Jewish leaders from across the spectrum on Thursday weighed in on U.S. President Barack Obama's surprise announcement that he supports the concept of gay marriage and believes same-sex couples should be able to wed. Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Jews, both lay people and clergy, tended to embraced the announcement, while the Orthodox community was more taciturn. "The support of the president on this issue is particularly meaningful to us as Jews," Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said in a statement. "Our holy texts teach us that all people are created b'tselem Elohim [in the Divine image] (Gen. 1:27), and as such are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. We look forward to the day when all loving, adult couples, gay and straight alike, will have their marriages recognized by the government." However, Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who is an Orthodox Jew, was unimpressed with Obama's statements. I dont think its a surprise to anyone that he supports gay marriage, this whole thing, this whole notion that it was evolving and finally the baby was born today, he told the media. Its the kind of stuff that gives politics such a bad name. I think everyone knows
he supported gay marriage, everything seems so calculated. "This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people and I have no doubt that this will be no exception. Today's announcement is a testament to the president's convictions, and it builds on the courageous stands that so many Americans have taken over the years on behalf of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, stretching back to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village." "President Obama has admirably continued to demonstrate the values of tikkun olam in his work to make America a better place for all Americans," said National Jewish Democratic Council Chairman Marc R. Stanley. "I am truly proud of President Obama and know that so many others in the Jewish community share my feelings." The announcement could energize the Democratic party's younger voters and others. But it also could serve as a rallying point for the Republican party's social and religious conservatives. The president said he was taking a personal position. Aides said the president's shift would have no impact on current policies and he continues to believe that marriage is an issue best decided by states. "I have hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought that civil unions would be sufficient," Obama said in the interview. He added, "I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word 'marriage' was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth." Now, he said, "It is important for me personally to go ahead and affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married." Nationwide polling suggests increasing acceptance of gay marriage. In a national survey released earlier this month, Gallup reported 50 percent of those polled said it should be legal, and 48% were opposed. Democrats favored gay marriage by a margin of roughly 2-1, while Republicans opposed it by an even larger margin. Among independents, 57% expressed support, and 40% were opposed. Six states all in the Northeast except Iowa and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriages. In addition, two other states have laws that are not yet in effect and may be subject to referendums.
Obama, who once opposed gay marriage but said his position had evolved, announced his unequivocal support in a historic announcement that thrust the divisive social issue into a more prominent role in this year's presidential campaign.