Decision opens all aspects of synagogue life to gay Jews

Gay Jews will find it easier to enter rabbinical school and to join in a sanctified union under a ruling by a national committee on Jewish law.

Until now, the Conservative branch of the Jewish faith prohibited gay partnerships and ordination. But in a recent meeting, the 25-rabbi Committee on Jewish Law and Standards accepted a model for behavior that approves both.

The decision enraged four rabbis, who immediately quit the committee. (To read the rest of this story, click here.)

Russian church's numbers growing

photo:ja_macd


A beam of sunlight entered the room at an angle, illuminating the embroidered robes of a young man. He chanted Russian prayers, flanked by multiple candelabras and faced by standing worshippers. As a choir sang from behind a wheat-colored screen, a slim young woman dressed in a pale green leather coat approached a table, placed several dollars in one tray and gathered a handful of gold-colored candles from another.

Those candles, and the proceeds from numerous other fundraisers, will help finance a permanent home for the St. Xenia of Petersburg Russian Orthodox Church.

On Sunday, the Russian Christmas, the St. Xenia congregation celebrated their first service in a public gathering place. The Concord Veterans Building is elegant, and for the time being, it's home. (To read the rest of this story, click here.)