Historically in Massachusetts, and in other states, attempts by same-sex couples to apply for and receive marriage licenses were met with refusals by public officials to grant a license to same-sex couples.
Rabbi Howard A. Berman is the founding rabbi of Boston Jewish Spirit, a progressive Reform synagogue in Back Bay; he is also Rabbi Emeritus of Chicago Sinai Congregation. He was a founder of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in 1997…