Jewish Scene
Religious gay teens find safe haven
Racheli Malek-Boda
Published: 27.01.11, 09:49
Comment Comment
Print comment Print comment
Back to article
24 Talkbacks for this article
1. A safe home
Moshe ,   Jerusalem   (01.27.11)
I am glad religious gays have a safe home to go to.
2. religious gay = like religious pork eater or
Joe   (01.27.11)
religious shabbat desecrator – an oxy-moron
3. God loves the religious gay
Progressive Populist ,   Stock/jer, Swe/Isr   (01.27.11)
We must support the religious gay.
4. Mazol Tov
Yakov ,   Tel Aviv   (01.27.11)
Jews come in many colors and many beliefs. The opportunity to provide a comfortable place, where Gays, Lesbians and others may meet, and provide mutual support is wonderful. This is the true meaning of being a good Jew. Sure, some detractors will immediately spew comments of abomination or other non-sequitur, but those people don't live in reality. Those are the same people who riot in the streets, and pervert Jewish law for their own goals. They are to be dismissed. Being a good Jew is about being a good person. And, providing a place where Jews can be together, seek each others support and strengthen their ties to the Gay Jewish community is wonderful. God is smiling at you, and so are many other Jews! Kol HaKovod!!
5. #2 Keeping Torah and being religious not the same.
Eliyahu Konn ,   Powell, OH   (01.27.11)
Religiosity means nothing outside of the Torah applying the mishpat of the Beit Din system, the halacha. Logically you don't get past Wayikra 18:22. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination.
6. religious gay
ORA ,   Jerusalem   (01.27.11)
Moshe asked his Rabbi:May i smoke a cigaret while i learn Tora? No way ,said the Rabbi. Yankel asked the other way round: While i am smoking,am i allowed to learn Tora?The answer was ,yes. Basing myself on this,i would say :a religious Jew can not be gay, but a gay can be religious.
7. Religious Gay is an oxymoron
Jake ,   USA   (01.27.11)
If a man has sexual feelings for men, he must combat those feelings, and try to overcome them. Yes, God loves "religious gays" just as he loves religious men who have the urge to steal or eat non-kosher foods. He loves all of his children equally, and wants them to find peace in living by the Torah.
8. The Orthodox are the most "intolerant"
Liliane ,   Brighton, UK   (01.27.11)
The Orthodox are the most "intolerant". It puts many people off religion.
9. Do you ever wonder why Men have Nipples?
Israeli ,   Israel   (01.27.11)
Embryos follow a female template until about the 6th week of pregnancy, only then the male sex chromosomes kick in. Homosexuality is a simple hiccup in human development, not a perversion. How can you judge a person for something they can't control or help? Do you punish someone for having a birth defect? To take this one step further: Homosexuals were sent to Concentration Camps right along with Jews. I'd rather be friends with a righteous Homosexual than with someone who knows exactly what G-d wants.
10. Beware Israel!
Eric   (01.27.11)
You know what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. With the way vice, homosexuality, and deviation is being accepted and even encouraged in modern Israel, don't be surprized if some terrible punishment from God befalls you!
11. Wrong!
Robert K. ,   Toronto   (01.27.11)
As the great American-Jewish philosopher Eli Segel said "All homosexuality arises from contempt of the world, not liking it sufficiently. This changes into a contempt for women". According to his philosophy known as Aesthetic Realism , in the field of love and sex, a homosexual man prefers the sameness of another man while undervaluing the difference of the world that a woman represents. This undervaluing of difference is a form of contempt for the world; therefore, as a man learns how to like the world honestly, his attitude towards difference changes and this affects every area of his life, including sexual preference. I have changed from homosexuality thanks to the teachings of Aeasthetic Realism,. Today I am married and have a wonderful daughter, and I KNOW from my OWN experience and CHANGE that homosexuality is not what the "world " intended for human beings.
12. Jake 7 . god loves ? You forget how this "god"
Charles ,   Petach Tikva   (01.27.11)
"loved" our six million brethren . and then rabbis dare to say the "el male rachamim" [ god full of mercy ] at ceremonies commemorating the Shoa victims !
13. 5 - i see you've come around to my position
mike ,   israel (formerly usa   (01.27.11)
not too bad for a yored.
14. 13 Mike without a last name
Eliyahu Konn ,   Powell, OH   (01.28.11)
Which Beit Din would that be that you deem credible?
15. safe haven
miri ,   israel   (01.28.11)
im an orthodox women and i have a family member who is young and gay. his family is also orthodox. ive tried to talk with him about rejecting this life style like rejecting any other lust we have. but he told me he cant think about a women sexualy. hes tried killing himself and other destructive things. so i dont know whats worse to die or except him being gay I think this group will save these kids
16. gays are just more proof that the Torah is nonsense
Antitheist   (01.28.11)
Hopefully within the next 50 years the three most evil religions on earth, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, will disappear after being forced to admit that many of their most cherished beliefs are demonstrably inconsistent with scientific fact.
17. 14 - certainly not the one that did paqid's conversion
mike ,   israel (formerly usa   (01.28.11)
but then again, those beit din guys are only conveniently useful when you netzarim nuts decide they suit your purposes.
18. #9 I wonder why the Gorillas have Nipples
Joav ,   Germany   (01.28.11)
but you dont sleep with Gorillas dont you?!
19. At least they are real men and not your counterfeit yeshu.
Eliyahu Konn ,   Powell, OH   (01.28.11)
20. 19 - & your 'ribi yehoshua' appears in which historical docs
mike ,   israel (formerly usa   (01.28.11)
compared to your "ribi yehoshua" you nutzarim recently invented, the historical record and evidence shows my "yeshu" is quite real. and your evidence for the "ribi" is ... zero. (oh, and mind tricks and hocus-pocus don't qualify as evidence.)
21. a religious gay?a religious guy sounds better...
Anna M Sedda ,   Rome-Italy   (01.29.11)
in fact anyone that call himself religious,should follow God 's creation,man and woman,,,there is nothing religious in gay people...find your malehood in God yes,be a pig-religious,no......
22. 16 Einstein did not succeed
ORA ,   Jerusalem   (01.29.11)
23. 16 - you are right, but
Moshe ,   New Jersey   (01.30.11)
Yes, religions are a detriment to civilization, but people are terrified of their own impulses and need to attribute responsibility for their own motives for aggression on a false concept of something greater than themselves in the sky. This is unlikely to disappear in 50 years. More likely, Islam will take over the world by then and destroy the infidels.
24. Rosh Katan
Mark ,   Jersualem   (01.30.11)
Why do people have to write such rubbish when this subject of gay religious Jews comes up or even the gay subject comes up? First what comes to mind is how a person can comment if he has not been in the situation? Someone only with straight feelings has no idea what its like for a person who is dealing with homosexual feelings or same attraction feelings. Have you considered what’s it like to be born in a religious home, raised all your life in a religious atmosphere and at the same time dealing with the fact that the same sex has more attraction over you than the opposite. And why does someone who has same sex attraction not have the opportunity to lead a religious life style even if was not raised in a religious home. All those who write saying its like being religious and eating pork, I have a question for you, do you keep 613 commandments Those who worn about Sodom and Gomorra were those people Jewish, I don’t think so as there were no Jews at the time or commandments to keep. A Jew can only do his best so if keeping 612, 611, or 610 is what he can do I think it’s a big shame that he should be condemned for the three he can’t keep. And everyone seem to assume that gay religious men are having sex with each other, well may be they are not, have you ever asked, may be they are just enjoying each others company which is sometimes very hard to find amongst straight families. The only Torah prohibition when it comes to sexual relations is that a man should not have sex with another man like he does with a woman. So if he does why don’t you leave it to G-d to deal with and you keep your own house in order.
Back to article