Family & Education
Schools cancel visit of rabbi accused of making homophobic statements
The Bostoner Rebbe from Jerusalem had been due to go to Hasmonean Girls and Yavneh
February 11, 2022 15:10
The Bostoner Rebbe from Jerusalem had been due to go to Hasmonean Girls and Yavneh
February 11, 2022 15:10At least two Jewish schools have cancelled a visit by a Chasidic rabbi from Jerusalem who has been accused of making homophobic statements.
Yavneh College in Borehamwood and Hasmonean High School for Girls in Mill Hill pulled out of the engagement with the Bostoner Rebbe of Har Nof, Rabbi Mayer Alter Horowitz, who has been visiting London this week.
A spokesman for the Department for Education said it had spoken to Hasmonean Girls “to check whether they carried out due diligence checks before hosting a speaker who had previously expressed homophobic views. The school had already made the decision to cancel the speaker.”
Yavneh confirmed that the Rebbe’s appearance “did not go ahead”.
In 2015, the Israeli news site Ynet reported that Rabbi Horowitz, when asked about equal rights for same-sex couples, had suggested it would be as inconceivable as granting rights for murderers.
"There is a community which wants to murder other people," he told the newspaper. "It's their nature and they must murder – so we should give them equality? Why give them equality, because they are murderers?”
Religious gay men had the option of either suppressing their desire or marrying a woman.”Some women want sons, and they don't care how they do it," he was quoting as saying. "Some women don't really want a relationship with a man, so it's possible.”
A parent of a child at one of the two London schools who objected to his views said they “should not be raised with young students. No information was sent to parents in advance that he was speaking or on what topic”.
A flier advertising the Rebbe’s schedule had been circulating in North-West London.
The parent said he had been “impressed with the rapid action” taken by Hasmonean.
According to the recently introduced relationships and sex education curriculum, secondary school pupils should be taught about same-sex relationships “at a timely point” before they leave school.
Faith schools are allowed to discuss their own religion’s teaching on same-sex relationships while explaining what is permitted under UK law.