In the News...The Religious Right Aieeeeee

I wrote recently about the earthquakes-are-caused-by-homosexuality Knesset member. I am not sure that this is the best way to reach a compromise with him. My cousin informs me that he's one of those crazy BT's (ba'al teshuva / return to the faith / newly religious) that went off the deep end when he found Truth. His truth, maybe.

Anyway, death threats are not the way to make sense. Perhaps reading some literature on the nature of sexual orientation (NATURE, not NURTURE) would be better. Or, if you won't agree with the literature, at least keep the crazy aspects of your (relatively) newfound love of Torah to yourself, because then angry people, who think you're crazy (and are right), will not threaten you.

This article makes me so angry, so very angry. I read it last night, someone emailed it in full-text to me today, and Rafi imed it to me this afternoon. It seems that everybody knows me so well, and apparently, everybody likes to boil my blood.

Look, when it comes down to it, submitting to the highest common denominator just doesn't work, and it is just plain unfair to the years and years of thought about Judaism AFTER the shtetl. The only way to get married, or divorced, in Israel, is through the ultra-orthodox rabbinical authority. They do not even trust all orthodox rabbis in the states, and refer to my Conservative leaders as "goy" - non-Jewish. And these are Conservative leaders with Jewish parents, grandparents, great-grandparents on both sides (Conversion is a separate issue, to be discussed shortly). But they subscribe to relatively liberal Jewish thought, which makes them goyim in ultra-Orthodox eyes.

Now, I'm fairly religious in the states, and even here, I manage to maintain my comfortable level of religiosity (most of the time). But if I felt like getting married (and I DON'T, so lay off), I would for sure not do it in Israel. The rabbis I respect, the rabbis I grew up with and teach me, wouldn't be able to do the ceremony...I'd have to rent a registered member of the Orthodox elite. Rental is for tuxes, not for religious affiliation. More than that, they may send me on some ridiculous wild goose chase to prove that I'm a Jew. And, believe you me, I am quite Jewy. And so are the many Jews by Choice -- and their future and extant children -- that I know and love.

Viva Pluralism!