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• Welcome to OrthoGays.org •

Yes, it’s possible to be gay and frum.

Here you’ll find information and resources.

What does the Torah actually say about homosexuality and sex? How can I reconcile being frum and gay? Are there other frum lesbian and gay Jews out there? Where are they? Check out the frequently asked questions (FAQ) page.

The Gay and Lesbian Yeshiva Day School Alumni Association (GLYDSA) meets monthly in New York City for discussion and socializing. For more information and a schedule of upcoming meetings, click the GLYDSA button.

Not in the New York area? Check out our Resources/Links page as well as the rest of the site.


 
   
Welcome to the mishpocha! Orthodox Gay Jews are thriving in New York City and around the world. A variety of resources serve our vibrant and growing community. Is it possible to be gay and frum (a religious observant Jew)? What does the Torah say about homosexuality? What can I do about sex as a frum gay Jew? Complete responses to these and other Frequently Asked Questions about being Gay and Frum are now available. You can also read brief Comments by Orthodox Rabbis and others on the subject. Check out the Gay and Lesbian Yeshiva and Day School Alumni Association which meets monthly to discuss matters of common interest. This group serves our community and provides a friendly, safe place for individuals to integrate their Jewish and gay identities and to meet others like us. For recorded information, please call anytime (212) 780-4656. Meeting schedule for mid-2007: Thursday, April 26, at 8:30 pm; no meeting in May due to Shavuot; Thursday, June 28, at 8:30 pm; Thursday, July 26, at 8:30 pm. Meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of each month (barring holiday conflicts) at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center.  The Center is located at 208 West 13th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues) in New York City (Manhattan). Mark your calendar: Wednesday, June 20, 2007, the annual ROOFTOP PRIDE PARTY on the roof of the JCC in Manhattan (the Samuel Priest Rose Building, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street). To join the confidential e-mail list for information about special events and upcoming meetings, send an e-mail to GLYDSA@hotmail.com.The film Trembl.ing Before G-d is now available on DVD. The film is a documentary about orthodox gay and lesbian Jews. The Trembling Before G-d website has more information. The book Wrestling With God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Steven Greenberg (Univ. of Wisconsin Press: 2004) is now available in bookstores and online.The book Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View< by Rabbi Chaim Rapoport (Mitchell Vallentine & Company) is now available in bookstores and online.Click here for the article "Gay and Orthodox" by Naomi Grossman from the April 2001 issue of Moment Magazine and read comments by others and respond. POST YOUR IDEAS, THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND COMMENTS ON BEING GAY AND JEWISH. Orthodykes, a support group for Orthodox and formerly Orthodox lesbian, bisexual and transgender women has formed in New York City and meets monthly. For recorded information about this group, or to speak with someone, please call at anytime (212) 539-8804 or send an e-mail to: info@orthodykes.org In California, Orthodox and Traditional gay and lesbian Jews meet the third Sunday of the month in Los Angeles for socializing, education and support. For more details contact Steve, (562) 426-7756 or ar815@lafn.org A great page for GAY YOUTH has been set up. Check it out at JQYouth. There are several resources in Jerusalem. Check out the Jerusalem Open House and The Gay and Lesbian Student Union of the Hebrew University - Ha'asiron Ha'acher, which also has a great web page. Another web page for religious Jews in Jerusalem is OrthodoxGays. Have a look! Conservative Rabbi Harold Schulweis has written two thoughtful articles: Morality, Legality and Homosexuality and A Second Look at Homosexuality. These articles are highly recommended. Another essay by an Oxford Rabbi also may be of interest. Have a look. An on-line discussion list called frumgays has been established through Shamash. This list is available by subscription and is a safe space. For more information, contact Shamash through its web siteIf you are sexually active, learn about and practice SAFER SEX every time. Safer Sex means knowing how HIV is transmitted and taking precautions to reduce your risk of getting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. HIV is transmitted in body fluids such as semen, vaginal fluid and blood. If you have anal sex, always use a latex rubber condom with water-based lubricant. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV but have not been tested, now may be the time to do it. There are medications available which make the possibility of a longer, healthier life a reality. If you are apprehensive about getting tested, or have any questions that you need answered about HIV or AIDS, call the Tzvi Aryeh AIDS Foundation, which provides support and programs for all Jews, gay and straight, from secular to Orthodox and Chassidic. The Foundation provides information, makes referrals and is available to answer questions in English, Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian. It also offers a kosher food program for homebound people with AIDS, a friendly visitor and buddy network, and understanding Rabbis from all denominations for counseling. For more information call 212-866-6306 anytime or e-mail TzviAryeh@aol.com or write to P.O. Box 150, Cathedral Station, New York, NY 10025. For additional information about our community, please contact via e-mail GayJews@aol.com."And G-d saw all that He had made, and found it very good." (Bereshit 1:31)."It is not good for man to be alone." (Bereshit 2:18). "Master of the world, I am Yours and my dreams are Yours. I have dreamed a dream and I don't know what it means. May it be Your will that all my dreams regarding myself and regarding all of Israel be good ones, those that I have dreamed about myself, those that I have dreamed about others, and those that others have dreamed about me." (Birkat Kohanim). "In the path that a person wants to follow, Heaven leads him in that very path." (Makot 10b). ..........