Nitzavim and Teshuvah

Before Ritualwell was a website containing more than 2,200 liturgy and rituals crowdsourced by Jews, it was an idea of where to put dozens of scraps of paper in the drawers of offices in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Kolot: Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies in Wyncote.

Many people have asked how I feel about the Chavin verdict. Whenever I struggle to find words, I’m grateful for the teachings in the Torah, and this week is no exception.

In 1992, the Federation of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot released a report entitled Homosexuality And Judaism: The Reconstructionist Position, a document affirming the humanity and equality of gay and lesbian Jews and advocating for inclusion and welcome in all areas of Jewish life — a forthright stance that put Reconstructionism in the vanguard of religious organizations at that time.