FEATURED JOBS
In case you are wondering… the overall response to our decision to print same sex announcements in the BALTIMORE JEWISH TIMES last week has been pretty quiet. We’ve gotten a number of very nice letters, emails, and phone calls from supporters. And, as expected, there are some who strongly disagree and voted with their feet and canceled their subscriptions, but only three of those so far. Sometimes their words weren’t so nice. A few were down right offensive. Each received a short response from me saying that we understand but disagree and that we look forward to welcoming them back to the JEWISH TIMES family when they’re ready.
I’ve also heard from a few Baltimore Jewish agencies that they’ve been getting calls complaining about the JT’s new editorial policy, even though we are an independent entity. And, I heard that the Haredi community is all aflutter about our stance. That’s the one that I find humorous. I mean these are the same people that have protected one man who was convicted of illegal homosexual acts with minors and others who were accused of such actions. One man in particular was given a job at a local kosher butcher. There also is a local rabbi who was allegedly taken out of the classroom at a boy’s school because his homosexual contact with minors, yet is still allowed to live on that campus and interact with boys.
So who is protecting whom here from the truth? Why is it immoral for the JT to run a homosexual simcha announcement from consenting adults that is both legal and allowed by rabbis, but acceptable for some in the Haredi community to protect men performing homosexual acts on minors?
This much I know: The Jewish Times will continue to reflect the broad nature of modern Jewish identity, and we will continue to print opinions that agree and disagree with ours. Learning how to live together with all that is what makes a community. We don’t seek to exclude others. That’s a Jewish way to be.
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