The grandson of a staunchly homophobic former chief Rabbi is set to marry his boyfriend in the coming days.
Ovadia Cohen’s grandfather, the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, was the religious leader of the Shas political party and the ex-Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel.
Yosef, who died in 2013 at the age of 93, once referred to World Pride Day in Jerusalem as “filth” and regularly referenced homosexuality as “completely evil.”
Cohen had a complicated relationship with his grandfather, having grown up in his home after the divorce of his parents.
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The two were reportedly very close, though Yosef likely would not have approved of Cohen’s upcoming wedding.
Speaking to The Times of Israel, Amichai Landsman, Cohen’s partner, said: “I was blessed with a wonderful family which accepted me from the very first moment, and they accepted Ovadia as well.
“We are fully out and proud. Ovadia took a very brave step to be in a relationship with me and we are happy to get married.
“I am not part of the religious gay community but I think they do great work.”
The wedding has attracted a good deal of press because of Cohen’s well-known grandfather and is expected to be attended by around 200 guests.
Juanjo
Mazel tov
Dakotahgeo
Mazel tov 2!
Billy Budd
Will they break a glass like other jewish couples do?
Seth
Good news but misleading headline.
Israel does not allow LGBTQ marriages, thanks to deepset religious discrimination. The linked article confirms that this is a commitment ceremony.
Still good but important to note that Israel does not allow marriage.
Bryguyf69
“Israel does not allow LGBTQ marriages”
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While I agree that the headline is misleading, what you say is technically untrue. Israel does not perform same-sex marriages but it does recognize such marriages performed elsewhere. So to be legally married, they merely have to wed in a country with marriage equality and then register as a married couple in Israel.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Israel
Bryguyf69
Why do you say that the linked article indicates that this is merely a commitment ceremony? The word, “marriage,” is used throughout that article and every other article about the couple. Technically, gays can’t marry in Israel because there are no civil marriages. All couples must be married by a cleric. Currently, none of the 15 religious marriage courts recognize marriage equality, so for all practical purposes, gay couples cannot get married in Israel. However, if the woman who is officiating their ceremony is an ordained cleric, I believe the union would be a legal marriage. The articles allude to other gay marriages as well, so I’m sure there’s a loophole.
Juanjo
Ok kids, read the actual story in the Israeli newspapers
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/grandson-of-former-israeli-chief-rabbi-is-having-a-same-sex-wedding-1.6139035
fur_hunter
When will people learn that we are EVERYWHERE and if truth be known, in every family? And if people think we are going to go away, they better think again. We are gay and here to stay.
Teddy Ready
In a Spiritual Aspect or Perspective, personally I believe that the Soul of this Young Man’s homophobic Grandfather Senses or Knows exactly what is going on here on the other side of the astrial realm and numerous other realms beyond this realm we know as human life. With faith, I believe that his Soul has progressed onward to accept and know that the limited boundaries of human perceptions and theories that were made by the boundaries of ignorances of the human mind were unrealistic. It takes some Souls to progress later on without the limitations that religions and human perceptions put on them to transpire into the reality and limitless boundaries of Sprirituality and Sexuality. God Bless this new Couple.
James
Let’s hope the evil grandfather’s rabid followers don’t assassinate the gay couple.
girldownunder
I would have enjoyed a photo of the happy couple rather than the homophobic grandfather.
hansniemeijer
I get very tired of talking about “same sex wedding”. In about 15% of the contries around the world people marry, period. Recently the European Union came with a ruling that all member states have to recognize all kinds of marriage. Difficult issue for countries like Poland and Hungary.
DCguy
That is the major Problem with LGBTs for Religions.
Take the Mormon example here in America. It was very easy for them to keep discriminating against Black people because Mormon families weren’t randomly giving birth to black children. But with lgbt kids, they just keep popping up in “good” Mormon families and it keeps getting less and less easy for the Church to tell these families to kick their kids out or shun them.
Charlie in Charge
Mazel tov!