20 June 2005 (Monday)
heart to heart
So I heard through the grapevine that a friend from my high school and college days recently (or maybe not so recently) came out...and he is also the co-founder of qjew, a dating website for gay and lesbian Jews.
Now, say what you want about queer Jews trying to reconcile and embrace these two fundamental aspects of their lives (and I'm sure someone out there will say something), but I think this is pretty cool. It's evidence of a strong connection to Judaism, a desire to build a life (and, perhaps, a family) grounded in Jewish values, Jewish history, and Jewish tradition. So what if you say that same-sex relationships are barred in Halacha? So is eating meat and dairy together, or not keeping taharat hamishpacha, or failing to observe any number of other mitzvot, but we don't throw our hands up in the air and lament secular Jews seeking out other (opposite-sex) secular Jews on JDate and arranging to meet over bacon cheeseburgers on a Friday night. Or maybe we do, but we're still happy that they're seeking out other Jews.*
OK, fine, I'm happy. I won't tell you to be happy. I will tell you that rejection and ridicule, in the long run, will only hurt your cause (whatever cause that may be).
-=-
* I could wade through the sticky mess of intermarriage, and raising Jewish children with one non-Jewish parent, and why I think we should embrace the these couples and their children, and all that fun stuff. I could, but I won't, because I'm too lazy to deal with it now.
I am also to lazy to write a long post on why I think you are wrong but I will just say....Hmmmphhh.
As Prof Smits says, "whats sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander".
Oh, come on, Joel! If you're not going to do my blogging for me, who will?
I had actually heard about it from my mom and passed it on to another friend of ours. I don't know if it's lashon hara to do so... I kind of have mixed feelings about the whole thing, except I will admit that a student of mine and I came up with the whole gay J-Date idea MONTHS ago! Anyway, I do agree with you about the whole "keeping the faith." I have three friends who have recently signed up. Life is swell (and sweltering) in North Carolina. Know any nice Jewish boys down here? :)
I humbly think that Jews should be very accepting of each other. It is this action that I've witnessed in the past that has drawn me to Judaism. I know there are disagreements, but they are discussed intellectually (for the most part— some people do ridicule and lambast each other, for which I'm sorry). I can't wait to be an official member of the tribe.
Thank you!!! I have yet to come across anyone (else) who will do other than stare at me, open-mouthed in disbelief when I voice such an opinion.
A friend of mine, who has run the gamut of crazy BT to not so crazy (and, unfortunately not so frum) to plain not frum, decided a few years ago that she wasn't interested in men.
Granted this was after a messy divorce - he started it! - from an abusive husband (they have joint custody).
She still has strong positive feelings towards Judaism, and waffles between Chabad shuls, and reform shuls where her partner at the time (not always Jewish) would be welcomed.
While I can't begin to relate to several aspects of her lifestyle, and my husband only knows that she "isn't looking, so the lack of get doesn't matter", she's still for sure a friend.
I have yet to come across anyone (else) who will do other than stare at me, open-mouthed in disbelief when I voice such an opinion.
Well, Michal, you've come across me, haven't you?
