Board Resolution Amendment One

Temple Beth El family…

The Board of Directors of Temple Beth El took a bold step on Monday evening, April 16. The Board voted to accept a resolution crafted by our Keshet Committee at our request, with input from Rabbi Jonathan, opposing Amendment One. Special thanks go to Sera Callif and Y’honatan Gimbel for their hard work. The resolution is below.

I am proud of this action and of the very deliberative and careful process we followed to get us to this point. We researched our position carefully. It was a long, emotional and difficult journey for all involved. However, the wrestling was worth it. The end product is a good one.

While we, as a congregation, are VERY supportive of LGBTQ families, congregants and issues, and we support Rabbi Judy Schindler’s advocacy on this issue, we do recognize that ours is a pluralistic congregation, representing many different points of view. We also know that not all congregants want a house of worship to take a stand on political issues of any sort. We respect that diversity of opinion.

However, you will be interested to know that the vote on this resolution was unanimous, through a roll call…each person, conservative and liberal alike, claiming his or her vote.

Please read the resolution and consider the implications. I hope you will go to the polls and vote your conscience. If you want to know who serves on your Board of Directors, here is a link to the list.
http://www.beth-el.com/officers_board.html

TEMPLE BETH EL AMENDMENT ONE RESOLUTION
(passed unanimously at April 16, 2012 Board Meeting)

WHEREAS Temple Beth El’s mission is to be a welcoming Reform congregation providing opportunity for ALL people to engage in Jewish life through social action, and its vision emphasizes inclusion and egalitarianism;

WHEREAS Temple Beth El seeks to be a sanctuary providing support, safety, healing, and justice, for the suffering and disenfranchised;

WHEREAS the Torah commands us to give the needy what they lack, in this case legal protection, civil rights and human dignity for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender individuals, so Jewish ethics demand us to act;

WHEREAS justice and human dignity are cherished Jewish values;

WHEREAS the Torah has one text, yet the interpretation is never fixed but ever in flux;

WHEREAS our Reform Jewish tradition teaches us that all human beings — man, woman, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender — are made in the image of God; that God and holiness can be present in all loving, permanent Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) and heterosexual relationships;

WHEREAS the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) stated: “All Jews are religiously equal regardless of their sexual orientation”;

WHEREAS in March 2000, the CCAR’s resolution on Same Gender Officiation states, “that the relationship of a Jewish, same gender couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual”;

WHEREAS the LGBT members of Temple Beth El are an integral part of our congregation, and that Keshet and its predecessor Chavurah Keshet have been active for over 15 years;

WHEREAS the current political climate challenges the human rights of members of our community and our nation because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and denies them legal rights;

WHEREAS Amendment #1 will appear on the North Carolina ballot on May 8, 2012, and it reads: “That marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State”; and this amendment clearly is antithetical to what Judaism and Temple Beth El stand for as outlined above;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Temple Beth El opposes Amendment #1 that will appear on the North Carolina Ballot on May 8, 2012;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President, the Board, and the Clergy of Temple Beth El will go on public record, through a letter to the congregation, educating and advocating against this Amendment on May 8, 2012.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the President, the Board, and the Clergy of Temple Beth El publically endorse Keshet’s active engagement with, and support of, other synagogues and houses of worship in North Carolina as allies in the efforts to advocate against this Amendment.