Changing Lives, Making History: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah - Hardcover

Ayelet S. Cohen

9780979400919: Changing Lives, Making History: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0979400910 ISBN 13: 9780979400919

Publisher: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, 2014

The story, or rather the stories in Changing Lives, Making History: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah illuminate forty revolutionary and transformative years in the life of New York City, the nation, and the Middle East -- in the gay liberation movement, progressive Jewish religious movements, in the rise of feminism, the explosion of the politicized religious right, and in the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian struggles to achieve lasting peace. These past forty years have witnessed, among other things, the impact of AIDS, breakthroughs in reproductive technologies and the gay baby boom, the emergence of queer and trans movements, and major Supreme Court decisions in support of equal rights. Through it all, CBST has been at the epicenter. Our members and clergy have been the authors, the activists, the leaders, the foot soldiers, the victims, the protagonists, the lawyers, the board members, the executive directors, the staff, the demonstrators, the litigants, the litigators, the lovers, the parents, the children, the grandparents, and the teachers. At the same time and in the midst of these profound changes, CBST has created a spiritual sanctuary where so many individuals have been nourished and transformed on the deepest level of their souls. Gold winner, 2015 Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Awards (LGBT category) ibpa-online.org/ibpa-2015-benjamin-franklin-awards-winners-and-finalists/#lgbt Bronze Medal winner, 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards (LGBT Non-Fiction) independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1936

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About the Author:

Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen is a writer, teacher, and activist. She is the inaugural Director of The Center for Jewish Living and The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel at The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. Rabbi Cohen served for a decade at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the world's LGBTQ synagogue serving Jews of all sexual orientations and sexual identities. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, she is the author of Changing Lives, Making History: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the First Forty Years, and co-editor of Siddur B'chol L'vavcha.

Review:

This wonderfully illustrated volume looks back on four decades at a groundbreaking New York City synagogue and its LGBTQS community...
The many personal glimpses of CBST members scattered throughout this account add much interest, poignancy and humor... But what comes through most strongly is the congregation's feeling that at CBST they've found a home--an inclusive, welcoming home that takes its spiritual and social responsibilities seriously, with a side of joy and song.
Well-written, valuable history of a unique synagogue at the crux of social change.
-Kirkus Review

The handsomely designed book traces the synagogue's history, drawing on archival materials, photographs, first-person accounts, recorded interviews, early newsletters (which were mailed in unmarked envelopes to protect members' identities) and newspaper accounts and includes profiles of its lay and rabbinic leaders. It is also a larger story of what was going on in New York City over these years and the evolution of the LGBT movement -- and an important contribution to American Jewish history.
-The Jewish Week

Released in September of this year, Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen's story of the first 40 years of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City combines history with personal accounts, and a rich selection of images. Covered in 40 years are the early struggles, the first full-time rabbi, the AIDS crisis, the baby boom, and same-sex marriage.
-The Advocate

This profusely illustrated history of the world's second gay synagogue, which was established in New York City in 1973 (the first was in L.A.), is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Ayelet Cohen, who served in the early 2000's as a rabbi at the West Side's Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, has pulled together a trove of information: archives, photographs, and interviews with members, rabbis, and rabbinical interns.
...Changing Lives can serve as a model for any institution faced with the challenging task of writing its history.
-Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide Review

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