RELIGION / JOHN DART : Judaism Takes New Look at Gays

Judaism’s Conservative branch, which tries to adhere to religious tradition without ignoring modern knowledge, has decided to take a new look at homosexuality, with an influential push from a Los Angeles rabbi-scholar.

Until recently, it seemed unlikely that Conservative Judaism would even consider modifying its approach to sexually active gays and lesbians in light of Jewish law’s classification of homosexual behavior as “an abomination.”

Reform Judaism--which together with the Conservative branch dominates U.S. Jewish religious life--approved the ordination of homosexual rabbis in 1990, but the liberal Reform movement is known for breaks with tradition. Conservative Judaism has prided itself on devotion to the Torah, or Jewish law, although Orthodox Jewish groups--representing the third branch of Judaism, which is even more rigorously observant--dispute those claims.

A 15-rabbi Commission on Human Sexuality was recently appointed by Conservative leaders to begin a two-year study of homosexual and heterosexual ethical issues--prompted by the recommendations of Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, provost of the University of Judaism atop Sepulveda Pass.

“Many people in our synagogues are in the middle on this issue and are not sure what to do,” Dorff said before going to Paris as chairman of the Jewish Law Assn. convention this week.

“Jewish tradition assumes that homosexuals choose to act that way, but biological studies today raise questions about that,” said Dorff, 49, who has taught at the University of Judaism for 21 years.

The Conservative movement’s Jewish Law Committee, debating in March whether it was possible in Jewish legal tradition to ordain gay and lesbian rabbis, rejected one rabbi’s arguments for allowing ordination and produced 12 votes for another rabbi’s paper that said that the biblical condemnation of homosexuality precludes such a change.

But a third paper presented by Dorff said, among other things, that the context for Jewish law on this question has changed in view of scientific studies and evidence that many Jewish same-sex couples aim at lifetime commitments.

Moreover, Dorff wrote, it was “simply mind-boggling and frankly un-Jewish” to think that God created 10% of humanity “to have sexual drives which cannot be legally expressed under any circumstances.” Homosexual groups and others contend that studies based on confidential polling establish that 10% of males are homosexual.

Inasmuch as his paper received eight votes of approval, two above the minimum, his position is deemed a “valid option” for Conservative rabbis interpreting Jewish law, Dorff said.

He also recommended that a full study of sexual questions be launched while maintaining Conservative Judaism’s ban on conducting same-sex commitment ceremonies and on admitting avowed homosexuals to schools training rabbis and cantors. “We do not know enough now to make a definitive decision on homosexuality,” Dorff said.

In taking that step, Conservative Judaism is following a pattern set in years past by many leading mainline Christian denominations. Still a thorny problem for mainline churches, the studies often result in heightened defense of gay and lesbian civil rights but protracted impasses on whether to ordain open homosexuals.

Nevertheless, the study commission was welcomed by David Bianco, 21, a senior at Stanford. Bianco said he revealed his gay lifestyle as he ended his term in 1989 as international president of United Synagogue Youth and remains active in the Conservative movement.

“It’s an evolutionary thing,” said Bianco, comparing the process to the eventual admission of women as rabbis and cantors in Conservative synagogues. “It took decades to incorporate women as equals,” he said.

“The issue is wider than having gay rabbis,” Bianco said. “Are we going to be able to have same-sex ceremonies? Can two committed lesbian partners join a synagogue as a family or do they have to join as individuals?”

Bianco said that he admired Dorff, who has a wife and children, for taking on this issue.

“It’s really brave for any heterosexual man in America to take up gay rights,” he said.

Dorff also was praised by Rabbi Bradley S. Artson of Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo, another married man whose arguments to open rabbinical ranks to homosexuals was rejected by the Jewish Law Committee.

“Elliot is one of the most respected rabbis in the world today, and having him take a humane position on this gives it immediate credibility,” Artson said.

“I think it’s wise to take more time to study the questions,” he added. “Once you become more educated, it’s harder to slam the door shut.”

On the other hand, writer Dennis Prager of Culver City, a layman in the Conservative movement, said that he thinks it is very unlikely that the movement will ever take a benevolent stance toward homosexual behavior.

“Conservative Judaism has never gone against the Torah,” said Prager, who is known best as moderator for 10 years of the KABC talk show “Religion on the Line.”

Prager disputed arguments by Artson that Jewish authorities centuries ago knew only of oppressive homosexual relations--such as between slaves and owners, or men and young boys--and were unaware of the committed relationships often found today.

“That’s inconceivable,” Prager said. “But more than that, it doesn’t make any difference. The prohibition in the Torah is against homosexuality, not against promiscuity.”

Dorff, who said that Jewish law does not operate in a social vacuum, indicated in his paper that distinctions should be made in kinds of homosexual behavior for legal and practical reasons.

“If homosexuality proves to be an orientation over which the individual has no choice,” he wrote, “then the proper reading of Jewish law should be that homosexual acts, like heterosexual ones, should be regulated such that some are sanctified and others delegitimated--or perhaps even vilified as abominations.”

Noting that earlier conventions of Conservative synagogue members and rabbis have stated that homosexual Jews are welcome as synagogue members, Dorff said that his branch of Judaism should not be silent on sexual norms and simply advise homosexuals to seek out Reform congregations.

“With well over half of adult American Jews finding themselves outside the context of heterosexual, child-bearing marriages, we as a Jewish community had better adjust our institutions and programs fast.”

Indicative of shifting rabbinical sentiment, the Rabbinical Assembly in May also passed a resolution to permit rabbis to serve gay and lesbian congregations who want them as spiritual leaders. The new policy was adopted by a 64-50 vote, but is also subject to debate by the Jewish Law Committee on whether the Assembly had the authority to make such a decision.

Dorff said he thought the committee would be hard-pressed to prohibit colleagues from helping a congregation whose objective was to bring unaffiliated Jews into religious observances.