Ideas, influences and human rights campaign
In 2003, Benkof announced that for religious reasons he had stopped having sex with men. [5] He had always been a devout Jew, and said that one reason he changed was because "Gay sex is just inconsistent with traditional religious life." To reflect his change in sexual identity, and to honor his late grandfather, Julius Benkof, he changed his name to David Benkof. [2] He still identified as a gay man, criticized the Ex-gay movement, [6] and expressed his opinion that "reparative therapy doesn't work". [7]
At that time Benkof was also a strong opponent of same-sex marriage. [8] In response to arguments for gay marriages, he wrote "This reasoning is not only flawed, it insults the millions of Americans whose traditional faiths call on us to defend marriage as a central institution in society defined as a union between a man and a woman." [9] He made it clear that his objection to same-sex relationships was based in part on his personal religious beliefs, stating, "I happen to believe that God has been clear to the Jewish people that we should be pursuing opposite-sex relationships, and particularly not having intercourse between two males." [10]
For two months in 2008 Benkof was actively involved in the campaign for California Proposition 8 (2008), and to support this campaign he started a blog called Gays Defend Marriage. However, in July 2008, he broke with the campaign and closed the blog, writing that while he continued to oppose same-sex marriage he had lost respect for its organizers, [11] and accusing them of tolerating antisemitism and homophobia. [12]
In 2014, Benkof wrote an op-ed piece in the Times Of Israel called "Orthodox, celibate, gay and that's OK" in which he dismissed arguments in favor of reinterpreting the Biblical prohibition on homosexuality. He stated his "message for Orthodox gays": "For men like us, following Jewish law about sexuality is an enormous struggle which often takes place without much sympathy or support. God loves us even when we cannot understand why He would limit our sexual options. Ideally, we'll never have any sort of intimate contact with other men. But any exceptions should be as infrequent as possible, with as few halachic violations as possible. Be especially careful to avoid mishkav zachar. The process of teshuvah exists precisely so people in such situations can pick themselves up, rectify their behavior, and move on. Take advantage of it."
In 2016 Benkof wrote on Facebook that while he continued to belong to an Orthodox synagogue he no longer believed in Orthodox theology and no longer wished to be described as celibate, "or any other bedroom status". In 2021, he wrote "I’m openly gay, I date men, and I have no problem with gay marriage - and that’s been true for several years." [13]
The subject of homosexuality and Judaism dates back to the Torah. The book of Vayikra (Leviticus) is traditionally regarded as classifying sexual intercourse between males as a to'eivah that can be subject to capital punishment by the current Sanhedrin under halakha.
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the modern world.
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Norman Lamm was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July 1, 2013.
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Trembling Before G-d is a 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare Orthodox Jewish attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew.
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Council assists the two Chief Rabbis, who alternate in its presidency. It has legal and administrative authority to organize religious arrangements for Israel's Jews. It also responds to halakhic questions submitted by Jewish public bodies in the Diaspora. The Council sets, guides, and supervises agencies within its authority. In 2024, the High Court of Justice ruled that women are eligible to serve on the Chief Rabbinate Council, and as rabbis on the Chief Rabbi Election Assembly.
Marriage in Israel is regulated by the religious courts of recognized confessional communities, none of which perform inter-faith or same-sex marriage. Domestic civil marriage is not recognized in Israel; however, civil marriages performed in foreign jurisdictions, including same-sex marriages, are recognized with full marital rights under Israeli law.
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) affirming denominations in Judaism are Jewish religious groups that welcome LGBTQ members and do not consider homosexuality to be a sin. They include both entire Jewish denominations, as well as individual synagogues. Some are composed mainly of non-LGBT members and also have specific programs to welcome LGBT people, while others are composed mainly of LGBT members.
Same-sex marriage in Judaism has been a subject of debate within Jewish denominations. The traditional view among Jews is to regard same-sex relationships as categorically forbidden by the Torah. This remains the current view of Orthodox Judaism.
Penina Taylor is an American-born international Jewish inspirational and motivational speaker, life coach, and author. She became well known for the story of her spiritual journey, but now speaks on topics related to personal growth and marriage, as well as spirituality. Penina is the Executive Director of the Shomrei Emet Institute for Counter-Missionary Studies, and the founder of Torah Life Strategies. Shomrei Emet was briefly affiliated with the counter-missionary organization, Jews for Judaism, Jerusalem, during 2008.
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Faranak Margolese is an American-Israeli writer, best known as the author of Off the Derech, a book about contemporary assimilation in the Orthodox Jewish world.
David Luchins is a professor at Touro College and chair of its political science department. He is a national vice-president of the Orthodox Union and a national officer of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). Luchins is a "much-lauded longtime Orthodox Jewish activist" who is active in Jewish communal life and is a frequent speaker on educational, political and Jewish topics. Luchins served as an aide to then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey and for 20 years on the Senate staff of New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
David Shapell was a Polish-born American real estate developer and philanthropist from Los Angeles, California. A Holocaust survivor, he was the co-founder of one of the largest real estate development companies in Southern California. He supported Jewish charitable causes in the United States and Israel.
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This is a timeline of LGBT Jewish history, which consists of events at the intersection of Judaism and queer people.
