Chances Are, Your Next Rabbi Is Probably Gay, Study Shows
Over half of non-Ultra-Orthodox rabbinical students in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+, according to a new study.
Approximately 51% of current non-Haredi rabbinical students projected to be ordained after 2025 claim they are LGBTQ+, the study conducted by Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation found. This is a sharp incline from the 7% of ordained non-Haredi rabbis who identified as such before 2004. The study claims to provide a clear portrait of the contemporary non-Haredi, or non–Ultra-Orthodox, rabbinic pipeline in the U.S.
“The student figure may be an overestimate since weighing cannot fully correct for discrepancies without a variable directly measuring LGBTQ+ identity. However, even if it is somewhat overstated, the consistent year-over-year increase in LGBTQ+ representation is almost certainly real,” the Atra wrote, noting Gallup poll data finding an increase in the general U.S. adult population.
Atra said that its study revealed “a delicate and urgent truth: the calling to be a rabbi remains strong, but the pathway to enter and sustain this work has become increasingly fragile.”
Hannah Karpel-Pomerantz met her wife at rabbinical school and grew close due to a shared interest in Jewish texts and rituals, The Times of Israel reported. She said Hebrew Union College shared their “love story” all over their website.
“HUC wanted to feature me and my wife as a love story — as something that makes the school look good,” she recalled. “It signals that American progressive Jewish life has evolved to the point where LGBTQ inclusion is a no-brainer.” (Read more from “Chances Are, Your Next Rabbi Is Probably Gay, Study Shows” HERE)
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