I wrote my wide and deep comments on a lengthy English reporting on Rabbi Lau’s discussion paper on how he sees homosexuals within Jewish Law, the Jewish family, and the Jewish community.
I want to add to my comments that this is possibly the best text a leading Orthodox Rabbi has written on the subject. It is also the first substantial comprehensive piece in Hebrew about it. Previous in-depth discussions were all held in English. This is a huge step forward.
Now that I saw the original Hebrew, I have a couple of things to add.
But first, on the last thing stated in a short JTA report on the rabbi’s publication. This press agency will never ‘out’ someone. But it mentions that Rabbi Lau has an openly gay brother who is a rabbi in New York. He’s open and out so, it could write that. But, Rabbi Benny Lau names as the source of his expertise, dozens of years that Gay congregants talked to him. He doesn’t credit family members of his. In forums, he has made no secret about this connection but here, he was silent about it. Therefore, I was too in my earlier comments. There is a difference between the press that must be free, all-investigative, and merciless to protect democracy and fairness, and being celebrity press or paparazzi, what’s called in Dutch, the gossip press. If the rabbi mentions his congregants, leave it at that.
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One cannot write a one-size-fits-all manual for such a diverse group as LGB Jews and allies–the people he addresses, though the urge to do so is understandable. I will point out a number of alternatives to add to the options he suggests. Though–some choices must be rejected altogether.
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Coming out is not for everyone, every couple, in every situation, and not even the absolute end goal and universal ideal everyone should strive for.
It is a good idea that someone comes out to themselves first in front of a mirror: ‘[G^d,] here am I.’ But sometimes a mirror is not enough. Then, of much help can be a loving, patient, listening ear from someone who does not judge or doesn’t know better. This may be a friend, a family member, a professional, someone who went through this themselves, a total stranger.
It is not true that all people need to come out of the closet. In any case, coming out is typically not something one does once and that’s it. Every time a non-Straight and/or non-Cis person meets new people, s/he again needs to think: Will I say anything or not? That could be with a new neighbor or a new family member, in a new job, or just at the hairdresser or the dentist, or at a party or during a bus ride to strangers s/he will never see again. Sometimes it may simply not be worth the effort. Not coming out to almost anyone doesn’t need to be a lonely affair either. Some couples are perfectly happy to pass as roommates to their families.
It is not true that being Gay or having a Gay loved one is for everyone an ’embarrassment.’ Many parents know or guess this about their child already from when they were small and they are only delighted with them.
But in any case, the main work of making it safe to come out should be done by the community. Any difficulty of coming out is only a reflection of an unsafe community. Instead of focusing on how to help the LGBTQAI+ person get out, much energy should be spent on creating safety out there.
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It is not enough to tell the community and parents and Gays themselves that same-sex partnership is the best option for some. It is high time to promote and install respected Orthodox-Jewish same-sex-matchmakers.
It must be added that the love and commitment of typical same-sex parenthood are so exemplary that not only does their union not place a threat to traditional marriage. Their good example strengthens the idea.
It must be stated unequivocally that non-Straights should not begin a Straight partnership. It is as impermanent as a Straight starting a Gay partnership. It never (never!) lasts. And it is a corruption of what Jewish matrimony stands for. Sexual preference is the force of attraction to either sex. Men should choose a partner of a sex they feel most intrigued by.
Women’s sexuality is often more flexible so that it may take women longer to find out their sexual preference. Also, a lack of respect for women may delay their own clarity. Some people do not have a preference for either sex. They should not rush into an intimate partnership but give it some more time to see if a preference emerges. For some, it won’t.
No one should begin an intimate relationship with someone not primarily attracted to them, as this will always end in a heartbreaking breakup.
It should be stated without reserve that ‘conversion therapy’ deeply hurts already insecure clients and must be outlawed. It was always based on scaring and scarring the person and has resulted in many suicides, ruined sexual abilities, missed chances to start a family earlier, and wasting fortunes. It is plain fraud and torture and there is no excuse to permit it.
***
Last but not least.
Straights who have a problem with same-sex attraction and relationships should take their case up with G^d. It is outright abusive to constantly bother non-Straights with queries on these issues in the wider community. There are many therapists who may help. Just like Jews should not have to counsel anti-Semites towards loving and protecting them, Gays and their loved one shouldn’t be burdened with having to turn around homophobes.
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
