Mark Solomon is a rabbi and chair of the Beit Din of Liberal Judaism in the UK. [1] He is known for his LGBT-affirmative stance.
Solomon left Orthodox Judaism after coming out as gay, and later joined the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues (ULPS; later Liberal Judaism) in the UK. [2] Alongside lesbian rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah, he co-led Shabbat services with the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group, based in London. [3] He later became the rabbi of Sukkat Shalom in Edinburgh, [4] a Liberal Jewish congregation known for its LGBT-friendly stance, [5] [6] [7] as well as rabbi of Neve Shalom Liberal Jewish community in Leicester. [8] He remains rabbi of both communities.
In 2014, Solomon was described as a "pioneer" of Rainbow Jews, an exhibition and film at the London School of Economics which was partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and aimed to research, record and archive the historical experiences of LGBT Jews. [4] In 2023, he conducted the first Jewish same-sex wedding in Scotland. [9] [10]
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.
Liberal Judaism is one of the two WUPJ-affiliated denominations in the United Kingdom founded by Claude Montefiore. It is smaller and more radical in comparison with the other one, the Movement for Reform Judaism. It is considered ideologically closer to American Reform Judaism than it is to the British Reform movement. As of 2010 it was the fourth largest Jewish religious group in Britain, with 8.7% of synagogue-member households.
Sherwin Theodore Wine, Hebrew name שמעון בן צבי, Shimon ben Tzvi, was an American rabbi and a founding figure of Humanistic Judaism, a movement that emphasizes Jewish culture and history as sources of Jewish identity rather than belief in any gods. He was originally ordained as a Reform rabbi but later founded the Birmingham Temple, the first congregation of Humanistic Judaism, in 1963.
The Neve Shalom Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Büyük Hendek Caddesi 61, in the Karaköy quarter of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, in the Istanbul Province of Turkey.
Shlomo Moshe Amar is the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. He served in the position of Rishon LeZion from 2003 to 2013; his Ashkenazi counterpart during his tenure was Yona Metzger. In 2014 he became the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.
Reform Judaism, formally the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ) and known as Reform Synagogues of Great Britain until 2005, is one of the two World Union for Progressive Judaism–affiliated denominations in the United Kingdom. Reform is relatively traditional in comparison with its smaller counterpart, Liberal Judaism, though it does not regard Jewish law as binding. As of 2010, it was the second-largest Jewish religious group in the United Kingdom, with 19.4% of synagogue-member households. On 17 April 2023, Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism announced their intention to merge as one single unified progressive Jewish movement. The new movement, which may be called Progressive Judaism, will represent about 30% of British Jewry who are affiliated to synagogues.
Jacqueline Hazel "Jackie" Tabick is a British Reform rabbi. She became Britain's first female rabbi in 1975. She retired in 2023 as convenor of the Movement for Reform Judaism's Beit Din, the first woman in the role, and until its closure in 2022 was also Rabbi of West Central Liberal Synagogue in Bloomsbury, central London.
Beit Ha'Chidush, abbreviated as BHC is a Progressive Jewish congregation, located in Amsterdam, in the North Holland region of The Netherlands. The congregation was founded in 1995 by predominately expatriate Jews with secular and religious backgrounds who wanted to create a welcoming, inspiring and renewed Jewish congregation.
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 (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.
Bet Mishpachah is a non-denominational Jewish egalitarian worshiping community and congregation that supports a synagogue, located in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Auckland Road, in the City of Cambridge, England, in the United Kingdom.
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.
Dayenu is an LGBTQ+ organisation based in Sydney, Australia. The word Dayenu means "enough" in Hebrew, and the group uses it to mean that they have had "enough" of homophobia.
This is a timeline of LGBT Jewish history, which consists of events at the intersection of Judaism and queer people.
Beit Emanuel is a progressive synagogue located in Parktown, Johannesburg. The synagogue was established in 1954 and is one of the largest progressive Jewish congregations in South Africa. It is an affiliate of the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ), which is part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ).
The South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ) is an affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and supports 11 progressive congregations. Rabbi Moses Cyrus Weiler, a founder of Reform Judaism in the country, led the country's first Reform synagogue, Temple Israel in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Weiler is credited with growing the movement, to represent 15-17% of South African Jewry and establishing 25 congregations in the country. A 2020 joint study by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and the University of Cape Town showed that 12% of Jews identified as Progressive and that in relative terms the progressive strands are increasing after falling to 7% in 1998 and 2005 studies. In Johannesburg, the community accounts for 7% of the city's Jewry, rising to 18% in Cape Town and 25% in Durban.
Beit Haverim is a French organization for LGBT Jews.