He is a reform clergyman, no more legit than the clergy of reconstructionist, J4J , gay , conservative or humanistic. If he is a rabbi, than all 12 year old Yeshiva boys are.

of both a mother and father. yes, of course, it's true that, sometimes, circumstances do not permit a child to be raised by both a mother and a father. NONETHELESS, it should be absolutely clear that that is the standard, the optimum. and by no means should a homosexual couple should be allowed to adopt children. anyone who makes the suggestion certainly does not have the best interests of the children in mind. he is thinking of himself and some moronic conception of political correctness. smug, sanctimonious, lagubrious, foolish kariv hasn't the slightest clue.

100% agree with this Rabbi. like any family ,jewish Children deserve to be happy in any kind of familiy, heterosexual or homosexual.

We should encourage any wish for a solid partnership and responsible parenting, regardless of whether it is heterosexual or homosexual. We are lucky to see growing circles within Israeli society naturally and simply accepting these family units. As a matter of fact as a gay man who is proud to be member of Humanist Judaism ( I am ex Catholic) I adopted 2 boys with my 2 husbands and we are getting along wanderful. The problem is that all the religions believy in the Bible. In our religion we make our own Bible. In fact I would like to create a New Bible included from Old Testanent, Quaran, New Testement and Sharia. Even Budhists can be included there. This new religion will be so progressive, that we can vote and decide for ourselve what to believe in Shalom, Salam, Peace

Years from now, when reports begin to accumulate about the abuses suffered by children adopted by pedophiles come to light, you and your liberal friends will bear the responsiblity for influencing the public the way you are now. Have mercy on the children - not on those who will use your ignorance to abuse them.

Sharia? You mean like they have in Iran where, according to their president, there aren't any homosexuals?

As an American Jew who probably lost relatives back from my grandparents siblings, who probably lost relatives during the Hlocaust, I am amazed at some Israeli's rejection of their gay/lesbian compatriots. When my distant cousins went up hitler's smokestakes, mixed with their ashes were the gays of Germany, another group that maniac considered less then human. Just a week ago I spent some aime talking with a gay 26 year old man I know casually. He is the recipient of what might be described as a partial equivalent to being a Rhode's scholar in his field of Journalism and writing. His family is Lutheran, some of whom as a group basically accept and others who reject equality for gay people. He told me that when he told his parents at about age 21 that he was gay, one of his parents told him she'd like to kill him, but hoped he would kill himself !! This young man is a credit to our country, he holds a responsible job as a writer, does various social justice projects, etc, and has a large number of friends, most of whom are straight. His story was nothing but another example of Horrible Homophobia - pure hatred, in the name of God. I do gather that relations with his parents are fairly good now, but there will probably always be lingering hatred, fear, guilt, etc on his parents part, all due to homophobia that religion has used to poison minds. Apparently this sort of thing also exists in Israel, as we read of the opposition to gay pride marches in Jerusalem. I think this hatred and denigration of gay people in Israel is totally against everything being Jewish should stand for, given our people's history. As we have the mad orthodox right wing Christians running rampart in the USA, it is even worse to hear about the Hareidem and their attitudes in Israel. It is enough that I personally have my foot half out the door of the temple, and almost ready to move to the Unitarian-Universalist church, which recognizes the value and dignity of all individuals. I would also be, in joining that church, joining with their approx 20% of their members who are Jews, and the same percentage of gays. For the Israelis who would keep gay/lesbian citizens as second class, or even untouchables under Israeli culture, I am forced to ask if the holocaust was not enough to break through their biblical beliefs left from a time of superstition and ignorance, and driven by a group within Israel who live off the blood they suck from other Israeli's while they read their torah's, looking for hatreds to espouse. I'm forced to ask, no matter how it terrible it sounds, if these right wing ultraconservative Jews and the Palestinian terrorists don't deserve each other. And until I see full equality for gays and lesbians in Israel, and the Hareidim silenced or embarassed beyond recongniton, I will never visit Israel, despite my wifes desires. Yes, I do know that some area's of Israel are more tolerant, that there apparently is 'recognition' of gay marriages performed in other countries. But for the ultra orthodox, all I can say is may God have mercy on your sick souls, for I certainly would not waste enough of the land of Israel to bury you. Good riddance.

Dante, You can make all the polemical statements you want, but the research stubbornly shows that kids raised by 2 moms or 2 dads do just fine. And there isn't anything particularly selfish about parenthood or wanting to be a parent. Gay Jewish Dad Through Adoption

do you really think that people who believe in oral sex, anal sex, porno, can give a child proper family values? This is the most sick idea yet. Just because a decadent society like America legalizes it, do not at all mean that we have to tolerate perversion in Israel. Let the perverts go to the USA and let us grow healthy families with proper values.

and i respect the fact that some members of my community feel they can raise a child in a same sex partnership context however, i do feel that a child needs a "mothers touch" and this is something that perhaps not all men are incapable of but certainly most men are not capable of. Lesbian couples, I think, would be a better option, and if there is some male influence through friends then so much the better, in order to give the child a better balance. some of the talkbacks here are quite obviously not from Israelis and I think that a lot of people outside this country think that we've living in the medieval ages here. Well we're not, so either wake up and get with the program or stay where you are, because we really dont need extremist hatred here. We have enough problems to solve as it is. shalom to all

#8 I am deeply impressed by what you have written. We need more people like you because our country is infested with the others.

Hasn't done Canada any harm. People who disaprove of gay people and gay people live their own lives. There's a lot less terrorism in Canada.

Generations in the not too distant future will shake their heads at us in disbelief for looking at the wrapper of the package instead of at the contents and defining male and female based on physiology rather than on someone's "nature." In the meantime and because we're stuck on some ancient notions, how many children miss out on the only things they want and need: love and care. If that is not one of those "abominations," it should be.

Here's a link where you may learn something. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071128092109.htm It's, also, been established that most children are abused by heterosexual members of their own family. To quote Dr. Herbert Wagemaker, a psychiatrist: I'd bet, too, that very few were gay.

Any phenomenon or sexual practice found among gays is mirrored in heterosexuals. The only difference is in numbers, heterosexuals being over 90% of the population. Homophobia is an irrational prejudice like anti-Semitism having more to do with the homophobic individual than with the object of his/her prejudice. Adoption is a civil procedure that has nothing to do with religious beliefs. Even a single person should be able to adopt if they can provide a suitable home. Considering the number of maladjusted misfits running around, it doesn't look like heterosexual couples are doing such a good job either. Maybe heterosexual couples should undergo the same scrutiny as gay couples who wish to adopt before they are allowed to have children. In any case, this is really a non-issue since the number of people involved is infinitesmal. I think that there are far more serious issues we have to face than gay adoption .....

Speaking of those maladjusted misfits, are you throwing dispersions on me or on my parents? :-) And I don't want to hear about trying on shoes, either.

Bravo Rabbi Kariv! The courage you are showing hopefully will enlighten your fellow rabbis. Your thoughts are truly wonderful. Every child desires a loving home with caring parents. The sexual preference of the parents is not a factor.

how many rabbis are pedophiles??? Not many are ...but some are...so what ,, should we judge the majority of rabbis by the minority? the majority of gays are not pedophiles..should they be judged by the minority of their community;.. the majority are positive and dedicated members of the communtiy..working and paying taxes..serving in the army..not like the majority of the people criticizing them

A welcome change? More like a dog puking on the ground, licking it back up and then trying to convince the rest of the pack how good it tasted.

Its going down the toilet. Its been a slice. Bye Bye

I don't know, i keep reading and hearing stories about child molesters getting jobs in Yeshivot, maybe that's the sick place to send your kids.

Just a continuation of all the idiotic revisionism and distortion of Judaism that they preach.

We are proud gay, Jewish parents.

There are plenty of child molestation cases in the religious sectors here. Its like apples and oranges (ok, in your case, bananas). Shabbat shalom!