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.
Keshet is a national grassroots organization with offices in Boston, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area that works for the full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Jews in Jewish life. Led and supported by LGBTQ Jews and straight allies, Keshet offers resources, training, and technical assistance to create inclusive Jewish communities nationwide. Keshet produced the documentary Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School and companion curriculum.
Hod is an independent Israel-based organization run by and intended for Orthodox Jewish homosexuals. It was established by the Orthodox Rabbi Ron Yosef in 2008. The organization opposes anal intercourse between men, following the prohibition in Leviticus.
The first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clergy in Judaism were ordained as rabbis and/or cantors in the second half of the 20th century.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) 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-LGBTQ members and also have specific programs to welcome LGBTQ people, while others are composed mainly of LGBTQ 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.
Havruta is an organization of religiously inclined Jewish LGBT people in Israel which acts to promote tolerance and acceptance of gay, lesbian, and transgender people in the Orthodox community in Israel.
Bat Kol is an Israeli organization that provides support services to lesbians who are Orthodox Jews.
Shoval - All is created for your glory is an initiative of Jewish orthodox lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Israel that actively promotes tolerance and understanding of LGBT people within religious communities in Israel through meeting with educators. It is a cooperation of gay men from Havruta, and lesbian women from Bat Kol, and is supported and promoted by these organizations. The organisation's name derives from the second of the Sheva Brachot.
Bet Mishpachah is a non-denominational Jewish egalitarian worshiping community and congregation that supports a synagogue.It is located in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah ("CBST") is a non-denominational, pluralistic, progressive LGBTQ+ Jewish synagogue located at 130 West 30th Street, in Manhattan New York City, New York, United States.
Homosexual relations were legalised in the state of Israel in 1988, and during the 1990s various forms of discrimination were prohibited, making LGBT rights in Israel the most progressive in the Middle East. Debate has since centred on recognition of same-sex partnerships and the rights they confer, including inheritance, residency, and the adoption of children. The staging of LGBT pride parades has been controversial in some cases.
Ron Yosef is the founder of the Israeli organization Hod, which represents Israeli gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews. His organization has played a central role in the recent reevaluation of the role of religious homosexuals in the Israeli Religious Zionist movement.
JQY is a New York-based nonprofit organization that supports and empowers LGBTQ youth with a focus on those from Orthodox, Chassidic, and Sephardic/Mizrahi homes. The group was founded in 2001 as an online listserve, and began meeting in the Manhattan JCC in 2003. Rachael Fried became executive director in June 2019.
Kamoha.org.il is an Israeli organization for Orthodox Jewish homosexuals. It is aimed primarily at the Religious Zionist community, but is also open to those from the Hareidi sector. The organization has split from the organization Havruta, and chose a much more conservative approach, promoting conversion therapy and marriage of gay men to lesbians.
This is a timeline of LGBT Jewish history, which consists of events at the intersection of Judaism and queer people.
A Wider Bridge is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which mobilizes the LGBTQ community to fight antisemitism and support Israel and its LGBTQ community. AWB connects the LGBT communities in the U.S. and Israel and advocating for LGBT rights in Israel. The organization has activists across North America and around the world. It sponsors a campaign Queers Against Antisemitism which is described as "a movement of queer activists who pledge to fight antisemitism as it spreads around the globe."
Eshel is a nonprofit organization in the United States and Canada that creates community and acceptance for LGBTQ Jews and their families in Orthodox Jewish communities. Eshel provides education and advocacy, a speaker's bureau, community gatherings, and a social network for individuals and institutions. It was founded in 2010 to provide hope and a future for LGBTQ+ Jews excluded from Orthodox and Torah observant communities.
LGBTQ synagogues are synagogues primarily serving LGBTQ Jews. LGBTQ synagogues date to 1970, with the oldest extant one, Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC) in Los Angeles, established in 1972. Their religious doctrines vary, but are generally liberal; many affiliate with the Reform movement and one with Reconstructionism, while others, such as Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in New York City, are independent. Many use custom liturgy shaped by the LGBTQ experience and Jewish feminism, often using degenderized terms to refer to God. LGBTQ synagogues are largely found in the United States, although one, Beit Klal Yisrael, exists in London.
