Conservative movement wrestles with gay rights

dallas | Along with servings of kosher barbecue at their biennial convention here, Conservative Jews on Oct. 27 received an early taste of the debate on the status of homosexuals that the movement faces in the coming year.

Two key rabbis in the debate led a panel discussion that spotlighted wide differences of opinion within the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). The rabbis addressed most of the 350 professional and lay leaders who gathered in downtown Dallas, representing the organization's 1.5 million members.

Rabbi Joel Roth told delegates he wants to preserve the current interpretation of halachic laws that "demand that gay Jews be celibate" and that they refrain from commitment ceremonies and ordination as rabbis.

But Rabbi Elliot Dorff, breaking from that tradition, said he wants the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards to reinterpret the laws, based on moral and medical considerations. He advocated sanctioning monogamous homosexual relationships by offering Jewish commitment ceremonies and encouraging committed, same-sex couples to consider adoption, the use of surrogates and artificial insemination to replenish the dwindling Jewish population.

Both rabbis serve on the law and standards committee, and their divergent views are expected to be heard when the committee meets in March to discuss the issue. Resolution may be a year or two away.