitious project aims to train congregations cross across denominations to become safe and welcoming spaces for all Jews.

I have a hope. I hope we can all join together as allies to counter the misunderstanding, marginalization and oppression so we can make real the true potential of "Never Again."

As a straight ally, I want my LGBT family and friends to have all the same freedoms I have. I see progress every day.

Despite increased awareness, parties and worship services have not always been welcoming to the LGBTQ community. But advocacy groups, cultural organizations and mainstream religious institutions have stepped in.

Israel is a country in which life is rigidly defined by gender. This is experienced most starkly at the Western Wall. And yet, this is a space where transgender people have no place at all.

Our institutional tents need to stand wide and open for all to enter. But effective inclusion may require a delicate balancing act of sameness and difference.

The state cannot choose to reject these marriages any more than it can reject marriages that I, as an Orthodox rabbi, would not perform because one partner is a Jew and another a Christian.