Did you know that, just like blacks, not all Jews are in complete agreement on same-sex marriage? It is true! See, I was of the understanding that everyone sharing similar cultural characteristics would agree on everything. In a Jerusalem Post article my boss made me skim, I learn that reaction to President Obama’s decision to stop defending DOMA’s Section 3 is different among Reform and Orthodox Jews. Sukkot will never be the same!
Soon after the decision was made public, the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center issued a statement calling the move “as welcome as it is overdue.” “We know that the stamp of the divine is present in each and every human being. Loving, committed couples gay no less than straight deserve the opportunity to celebrate their relationships and have them recognized in the eyes of the law,” said Mark Pelavin, the RAC’s associate director. “Now is the time for Congress to repeal the discriminatory law once and for all.” Though the American Jewish community is generally broadly supportive of gay rights and the administration’s new policy was mostly positively received, not everyone was pleased by the stance.
The Orthodox Agudath Israel of America, for one, released a statement taking “strong exception” to the administration’s reversal on the 15-year-old act, which it had defended in court until this week. Agudath charged that Holder, in criticizing the “moral disapproval” of gay behavior, which he cited as a rationale for no longer enforcing the act, among other statements, used rhetoric that “demonstrates the kind of anti-religious hostility disallowed by the First Amendment. Religious values, ethical imperatives, historical tradition are all swept away no, disparaged by this destructive characterization.” The group noted that it had taken an active role in crafting the act and “has been among the groups in the forefront of efforts to maintain the traditional definition of marriage in law and society.”
Well I guess this one is pretty easy to sum up: Members of religious groups who are generally intolerant of change and the viewpoints of other people have a problem with Obama’s new stance on DOMA, while reasonable people do not. Lelakek Et Ha’etzba’ot!
hephaestion
“Others Jews”??? WTF?
Will Queerty PLEASE hire a proof-reader?
Bob
Isn’t it interesting that the minority groups who cry the most about being discriminated against, are the ones who love to discriminate against another minority? Thank you to the Reform Movement for your support and screw the Orthodox Agudath Israel of America. Keep your god to yourselves and don’t push him on us. My god loves all of us!
Jeffree
Lucky for us that the number of Orthodox Jews is greatly overshadowed by the # of liberal, Reform Jews. Not so lucky are we, though, due to the growing number of fundamentalist Christianists seeking to turn the US into a theocracy.
robert in NYC
Just what has civil marriage equality have to do with religion? In Israel, you can’t even have a civil marriage. About time these idiots got a life instead of obsessing over gays. Why don’t they all do us a huge favor and move to Israel instead, they’d be a lot happier and they could never claim they’re discriminated against, fucking bunch of hatemongers. Amazing how they could sanction discrimination against one specific group given their history of persecution and annihilation. They’d be the first to push us into the gas ovens if they could get away with it. What they’re doing is inviting more anti-semitism, too bad.
Josh
I hate grammatical/spelling mistakes, including typos. There is no excuse!
Simon
@robert in NYC
There’s a major ideological gap between Israel citizens (let’s call them ‘Jews A’) and Jews from US (‘Jews B’). It’s easy one – while Jews B were safe and sound for few decades living in Northern America and doing business most of Jews A are children’s of victims of Holocaust. Moreover they’re living in constant fear of attack from Muslims. Also most of older Israelis were born in Central Europe, where they were treated respectfully and tolerated (were some exceptions, as always). Jews B don’t have any idea that tolerance works in both ways. So please don’t compare them.
Also there’s a major glitch in history, when Jews B were offered at WWII by hitler to buyout as many Jews from Europe as they could afford – however they didn’t do that. Also some Jew bankers were involved in funding some of big German war companies at that time.
greenmanTN
It’s the Fundamentalists of every religion who are a pain in the ass for everyone. In Israel it seems to be the ultra-Orthodox who look upon the Torah as a deed of ownership for certain land, signed by God himself, which makes peace negotiations harder than they already are.
Fundamentalism, as with all extremes of religious belief, is a mental illness and should be treated as such. IIRC there was a study done several years ago that found if you give religious fanatics SSRI antidepressants their religious monomania lessened or went away.
Right Wingers Are Socioptahs (John From England)
@Simon:
True dat. Like people lumping all Muslims together when DAMN are they different!
the crustybastard
Let me see if I’ve got this straight:
Moral disapproval OF Orthodox Jews = bigotry
Moral disapproval BY Orthodox Jews = awesome
Rick Gold
@Simon:
Jew banker?
Really?
You anti-Semitic fucks really need to come up with some NEW material.
Shannon1981
so sick of the Sky Wizard folks trying to rule the country. This country was founded on religious freedom. Keep the religion in churches and synagogues where it belongs. Thanks Reform Movement, no thanks to the others.
Simon
@Rick Gold
I don’t know why I’m dealing with imbecile like you, but maybe it something helps.
There’s many proven stories about American businessmen in late ’30 making deal with nazis factories in Western Germany. Producing fuel, chemical compounds, etc. Sad that most of them were Jews. Holocaust that already happened won’t change that fact, that many of American Jews contributed to death of coreligionists. Same story was with Pius II and his acquiescence for nazis killing other Christians. So take your head of your ass and face the fact that there are many bad people in this godforsaken planet hurting even their own kind. No matter if they’re Jews, black, homosexual or retarded one.
BTW. I love Hebrew literature, so aim somewhere else with your anti-antisemitism bullshit.
justiceontherocks
@Simon: A lot of white racists love black singers too.
And what’s your point? This post was about Obama and DOMA, not WWII.
TimeToLook
Actually, knowing Los Angeles, New York, and Miami well, I just want to remind that even some Orthodox Jews are for gay equality. When it comes to Jewish homophobia we’re mostly talking about Hasidic or Haredi Jews, who a lot of “regular” Jews see as a totally different cult. (And most everybody who knows them sees them as inbred loons anyway).
Marc
Don’t forget about the Orthodox Jews who are also LGBT and trying to fight for equality! There are plenty of use out there too!
Ogre Magi
@Jeffree: I heard the number of Orthodox and Hasidic were growning.
Simon
@justiceontherocks
nope – it’s all about Jews and tolerance, I was just outlining to some of people that’s wrong to put all Jews in one ‘basket’
adman
I appreciate how the Jewish community is plagued by a racketeering mob, barging into their homes and bribing them to be Kosher all the way to deciding which of them can marry.
All this behavior does is effect reform Jews (a clear majority) thusly: (it) “demonstrates the kind of anti-religious hostility disallowed by the First Amendment. Religious values, ethical imperatives, historical tradition are all swept away no, disparaged by this destructive characterization.” If I were reform, I would personally kick the shit out of an orthodox rabbi publicly, in front of his family, as my argument with Jehovah. Just to see what he’ll say to everybody else since that’s all he can do. Run around with other people’s names on his shitty tongue. It’s a game that’s as old as Abraham, and it’s as reasonable as that figment of a bastard ever was. Problems being Jewish? Become an outcast, for sanity’s sake.
The whole thing sounds much like Catholic shitheads that “raised” me. They are still doing the same thing, of course, most of them from the same Archie Bunker easy chairs.
Shannon
WHO THE HELL CARES WHAT THE LAND STEALING..KILLING…TWISTING RELIGIOUS HISTORY….STEALING THE BIRTH RIGHT OF THE ~REAL HEBREWS~( THE SEMITES WHO ARE OF BLACK/AFRICAN GENETIC STOCK) THINK?????? THEY ARE THE MEANEST GROUP OF PEOPLE ALWAYS CALLING OTHERS NAMES AND HATING OTHERS…YET YU SAY ONE THINK ABOUT >THEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
the crustybastard
Nothing brings out the big thinkers like a Jew thread.
Oy.
adman
Black Isrealites! *grabs popcorn*