Hod (organization)

Hod (Hebrew: הו"ד) is an independent Israel-based organization run by and intended for Orthodox Jewish homosexuals.

The Hod people supported unquestioningly orthodoxy, commitment to Halakha and the importance of the discourse with rabbis and educators alike, while the Havruta people supported a change of the current situation from the field and not via rabbis, coordinating social gatherings, abstention from expressing a religious stand regarding inter-sex relationship and sexuality and participation of some of its members in the Pride parade of Israel.

Hod from its beginning was a voluntary organization and it is not supported financially by any rabbi or other factor, so it can remain objective and hold an independent agenda.

Only with the closing of Asaf's group towards the end of 2009, Hod started its organized independent social meetings, save the unique gathering it held thus far.

Hod wrote together with professions, rabbis, psychologists and social workers different advising documents that serve as practical auxiliary tools.

The committee stated that the chances of success of these therapies are very low and might cause damages, but stressed that the researches done in this matter are problematic since this issue was not investigated properly due to political correctness.

Rather, the organization intends to offer support and to stimulate social contact between religious homosexuals, as to diminish the feelings of loneliness frequently experienced by these individuals.

The purpose of the discourse is to bridge over the opposing stances under the spirit of tolerance and equality and through this to improve the existential and social state of a religious homosexual in the religious society, turn for the better (Tikkun olam) the Jewish Israeli society, disseminate pro-tolerance education and acceptance of the other through the guidance of educators, psychologists and scholars.

[8] Hod supplies without any prejudicial bias a respond, attentive ear, support and preliminary counseling to a wide spectrum of religious homosexuals.

Hod also works within ultra-Orthodox society, in which thousands of its sons suffer inadequate treatments and attempts to convert their sexual orientation while distorting Halakha and Judaism.

Rabbi Ron Yosef, who leads the organization, was initially known publicly only by his first name, thereby showing the delicate situation of homosexuals in the Jewish Orthodox community in Israel.

However, In April 2009, he became the first Israeli orthodox Rabbi to come out, by appearing in Uvda ("Fact"), Israel's leading investigative television program [1].

[13] Hod promotes advocacy actions focused on disseminating the "Document of Principles", which its main innovation lies in the call to separate the prohibited deed from the person and his sexual orientation.