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SAME-SEX COMMITMENT CEREMONIES In December 2005 the new law of civil partnership for same-gender couples came into force. At the same time Liberal Judaism announced that committed same-sex partnerships between two Jews can now be recognised by appropriate Jewish ritual. Those members of the Liberal Judaism Rabbinic Conference who wish to officiate at such ceremonies have its full support. This development places Liberal Judaism in the vanguard of institutions offering equity and fairness to gay and lesbian partners, and it is fully consistent with Liberal Judaism's ideology of equality and inclusion. Liberal Judaism has gone on record as saying that whether or not a Rabbi participates in a same-sex commitment ceremony is to be determined by his or her individual conscience, and that when the ceremony is to take place in a synagogue, it must be with due regard to the views of both its rabbinic and lay leadership. The PJCEA Council and Rabbi Rachel Benjamin, Joint Chair of the Liberal Judaism Rabbinic Conference, wish also to record their full support. — PJCEA Council, March 2006 |
