“God Is A Woman And She Is Growing Older”

Sadie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:20:00 EDT

"It was the times they tore me to shreds that were the best," reminisces Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig. Spoken like a firebrand:

When Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig was ordained, 1984, there were few female rabbis - let alone gay ones. As she tells the New York Times,

I played a significant role in the change toward gay rabbis. I saw how long that process took. In '85, I submitted a resolution to the Central Conference of American Rabbis to open doors to gay men and lesbians. It was not changed till 1990.

While Wenig may represent the reform fringe, she can take credit fpor paving the way for significant changes in even the more conservative community: for two years the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary has admitted openly gay students. And only a few weeks ago, Poland saw its first openly gay rabbi, a move controversial enough to make international headlines.

Wenig might well feel , cautiously, optimistic - despite the opposition to gay marriage in more conservative Jewish communities - but it's questionable if her 1990 declaration of God's sex will be met with the same level of acceptance. She explains now, "Jewish texts are replete with anthropomorphic images of God. I don't say God would ever die. I fudged that. Whatever else, I would say God is eternal."

A rabbi's struggle: To allow gay clergy or not? [USA Today]
Conservative Jews Allow Gay Rabbis and Unions [New York Times]

RABBI SCHOOL GAY-OK [NY Post]
Amid Jewish revival, Poland Gets Openly Gay Rabbi [Newsvine]

Thai Long-Neck Women Part Of "Human Zoo" • Jewish Prayer Book Makes God Gender-Neutral

Maria — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Thai officals approve a "human zoo" with the famed long-necked women, many of whom are refugees from Myanmar. • Indian sex workers can now get life insurance, but their profession remains illegal. • Snickers, Doritos, and Peanut M&Ms are the most popular vending machine snacks. • A child who formed in her mother's liver turned 5 today! • A new prayer book for Reform Judaism makes God gender-neutral. • Teens aren't giving oral to "preserve" their virginity mostly because they are just having intercourse instead. • Plans for a Sound of Music hotel sparks fierce protest from Austrian fussbudgets. • Same sex couples are common in wild animals because, duh, sex is fun! • Adelaide "Sun-Lin" Young, a female explorer of China in the 1930s, died at 96. • Oh great! Recent female college grads make $2.92 less than their male counterparts. • Social and religious reasons are behind the lack of female directors in the boardrooms of Arab corporations. • However! There are more women in the boardroom in Kuwait and Oman than Italy and Japan. • Peeping Tom cases in public places are getting thrown out due to "unreasonable expectation of privacy" by the peeped. • Carme Chacon, Spain's first female defense minister, gave birth to a boy today. • 3 in 10 men experience domestic violence with an intimate partner, although it goes largely unreported.

Jezebel: reform judaism

“God Is A Woman And She Is Growing Older”

Thai Long-Neck Women Part Of "Human Zoo" • Jewish Prayer Book Makes God Gender-Neutral