In a first, Orthodox rabbinical school ordains an out gay rabbi

The leading liberal Orthodox rabbinical school quietly ordained an out gay rabbi last month, marking a first for an Orthodox Jewish institution in the U.S.

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, an all-male seminary in Riverdale, New York, ordained Rabbi Tadhg Cleary in a ceremony June 12 alongside three other graduates.

The ordination — which comes six years after the school denied it to a different gay student — is a breakthrough for queer Orthodox Jews, who have long sought acceptance in the communities they grew up in.

And for Cleary, 32 — whose first name is pronounced like “tiger,” without the -er — it is the culmination of nearly 14 years of post-secondary Torah study that included nearly a decade at one of Israel’s most prestigious yeshivas.

Learn more about the new rabbi and his ordination from reporter Louis Keene at the link in this post.