By:Jeff Lipton
Rabbi Jason Klein, spiritual leader of Reconstructionist Congregation Beth Emeth in Hewlett, said last week that he will continue to marry same-sex couples, even though the practice has stirred controversy and created legal problems in some parts of the state.
Since he became a rabbi in Hewlett two years ago, Klein has performed the ceremonies. He said he could not say how many same-sex weddings he has officiated at, but it-s not that many, he said.
I do perform these ceremonies, said Klein. I am among hundreds of clergy members in New York state who have affirmed we will perform these ceremonies.
He said a list of the clergy who will perform the marriages is being compiled by Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in New York City. In New York state, however, an official marriage license can only be issued for a union between a man and a woman. These are clergy who do and will perform same-sex marriages regardless of whether the state issues a license, Klein said.
A resolution was adopted last week by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) endorsing civil marriage for same-sex couples and opposing all efforts to bar the legal recognition of marriages among gay men and lesbians.
The strongly worded resolution condemns current laws that prevent gay men and lesbians from receiving all of the benefits of civil marriage, including health care coverage and related decision-making, survivor benefits, privileges under the Immigration and Naturalization law and child custody rights.
The RRA resolution was approved unanimously during a business meeting at a convention in Deerfield Beach, Fla., March 14-17, which was attended by more than 100 Reconstructionist rabbis from around the country.
The Reconstructionist movement has taken a leadership role in the inclusion of lesbians and gay men in Jewish life, said Klein.
In reference to same-sex marriages being performed all over the country by local civil authorities, he said, From my perspective, it-s grass-roots activism at its best.
In stating that religious freedom is paramount, Klein added, Clergy are choosing to perform same-sex marriages regardless of what the government says about it.
The First Amendment of the Constitution shows us the importance of freedom of religion, which gives a clergy member the right to perform weddings for lesbians and gay men, regardless of whether or not a civil license has been issued.
The Reconstructionist movement of Judaism has a 20-year history of advocating the inclusion and equality of gay men and lesbians in Jewish life. In 1984 the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College became the first Jewish seminary to endorse the ordination of gay and lesbian rabbis, the RRA said.
Since 1993, the Reconstructionist movement has supported rabbis who work with same-sex couples and officiate at their weddings.
Klein said he strongly supports same-sex marriages, both as a civil right and a religious right. I am all for them, he said. They are called same-sex marriages, but they are marriages like any other.
A statement released by the RRA following the adoption of the resolution said, Behind the passage of this resolution is the conviction that the fight for social and economic justice is a religious obligation. In its resolution the RRA protests the attempts to present religious traditions in general and Jewish tradition in particular as uniformly opposed to equality for gay men and lesbians. The resolution declares that the RRA will become a signatory to the Marriage Resolution of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.
The RRA consists of 237 rabbis serving in congregations, on campuses, as chaplains, as educators and in agencies. Founded in 1974, the RRA is based in Wyncote, Pa.
Marriages of same-sex couples continue to take place throughout the state, including recently on the steps of New York City Hall. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said he would not file criminal charges against any of the participants, reportedly because there has been no definitive ruling from the courts on the legal and constitutional issues surrounding same-sex marriages in New York.
However, the district attorney in upstate Ulster County is prosecuting two Unitarian ministers and the mayor of New Paltz for performing these marriages without licenses.
Rick Hinshaw, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon, said that if charges are brought against participants in a same-sex marriage in the county, the D.A. will enforce the law and prosecute those involved.
Klein acknowledged that some clergy could be arrested under the statute. But it will not change my behavior, he said.
The Reconstructionist movement of Judaism takes Jewish traditions seriously, while responding to the needs of the Jewish community in every generation, Klein said.
