An association of more than 200 rabbis has unanimously endorsed the right of same-sex couples to obtain civil marriage licenses.At a convention this week in Wyncote, Pa., the liberal Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association said it was responding to "attempts to present religious traditions ... as being uniformly opposed to equality for gay men and lesbians."
The Reconstructionist movement is among the smallest of the five branches of American Judaism.
It has supported the rights of rabbis to marry same-sex couples since 1993."Civil marriage for same-sex couples must include all the benefits commonly bestowed upon opposite-sex couples, including, among other rights, health care coverage and related decision-making, privileges under immigration and naturalization law, survivor benefits, inheritance rights and child custody," the rabbis state in their resolution.
Jewish groups disagree sharply as to the rights and roles of homosexuals in their congregations.
The largest branch of American Judaism, the Reform movement, ordains openly gay and lesbian clergy and has supported civil and religious marriage for same-sex couples for several years.
Orthodox rabbis oppose both civil and Jewish marriage for same-sex couples, while the Conservative movement, the second largest branch of American Judaism, is divided on the issue.
According to a 2001 survey of American Jews, 30 percent identify with the Reform branch, 24 percent align with the Conservative movement, 8 percent with the Orthodox, 1 percent with the Reconstructionists, and 1 percent with the Humanistic Jewish movement.
Last month, the Association of Humanistic Rabbis issued a statement in support of "diverse sexualities and gender identities," citing its longtime support for gay civil and religious weddings.
