January 21, 2010

Yesterday, individuals from various religious communities and worldviews gathered to learn about and discuss gender roles and homosexuality from an Orthodox Jewish perspective. Leading the conversation was Rabbi Dr. Barry Freundel, leader of Georgetown’s Kesher Israel congregation and Assistant Professor of Rabbinics at the University of Maryland.

There are often significant misconceptions about homosexuality and gender roles in religious traditions. Religious texts are “incomplete” in the sense they do not address every matter that the future presents, requiring scholars to strike a balance between modern developments and traditional laws. Orthodox Judaism, according to Rabbi Freundel, holds many surprising views regarding this balance and traditional gender relations. (more…)