Orthodox Gays Israeli Website Support

Being different in a strict religious society could be very difficult, especially if the difference consists of sexual orientation. The new web site is meant as a tool to address every individual in that position seeking support with advice and support. It is also the first ever such forum for gay members of the Orthodox community to voice out their concerns and problems.

One of the site’s founders, Rabbi Ron, who asked Reuters to keep his second name a secret, said that "Jewish law forbids the homosexual act, but it says nothing about orientation... The Web site can offer advice on an individual basis on how to live as a gay man according to Jewish law in the community. It’s meant to show that you’re not alone." He also mentioned that the members of his congregations were not aware that he was gay.

The contradiction of being forced to live their life as pious Jews while at the same time being attracted to people their same gender is not an easy task, but Ron says that it can be solved through abstinence. In an editorial on the site he wrote that "There are 613 commandments. A homosexual cannot fulfill two of them – to take a wife and have children – but there are 611 others that he can fulfill truly and faithfully." On a side note, I find that the 10 commandments that I grew up with are very difficult to live by without breaking any, but 613?

Rabbi Ron has written to the chief rabbis in Israel, in an attempt to get some recognition for gay people, underlining that they are not seeking a revolution in Judaism, but only demand fair treatment. While that is unlikely to happen, the web site deals with hundreds of letters in the meantime, helping as many as possible.

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