Yair Sheleg Praises Beit Hillel Document Urging Greater Acceptance of Homosexuals within the Orthodox Community

Yair Sheleg, head of the Israel Democracy Institute's Religion and State program, today reacted to a document presented Sunday by rabbis from the nonprofit Beit Hillel urging greater acceptance of homosexuals within the Orthodox community.

Yair Sheleg, head of the Israel Democracy Institute's Religion and State program, today reacted to a document presented Sunday by rabbis from the nonprofit Beit Hillel urging greater acceptance of homosexuals within the Orthodox community.

Sheleg said, "The Beit Hillel document is an important step in Orthodox Jewry towards accepting members of the LGBT community, who today are mostly unaccepted. Obviously, Jewish law presents challenges to full acceptance of homosexuals; we must work to overcome these hurdles and halt processes that alienate these individuals from the community. As Orthodox rabbis begin to support the acceptance of members of the LGBT community, Israel can begin to solidify this groups rights under Israeli law, such as legislating civil unions."

Read more about the Israel Democracy Institute's proposal for civil unions>>