Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing
JONAH or Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing is an American anti-homosexual organisation which attempts to re-orientate gay Jews. It actively promotes the idea that homosexuality can be "mitigated and potentially eliminated" and encourages participation in retreats such as "Journey into Manhood."
The co-directors of JONAH are Arthur Goldberg and Elaine Silodor Berk. Goldberg's 600-page book Light in the Closet is distributed on JONAH's website. The book is described thus:
| Can homosexuals transform their sexuality? Torah, Talmud and time-tested advances in gender psychology answer YES! The Co-Director of JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality) tells how. This groundbreaking book explodes the "gay gene" mystique, offering hope, compassion, direction and vitally needed information to gay strugglers, their families, friends, and surrounding community. |
[edit] Methods
In a lawsuit brought by four former attendees of JONAH, a variety of pseudoscientific and abusive methods are described as being used by JONAH:
- beating up a pillow that is supposed to represent the man's mother with a tennis racket—an approach pioneered by Richard Cohen
- cuddling the older male counselors (because that isn't gay at all)
- being required to strip naked in front of older men (nope, totally straight guys)
- a mock locker room situation where attendees were mocked and abused, being called "homos" and "faggots"[1]
Arthur Goldberg from JONAH says that "There are thousands of people who have shed their unwanted same-sex attractions, not only through our programs, but also through other similar programs."[2]

