FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Idit Klein, President & CEO, Keshet
Phone: 617.448.2736
Email: [email protected]

Contact: Jon Cohen, Director of Community Mobilization, Keshet
Phone: 617.402.2360
Email: [email protected]

Boston, MA

Keshet issued the following statement on the 11/29/22 Senate vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act:

Keshet celebrates the passing of the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) in the U.S. Senate! We are thrilled that same-sex and interracial marriages are on the way to being protected by federal law. This marks an historic victory for LGBTQ+ equality and justice. We eagerly await a House vote and President Biden signing the RFMA into law.

While the Respect for Marriage Act is an important step toward ensuring the right to marry, the inclusion of religious exemptions to the bill means that full marriage equality has yet to be achieved. This is not the end of our fight.

The right to marry who one loves is a matter of human dignity. Our tradition teaches kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh: we are all responsible for one another. As Jews dedicated to LGBTQ+ equality, we must take action to ensure that all of us can live in dignity. Love is love, and couples of all gender and racial identities deserve the right to honor and safeguard their love through legal marriage. 

Keshet is proud to have worked with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and an additional 107 Jewish organizations to send a unified Jewish community message to Congress to pass the Respect for Marriage Act. We believe that equality is a Jewish value and invite our partners to continue the fight with us for full equality and justice.

Download a PDF of this press release