"A group of #Orthodox #rabbis from the #US and #Israel issued a strongly worded letter condemning discredited practices that try to “convert” #LGBTQ+ people to #heterosexuality — a rarity for an establishment that still largely sees #queer people as sinful.

The letter, which was drafted years ago but released earlier in January in Israel, includes the signatures of prominent #modernOrthodox rabbis, including Yitz Greenberg, Shmuly Yanklowitz and Daniel Sperber, as well as a number of female rabbis.

[...]

“We the undersigned,” it begins, “believe that it is forbidden according to #Halakhic principle and ethos, for anyone, including a #rabbi, #rabbanit, educator, or therapist to recommend to any person to undergo treatment for the purpose of changing a person’s #sexualorientation, commonly known as ‘#conversiontherapy. This is because conversion therapy is harmful, does not work, and because same-sex attraction is not a mental health problem.”

https://religionnews.com/2026/01/28/in-new-letter-modern-orthodox-rabbis-say-conversion-therapy-is-forbidden/

"#Rabbis and #rabbinical #students in the #UnitedStates are more #diverse than ever today, with increasing numbers of #women and #LGBTQ+ people. Women from earlier generations who became rabbis marvel at the greater opportunities available for those pursuing #clergy roles.

“Women have transformed #Judaism,” said Geller, #rabbi emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, California. “All the different kinds of movements have really noticed that Judaism needs to change because women’s voices were ignored in the past.”

#Orthodox branches of Judaism generally don't allow women to be rabbis, with some exceptions. But #Reform and #Conservative, the largest movements in the #US, permit it, as does the growing nondenominational branch.

Nationwide, the #Jewish community has become more diverse, so it makes sense that the #rabbinate would be as well, said Janet Krasner Aronson, interim director of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University."

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ranks-us-rabbis-grow-diverse-rising-numbers-women-129749476

"In the 19th century, nearly 18,000 #Jews lived here. It was a thriving community; #religious, industrious, and culturally confident. The #Soviet era, however, took a heavy toll. #Rabbis were exiled to #Siberia, #synagogues were closed, and religious life was pushed underground. Yet unlike many #Jewish communities across the #SovietUnion, the Jews of the #Caucasus managed to preserve their identity. #Shabbat was kept quietly, #Judaism lived on discreetly."

https://www.jpost.com/travel/article-883652

"As the #Bible’s fourth chapter tells it, “and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that #Cain rose up against #Abel his brother, and slew him.”

Fascinatingly, #Judaism’s ancient #rabbis understood what happened before the #fratricide—that oh-so-brief interaction in the field—as conversational combat before the tragic tussle. It was the first recorded history of someone deciding that an opinion he or she disagreed with made the person not worthy of existing—mankind’s first recorded cancellation. The rabbis suggested the brothers had a debate that led to a life destroyed.

What did they fight about? In classic #Talmudic fashion, it’s a debate."

https://jewishjournal.com/judaism/385968/josephs-antidote-to-cain-the-cancellor/

"[T]he pair created #RabbinicFitCheck, an #Instagram account billed as “a #style diary for the #rabbinate and beyond.”

“We’re trying to show diversity of #rabbis, diversity of genders, diversity of expression,” said Ellenson. “There’s no one model, and there’s no one model in the real world, so we don’t want to feature only one model on the account.”

So far, #Rabbinic #FitCheck has featured 57 rabbis, #clergy members and #students from a range of denominations and garnered over 1,300 followers. The #outfits range from cozy sweaters and “sensible” office wear to zebra-print skirts and a fashion-forward Delfina Balda pant suit.

“It’s nice to see that rabbis look like more than just that old oil painting of someone in a black coat,” said Rabbi Allison Poirier..."

https://forward.com/culture/793702/on-instagram-rabbinic-fit-check-is-a-look-book-for-jewish-clergy/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

"#America has no #chiefrabbi, but it is a testament to the international recognition #AngelaBuchdahl commands that a foreign-born terrorist would be under the impression that she is the person who fills this role.

For the past decade, #Buchdahl has served as #seniorrabbi at #CentralSynagogue in Midtown #Manhattan, one of the largest #Reform #congregations in the world, serving more than 3,000 households. The first woman to hold this position in the 175-year history of the #congregation, Buchdahl is also the first #AsianAmerican to be ordained as a #rabbi and among a select group of distinguished #US #rabbis to have been invited to light #Hanukkah candles at the #WhiteHouse.

Forget about "chief rabbi of America," this child of an inter-#religious and #interracial marriage hardly seemed rabbi material at all, as noted in her recently released #memoir "Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging" (Viking)."

https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2025-12-22/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-the-daughter-of-a-korean-buddhist-became-one-of-americas-most-distinguished-rabbis/0000019b-4157-d3cf-a1bf-4d7f30df0000

Asaf Elia-Shalev reports that a new national study shows 51% of rabbinical students surveyed identify as LGBTQ+.

"'If you take a historical perspective, it is rather astounding, given the fact that rabbinical schools weren’t even accepting LGBTQ students until the 1990s or later,' said Jonathan Krasner, a professor of Jewish studies at Brandeis University."

#Jews #Judaism #rabbis #LGBTQ
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https://www.jta.org/2025/11/18/united-states/surging-lgbtq-enrollment-in-jewish-seminaries-signals-astounding-shift-in-us-rabbinate