CJC and J-Bagel welcome Elliot Dorff who will be discussing his responsa on homosexual marriage and the ordination of homosexual rabbis as it pertains to the Conservative Jewish community. While Dorff will explain the various halachic issues involved in his responsa, he will focus on Judaism's deeper ability to adapt and reflect based on society's contemporary values. How did homosexuality arise within Judaism, and specifically Conservative Judaism, and how has it changed the movement. How has the recent ruling change the movement, if at all, and where does Dorff see it progressing over the next ten, fifteen years. Please join us for a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking event on Tuesday, Decemeber 8th from 6:30 - 8:30 in the Hillel 2nd Floor Library.
Elliot N. Dorff (born 24 June 1943) is a Conservative rabbi, a professor of Jewish theology at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) in California (where he is also Rector), author, and a bio-ethicist. He is an expert in the philosophy of Conservative Judaism, Bioethics, and acknowledged within the Conservative community as an expert decisor of Jewish law. Dorff was ordained as a rabbi from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1970. He earned a Ph.D in philosophy from Columbia University in 1971. Finally, he is the chairman of the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, and has written many responsa (opinion papers and legal rulings) on many aspects of Jewish law and philosophy. On December 6, 2006, the law committee accepted a paper by Rabbis Elliot Dorff, Daniel Nevins and Avram Reisner on homosexual marriage and ordination of homosexual rabbis, while it upheld the biblical prohibition on male intercourse.
