The Dutch News website reports today (January 18, 2012) that Amsterdam's Orthodox Jewish community has suspended indefinitely Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag as its normal chief, because the New York-based rabbi signed a statement describing homosexuality as an "illness" that can be cured.
The declaration -- signed by 162 rabbis and mental health practitioners last year -- states that "homosexuality is not an acceptable lifestyle" and that "behaviors are changeable."
Rabbi Ralbag -- who lives in New York and visits the Netherlands once or twice a year to rule on legal matters -- signed the statement using all his official functions, including that of chief rabbi of Amsterdam.
The Orthodox Jewish community in Amsterdam said that it rejects Rabbi Ralbag's view on homosexuality. It added that homosexuals are welcome in the Amsterdam Jewish community.
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