About Us
Havruta- Religious Homosexuals (Religious Gays?) in Israel was founded by graduates of Hesder Yeshivas and Religious Pre-Military Preparatory Programs. The organization includes an internet site which is updated on a weekly basis and monthly meetings and activiites
The Site
The internet site was launched on January 6th, 2008, 28 Tevet, 5768 making it the first internet site for religious gays in Israel.
Each week the site is updated with and presents professional material that is relevant to religious-gay life It promotes Jewish discourse and discussion on the issues by presenting content that covers the entire religious spectrum, including opinions that are often controversial and unpleasant, provided they are not offensive, insulting, or promote violence toward religious gays.
The site contains many sections that contain various articles, polemics, issues pertaining to religion and gender, culture, video clips, letters and poetry submitted by viewers, information regarding upcoming meetings and reviews of past meetings contact information etc…
The site also serves as a means to connect members of the organization and participants of the monthly meetings.
Meetings
Havruta organizes meetings once a month. These do not function as a support group but rather as a social gathering. The majority of participants are religious, while some are "datlash" (previously religious) and some come from traditional backgrounds. The majority of participants are in the closet and are of all ages from 18 and upward. The turnout to meetings is quite large, making Havruta the biggest organization for religious gays in Israel. The content for meetings changes from month to month and include prominent speakers, films, discussions, activities and hikes.
Our Vision
We built the Havruta web site in order to serve as a central site for all members of Havruta and to be a home for the larger religious gay community and their families. We also aim to promote education, tolerance and acceptance by the larger religious community and encourage rabbinical and public discourse on the subject with the hopes of raising awareness within religious society so that religious gays and their families will be a part of the religious community.
Goals
1. The Havruta website will function as means of communication between all members of the organization.
2. The Havruta website will provide professional information relevant to religious gay life.
3. The Havruta website will promote Jewish dialogue and discourse on the subject.
We believe that achieving our goals will not just benefit religious gays but also the entire religious public and promote an improved and more just society for all.
With these goals, the Havruta website will adhere to the following guidelines
1. We are committed to Jewish Orthodox halacha (law).
2. We will make every effort to include content that reflects the entire spectrum of Jewish discourse, including opinions that may be unpleasant.
3. We will not accept any content that is offensive, insulting, or promote violence toward religious gays.
4. We will do everything in our power to ensure that all religious gays feel that the site provides a warm and loving home. Our approach will always be peaceful, modest and respectful, as it is written, "Truth and peace you shall love" (Zachariah 8:19) and "It is the glory of God to conceal things" (Proverbs 25:2).
תגובות הגולשים