Rabbi Says Orthodox Jews Can Make Room for Gays

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) When Rabbi Steven Greenberg attends synagogue with his male partner, the two do not sit together to worship. That’s one way Greenberg deals with the seeming contradiction of being a gay Orthodox Jew. Respecting the Orthodox Jewish tradition of separating husbands and wives during prayer services allows him to […]

c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) When Rabbi Steven Greenberg attends synagogue with his male partner, the two do not sit together to worship.

That’s one way Greenberg deals with the seeming contradiction of being a gay Orthodox Jew. Respecting the Orthodox Jewish tradition of separating husbands and wives during prayer services allows him to honor his religious convictions while acknowledging his partner’s role in his life.


Greenberg is thought to be the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi in the world. He recently spoke at Ithaca College and Cornell University about his experiences, some of which are outlined in his 2004 book, “Wrestling With God and Men: Homosexuality and the Jewish Tradition.”

He is a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York City. He first wrote about his sexual orientation under a pseudonym in a 1993 article in the bimonthly Jewish magazine Tikkun. In 1999, he publicly disclosed he is gay.

He is featured in the 2001 documentary about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, “Trembling Before G-D.”

Greenberg spoke to about 40 people, most of them students, at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., on Nov. 16. He answered a question from a young woman who said her brother had recently disclosed he is gay, talked about his family’s reaction to his own disclosure and discussed whether gay couples should raise children. (He gives a cautious “yes” on that last subject.)

It’s no coincidence that several religious traditions _ including the Episcopal, United Methodist and Roman Catholic churches _ are involved in debates about homosexuality, he said.

“It’s the next challenge,” he said. “We haven’t finished dealing with it.”

Reconstructionist and Reform traditions, considered the more liberal streams of Judaism, allow ordinations of gay clergy and blessings for same-sex couples. Some Conservative rabbis perform gay commitment ceremonies, and some Conservative seminaries ordain gays. Orthodox Jews, considered the most traditional, do not ordain openly gay clergy or allow same-sex ceremonies.

Greenberg doesn’t expect religious groups to advocate for gays, but he does seek respect.

“We have to find a way to seriously agree to respect and disagree in profound ways,” he said.


Greenberg challenges the interpretation of the verse in the Book of Leviticus, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is an abomination.”

He says it is not a biblical condemnation of homosexuality, but a warning against sexual domination and degradation.

While that interpretation is not widely accepted, Greenberg said discussing such texts may provide a spiritual level to debates about homosexuality.

“I’m convinced there is no reason Orthodoxy cannot find room inside the community for gay and lesbian people,” he said.

MO/PH END RNS

(Renee K. Gadoua covers religion for The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y.)

Editors: To obtain a photo of Rabbi Steven Greenberg, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug. If searching by subject, designate “exact phrase” for best results.

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