In a solution to a decidedly postmodern Jewish dilemma, a group of pluralistic, secular rabbis ruled this week that when standing under the huppa in a same-sex marriage ceremony, both partners can be given the honor of "breaking the glass." "The breaking of the glass, a staple of every Jewish wedding, is used to remember the egregious hatred that led to the destruction of the Second Temple," said Ofer Korenfeld, chairman of Havayah, an organization that arranges "Jewish-inspired" lifecycle events. "This message is particularly pertinent to the homo-lesbian community, which is the target of so much hatred," added Kornfeld. Havayah's announcement came one day after the Interior Ministry agreed to register two men as the fathers of an adopted baby boy in accordance with a Ramat Gan Family Court ruling. In Israel, all Jewish citizens must marry in accordance with Orthodox Jewish law. As a result, same-sex marriages are not recognized by the state. However, the state does recognize the commitment between same-sex couples for adoption purposes. Havayah belongs to a growing movement in Israel known informally as Jewish Renewal, which encourages secular Israelis not to give up their ties to Jewish culture, pushingyiddishkeit without God. There are about 30 Jewish Renewal communities throughout the nation where secular Jews meet in alternative prayer groups, study religious texts and celebrate Jewish ceremonies without abandoning their secular self-definition. Havayah, was created by the Midrasha at Oranim Teachers College in Kiryat Tivon; the kibbutz movement's Bina Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture in south Tel Aviv, known as the "Secular Yeshiva"; and the Institute for Jewish Ceremonies. The program's focus is on celebrating, in a Jewish way, events such as births, bar and bat mitzvot and marriages.
