@ Charlie Hall
Riverdale Press:
Same-sex marriage has been the law of the land for some time now, but many religious institutions — like Orthodox Judaism — refuse to embrace this “modern” way of thinking, citing laws that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale is Orthodox, but has long been known to follow it’s own path in grappling with the strictures of traditional Jewish law to include women and LGBTQ Jews. It hosted a panel in 2016, for example, called “Building a Jewish Future Outside the Closet,” which focused on LGBTQ Jews in Orthodoxy, and its founding rabbi, Avi Weiss, was one of the signatories of a groundbreaking 2010 statement of principles by Orthodox leaders asserting an “obligation to treat human beings with same-sex attractions and orientations with dignity and respect.” The shul even congratulated same-sex couples on their weddings in its newsletter.
But announcements of marriage celebrations in violation of Orthodox law? No more.
The Orthodox Union — the largest association of Orthodox synagogues in the United States — has reinforced its opposition to same-sex marriage congratulations, calling them an “institutional endorsement” of something it considers a sin.