{"id":5244,"date":"2008-09-21T12:39:12","date_gmt":"2008-09-21T20:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=5244"},"modified":"2008-09-21T12:39:12","modified_gmt":"2008-09-21T20:39:12","slug":"aussie-synagogue-hosts-gay-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=5244","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Synagogue Hosts Gay Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

From JTA<\/a>:<\/p>\n

A same-sex commitment ceremony was held in a synagogue in Sydney, an Australian first. <\/p>\n

Scott Whitmont, 47, and Christopher Whitmont-Stein, 38, stood under a chupah at the Emanuel Synagogue Sunday in front of about 75 guests. <\/p>\n

The pair, who had a secular commitment ceremony six years ago, exchanged rings, smashed a glass and walked around each other 3 1\/2 times. <\/p>\n

The celebration follows a decision in May 2007 by the Council of Progressive Rabbis of Asia, Australia and New Zealand to allow its rabbis to officiate at same-sex commitment ceremonies. <\/p>\n

Whitmont-Stein, a registered nurse, converted at Emanuel Synagogue in 2002 under the guidance of Rabbi Jeffery Kamins, who also officiated at Sunday’s ceremony. <\/p>\n

“We wanted to be recognized by our community and officiated by our rabbi — that was important to us,” he told the Sydney Star Observer, a gay newspaper. “We didn’t set out to be poster boys for gay Jewish marriage.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From JTA: A same-sex commitment ceremony was held in a synagogue in Sydney, an Australian first. Scott Whitmont, 47, and Christopher Whitmont-Stein, 38, stood under a chupah at the Emanuel Synagogue Sunday in front of about 75 guests. The pair, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[182,26],"tags":[12757,12753,12756,12758,12754,12755],"class_list":["post-5244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia","category-homophobia","tag-chupah","tag-emanuel-synagogue","tag-jewish-marriage","tag-poster-boys","tag-sydney-star-observer","tag-whitmont"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t