President Richard Joel and Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss Issue Statement Addressing Religious Proscription of Homosexual Activity
by Yaelle Frohlich
December 21, 2009
As a result of Tuesday's well-attended and much spoken-about panel entitled "Being Gay in the Orthodox World," Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel and Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary yesterday issued a written statement asserting the stance that homosexual activity remains forbidden according to Jewish law.
Tuesday's panel featured a Yeshiva University (YU) student and three YU alumni, who spoke about their emotional, psychological and social experiences of being gay and Orthodox.
President Joel and Rabbi Reiss's statement is reproduced here in full:
Message from the President and Menahel of RIETS
In light of recent events, we want to reiterate the absolute prohibition of homosexual relationships according to Jewish law. Of course, as was indicated in a message issued by our Roshei Yeshiva, those struggling with this issue require due sensitivity, although such sensitivity cannot be allowed to erode the Torah's unequivocal condemnation of such activity. Sadly, as we have discovered, public gatherings addressing these issues, even when well-intentioned, could send the wrong message and obscure the Torah's requirements of halakhic behavior and due modesty. Yeshiva has an obligation to ensure that its activities and events promote the primacy and sacredness of Torah in our lives and communities. We are committed to providing halakhic guidance and sensitivity with respect to all challenges confronted by individuals within our broader community, including homosexual inclinations, in a discreet, dignified and appropriate fashion.
President Richard M. Joel Menahel Rabbi Yona Reiss
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