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Pride And Petition: Some Orthodox Jews join Christian conservatives in opposing Maryland's new protections for homosexuals.
Annapolis
One side says it's just a matter of civil rights -- the other says it's an odious agenda. And neither sees a middle ground when it comes to Senate Bill 205 -- the anti-discrimination bill that protects lesbians and gays in employment, public accommodation and housing. The bill passed the General Assembly last April 7 and becomes effective Oct. 1, 2001.
Immediately after the bill's passage, a volunteer organization called Take Back Maryland, which is "dedicated to stopping `special rights' for homosexuals" under SB-205, began organizing a petition drive to overturn the bill via a statewide referendum in the November 2002 statewide elections.
Take Back Maryland, led by Christian activist Tres Kerns, has found some friends in the Jewish community, in particular politically conservative Orthodox activists. Mark Hart, a member of Agudath Israel Synagogue in Upper Park Heights, has been gathering signatures from the Orthodox community with the approval of local leaders such as Rabbi Herman Neuberger, president of Pikesville's Ner Israel Rabbinical College.