About 700 Jews from about a dozen synagogues met Sunday in Minnetonka to voice their opposition to the proposed marriage amendment and strategize on how to turn out voters to defeat the measure, which will to be on Minnesota election ballots in November.
The three-hour event was sponsored by the Jewish Community Action of St. Paul and Adath Jeshurun synagogue, where the meeting was held. In large plenary sessions and smaller break out groups, those present discussed how to educate and mobilize others to oppose the proposal, which would amend the state constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, effectively banning same-sex marriages.
"The goal is to get the Jewish community to step out, to move people from voting no to being champions inside and outside the religious community," said Vic Rosenthal, executive director of Jewish Community Action.
He said since some conservative religious groups have supported the measure, "We wanted people to know religious people can have a different point of view on this issue."
He acknowledged that reform Jews interpret the Torah differently than do orthodox Jews, who tend to support the amendment.
Close to 700 Lutherans, representing congregations in the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, voted against the amendment at the group's annual assembly last month at a Prior Lake church.
Catholic bishops representing Minnesota's largest single denomination, with close to 1.1 million members, have come out in favor of the amendment.
