If you are a Rabbi and would like to sign this letter, please contact us.
We, as Jewish rabbis and teachers, write to reaffirm Judaism’s clear and unambiguous stance on human genders. The Torah states that “male and female He Created them” (Bereishis 1:27), declaring a separation into two biological genders. Jewish law and ritual prescribe unique Jewish practices for men and women that address the inherent differences between them, reflecting the Divine Wisdom of the Torah.
We are deeply concerned by recent communications from “Jewish” progressive organizations and groups, stating that “Jewish values” compel recognition of a person’s declared “gender identity,” and even professing that our holy texts note “at least six different genders.” These are obvious distortions that bear no relationship to normative Judaism and three millennia of Jewish law.
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The foregoing claims misrepresent Talmudic passages that, in reality, merely address how those affected by birth defects and other physical aberrations should observe Jewish laws that differ for men and women. In no way do these passages inflate the number of normative genders, nor is there credence given to the notion that an individual’s subjective self-perception is relevant to his or her biological gender. The ideology behind such statements is clearly progressivism over Judaism, and even over reality: at least one such letter insisted that there is “no evidence” that males have an innate advantage if allowed into competitions previously reserved for women.
We should note that in addition to the unfairness and even risks of injury that accompany forcing women to compete against men, such practices also deny opportunities to young men and women who observe Jewish law and custom regarding social contact. For these reasons, we support measures that separate men and women by biological gender in sports, especially contact sports.
The officers of the CJV
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
President
Baltimore, MD
Rabbi Dov Fischer
Vice President
Irvine, CA
Rabbi Pesach Lerner
President
Far Rockaway, NY
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer
Chairman of the Rabbinic Circle
New York, NY
Rabbi Yonah Gross
Mid-Atlantic Regional VP
Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Moshe B. Parnes
Southern Regional VP
Hollywood, FL
Rabbi Ze’ev Smason
Midwestern Regional VP
St. Louis, MO
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky
Israel Regional VP
Modi’in, Israel
Rabbi Jonathan Guttentag
International Liaison
Manchester, UK
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
Executive Vice President
Baltimore, MD
And the following rabbis from the United States and around the world
Rabbi Shalom Abramczyk
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Moshe Abramowitz
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Elan Adler
Efrat, Israel
Rabbi Eitan Allen
Chicago, IL, United States
Rabbi Eli Amsel
Monsey , NY, United States
Rabbi Yosef Ashenberg
Rehovot, Israel
Rabbi Ronald Barry
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Mordechai Becher
Passaic, NJ, United States
Rabbi Nash Benedikt
Lower Merion , PA, United States
Rabbi Sam Biber
Chicago, IL, United States
Rabbi Yaakov Bleich
Kyiv, Ukraine
Rabbi Abraham Bleich
Oak Park, MI, United States
Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky
San Diego, CA, United States
Rabbi Elchonon Butrimovitz
Englewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Nesanel Cadle
Yardley , PA, United States
Rabbi Hollis Cohen
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Mitchell Cohen
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Yisroel Cohen
Ramot, NY, United States
Rabbi Yaakov Cohen
Toronto, Canada
Rabbi Mark Cohen
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Mordechai Cohen
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Robert Cohen
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Judah Cohen
Woodmere, NY, United States
Rabbi Yossef Dinim
New York, NY, United States
Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Pini Dunner
Beverly Hills, CA, United States
Rabbi Naftoli Harold Eisemann
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Yaakov Ely
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Emanuel Feldman
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Edward Ferrell
Passaic, NJ, United States
Rabbi Menachem Fischer
Oak Park , MI, United States
Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel
Cedarhurst, NY, United States
Rabbi Jackie Fried
North Miami Beach, FL, United States
Rabbi Avigdor Fried
Staten island, NY, United States
Rabbi Alan Betsalel Friedlander
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Shmuel Fromowitz
University Ht, OH, United States
Rabbi Ari Galandauer
Nmb, FL, United States
Rabbi Mordechai Geiger
Omaha, NE, United States
Rabbi Jonah Gewirtz
Silver Spring, MD, United States
Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
Monsey, NY, United States
Rabbi Gershon Gewirtz
Clifton, NJ, United States
Rabbi Shaul Gold
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Gidon Goldberg
Jamaica , NY, United States
Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Michael Gottesman
Skokie, IL, United States
Rabbi Yechezkel (Jordan) Gottheim
Passaic , NJ, United States
Rabbi Wayne Greenberg
Staten Island, NY, United States
Rabbi Alan Gross
Wynnewood, PA, United States
Rabbi Yitzchak Gross
Wynnewood, PA, United States
Rabbi Moshe Haikins
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Yosef Hauser
Memphis, TN, United States
Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht
Norwalk, CT, United States
Rabbi Ezra Hes
New York, NY, United States
Rabbi David Hirsch
Flushing, NY, United States
Rabbi Shlomo Hochberg
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Avrohom Hoffman
New York, NY, United States
Rabbi Mathew Hoffman
New Rochelle, NY, United States
Rabbi Yitz Jacobs
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Rabbi Moshe Kahan
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Isaiah Karlinsky
Los Angeles , CA, United States
Rabbi Martin Katz
Flushing, NY, United States
Rabbi Judah Kerbel
Forest Hills, NY, United States
Rabbi Yosef Simcha Klein
Southfield, MI, United States
Rabbi Zev Kogel
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski
Kauneonga Lake, NY, United States
Rabbi Y. A. Korff
Boston, MA, United States
Rabbi Gavriel Lakser
Jerusalem , Israel
Rabbi Joel Landau
San Francisco, CA, United States
Rabbi Dovid Lando
Toronto, Canada
Rabbi Eliezer Langer
Betshemesh, Israel
Rabbi Chaim Dovid Lapidus
Pikesville, MD, United States
Rabbi Jonah Levant
Flushing, NY, United States
Rabbi Mordechai Levin
Monsey, NY, United States
Rabbi A. Mark Levin
Atlanta, GA, United States
Rabbi Hershel Lutch
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Boruch M Leibowitz
Beit Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Reuven Mann
Jerusalem , Israel
Rabbi Yerachmiel Morrison
Toms River, NJ, United States
Rabbi Yechezkel Moskowitz
Valley Steam, NY, United States
Rabbi Abe Mostofsky
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Dovid Nathan
Miami, FL, United States
Rabbi Uri Neumann
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Yaacov Orimland
Margate , NJ, United States
Rabbi Brett Oxman
Memphis, TN, United States
Rabbi Yoel Phillip
Howell, NJ, United States
Rabbi Yosef Rabinowich
Bala Cynwyd , PA, United States
Rabbi Eli Rabinowitz
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Aaron Reichel
Kew Gardens, NY, United States
Rabbi Eli Reidler
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Refael Ribacoff
Hewlett, NY, United States
Rabbi Meir Riber
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Rabbi Dovid Roberts
Berlin, Germany
Rabbi Moshe Robinson
Baltimore , MD, United States
Rabbi Yisroel Roll
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Tzvi Rosen
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal
West Hempstead, NY, United States
Rabbi David Rosenthal
Manalapan, NJ, United States
Rabbi Zorach Meir Salasnik
Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Shabsie Steven Saphirstein
Flushing, NY, United States
Rabbi Ben-Zion Saydman
Lake Forest, CA, United States
Rabbi Ariel Schochet
Passaic, NJ, United States
Rabbi Elchanan Schulgasser
Atlanta, GA, United States
Rabbi Laib Schulman
Baltimore , MD, United States
Rabbi Tsvi G Schur
Baltimore , MD, United States
Rabbi Jonathan Seidemann
Baltimore , MD, United States
Rabbi Mordechai Sevy
Thornhill, Canada
Rabbi Yehuda Shain
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Moshe Shipkin
Phoenix, AZ, United States
Rabbi Evan Shore
Syracuse, NY, United States
Rabbi Aharon Simkin
Northridge, CA, United States
Rabbi Rashi Simon
London, United Kingdom
Rabbi Berel Simpser
Deerfield Beach, FL, United States
Rabbi Yehoshua Singer
Providence, RI, United States
Rabbi Betzalel Sochaczewski
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Shmuel Spero
Toronto, Canada
Rabbi Nahum Spirn
Far Rockaway, NY, United States
Rabbi David Stein
Rechovot, Israel
Rabbi Berel Steinerman
Clifton, NJ, United States
Rabbi Eli Stern
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Rabbi Mendy Stern
Houston , TX, United States
Rabbi Jacob Teller
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Rabbi Aaron Tendler
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Moshe Travitsky
Bensalem, PA, United States
Rabbi Benzion Twerski
Milwaukee, WI, United States
Rabbi Avrohom Union
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Rabbi Chaim Veshnefsky
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Gedalia Walls
Rockville, MD, United States
Rabbi Yaakov Wasser
East Brunswick, NJ, United States
Rabbi Mark Weiner
Chicago, IL, United States
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchok Weiner
Baltimore, MD, United States
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
Columbus, OH, United States
Rabbi Yosef Wikler
Lakewood, NJ, United States
Rabbi Yosef Wolicki
Bet Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Eliyahu Zukierman
Brooklyn, NY, United States