@ Charlie Hall
Riverdale Press:
Same-sex marriage has been the law of the land for some time now, but many religious institutions � like Orthodox Judaism � refuse to embrace this �modern� way of thinking, citing laws that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale is Orthodox, but has long been known to follow it�s own path in grappling with the strictures of traditional Jewish law to include women and LGBTQ Jews. It hosted a panel in 2016, for example, called �Building a Jewish Future Outside the Closet,� which focused on LGBTQ Jews in Orthodoxy, and its founding rabbi, Avi Weiss, was one of the signatories of a groundbreaking 2010 statement of principles by Orthodox leaders asserting an �obligation to treat human beings with same-sex attractions and orientations with dignity and respect.� The shul even congratulated same-sex couples on their weddings in its newsletter.
But announcements of marriage celebrations in violation of Orthodox law? No more.
The Orthodox Union � the largest association of Orthodox synagogues in the United States � has reinforced its opposition to same-sex marriage congratulations, calling them an �institutional endorsement� of something it considers a sin.