Homosexuality Is Part of Jewish Tradition

Contrary to the common perception, intimate relations between people of the same sex did not always have a negative image in Jewish communities.

In any case, the historical facts indicate that Livneh and his ilk were and are mistaken. The Jews did not strictly preserve “the heterosexual principle.” Intimate relations between men existed in Jewish communities and apparently were also common. Historian Yaron Ben-Naeh has shown in his research that despite the explicit biblical prohibition, in Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire same-sex relations were rather common. This is indicated by dozens of sources. Moreover, until the modern era, grown men who had a need for the favors of youths did not have a negative image in Jewish society.

Haaretz, 2015