In the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, you’ve probably heard stories of businesses that refuse to serve gay clients.
This post is not about how stunningly hypocritical they are, as they willingly serve divorced people, adulterers, and women who refuse to submit to their husbands.
And it’s not about some homophobes in far-off flyover country, who cannot understand that allowing 2 men or 2 women to wed has no effect whatsoever on their own marriages. Or that marriage, legally, is a civil institution; a religious ceremony is just icing on the cake.
Jane Moritz
This story is about a Westport woman, and what happened when she put rainbow cookies on her website to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling.
Jane Moritz owns Challah Connection. Her Norwalk-based company offers gift baskets — not just bread, but kosher meals, deli, fruit and babka — for High Holy Days, housewarmings, birthdays, graduations, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and shivas.
(They also ship baked good, nuts and dried fruit for Ramadan and Eid.)
Last month, when same-sex marriage became legal nationwide, Moritz displayed “rainbow cookies” on her website’s home page. She added a message: “Never have these treasured cookies had such meaning.”
Within an hour, she’d received 3 “hate emails.” She told The Jewish Week that people asked “what was wrong with me, how could I be a Jew, how could I be supporting gay marriage.” They said they would never order from the Challah Connection again.
Moritz responded on a Yeshiva World News message board: “We stand firm in the Jewish values that implore upon us to show compassion and kindness to all beings.”
To which someone replied: “Even though the Torah that you pretend to accept calls this behavior an ‘abomination’ punishable by death. I guess when Torah values conflict with liberal politically correct values we know which side you choose.”
Moritz told The Jewish Week that she is proud of what she did. She does not think it’s her place to judge anyone’s celebration of Judaism — or anything else.
She’s not alone. Orders poured in for the Challah Connection’s rainbow cookies.
Bravo Jane!
As a fellow Yid I’m proud of Jane. And as another member of our tribe
(Ira Gershwin) put it
The things that you’re liable
To read in the bible
It ain’t necessarily so
ADW Staples 1956
With you all the way.
Wow, awesome post – Glad she stuck to her guns on this!
(And those cookies are so cute! Very creative.)
Way to go, Jane!
Jane, we’re with you 100% (and we’ll be ordering some whole wheat challah).
Good for her. Many of my friends are gay and them finally being able to get married legally is awesome! Their love for each other is no different then anybody elses…I personally love those kind of cookies too, even if I am straight 🙂
…”women who don’t submit to their husbands”…..WTF, Dan?
Ephesians 6:9: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” But I don’t see many bakers refusing to sell cakes to women who don’t follow that verse.
From Ephesians
Wives and Husbands
22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.…
ADW Staples 56
Jane: Why not an ObamaCare Package, too, while you’re at it?
Glad to hear that (some) people are finally catching up with Life.
My daughter, now my son, applauds this simple step. As do I, of course.
In case of confusion(!), my note above should read:
My daughter who is now my son. Yes!
dan:
thanks for the clarification….so with the Christ reference, I take it Jewish women don’t have to “submit” unless they are in the mood….
L’chaim!
She’s a mensch!
Loved this column, and love Jane. Yours may be a “local” blog, but worthy of a Nobel Prize.
If these cookies taste as great as they look, I want some! Plus it’s a good creative way to celebrate the Supreme Court decision.
It is great to know that some people still have convictions based on love for all humanity and the courage to follow those convictions. Brava!