The Chief Rabbi of England’s new LGBT guidance for schools

Rabbi Ephrayim Mervis, the Chief Rabbi of England has recently published a guide on how Orthodox Jewish schools should deal with the complex problem of LGBT relationships. The guide states that many Rabbis and school leaders have told Rabbi Mervis, ” that there is an urgent need for authoritative guidance which recognizes the reality that there are young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in our schools to whom we have a duty of care.” It appears that the aim of this guide is to provide that “authoritative guidance.”

Although the aim of the guide is indeed praiseworthy, many of England’s leading Rabbis have shared with me their opinion that the content of the guide is highly problematic from a Torah perspective. I have therefore prepared a thorough analysis of the problematic aspects of the guide based on my conversations with these Rabbinical authorities and with Chareidi professionals who deal with this issue on a daily basis.

My analysis contains many excerpts from the guide to illustrate the points made. It also contains the reaction of the secular press to the Chief Rabbi’s guide. Everything is linked back to its original source. The many leading Rabbinical authorities in the UK who have read the article have all given me extremely positive feedback and have told me that they are in complete agreement with its content.

Since the matters discussed are of great relevance to the entire Jewish world, I ask that you take the time to read the article. Please click on the following link: A Critique of the Chief Rabbi’s new LGBT Guidelines