Rabbinic authorities historically treated same-sex relations among Jews as a minor offense

Evidence

Recently, however, scholars have turned their attention to homosexuality among Jews—even the apparently religiously observant—in Europe and the Near East. In retrospect, although it seems improbable that such an unconventional, if not perverse, individual should have attained heroic stature among the Haredim, the De Haan case was far from unique with respect to homosexuality. As Yaron Ben-Naeh has recently argued, “same-sex sexual relations” between Jews were not consistently assailed by the rabbis, who often considered it a minor transgression. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 507

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to the general theme of religious communities’ internal contradictions and the chapter’s own exploration of De Haan’s dual reputation
• QUESTION: Wonder about the documentary basis of Ben-Naeh’s claim and whether the leniency varied by period or community.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 507