British Chief Rabbi Tells Orthodox To Be More Open To Gays

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By JTA September 7, 2017

(JTA) — British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called on a meeting of more than 100 Orthodox rabbis to be more inclusive toward the LGBTQ community.

On Tuesday, at his annual pre-High Holidays conference for the rabbinate, Mirvis also called for extra concern for other special groups as well.

“Every person is precious. Single parents, women, the unaffiliated, LGBT Jews – let no person feel they have no place in our shuls,” Mirvis said at the annual conference, this year titled “Every One Counts.

His remarks came on the heels of the controversy surrounding Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Britain’s top Sephardi rabbi, who was nearly pushed out of his position this summer following his comments welcoming the growing acceptance of homosexuality.

Following the resolution of the controversy, Mirvis said he was “appalled” by the behavior of those who rejected Dweck’s teachings.

At the end of the conference, he said: “As rabbis, we have now a responsibility to carry the inspiration we have taken from the last two days and use it build ever more engaging and inclusive communities, which would be inclusive of every person,” the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported.

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