Well-written, valuable history of a unique synagogue at the crux of social change.
This wonderfully illustrated volume looks back on four decades at a groundbreaking New York City synagogue and its LGBTQS—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, straight—community.
Rabbi Cohen served the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah for 10 years, first as a rabbinical intern, then as rabbinic partner with Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. In this fascinating, well-documented history, Cohen traces the development of CBST from its earliest beginnings in a 1973 Village Voice ad: “Gay Synagogue, Friday Night Service and Oneg Shabbat, Feb. 9, 8:00 pm.” A dozen men showed up. Today, Yom Kippur services draw over 4,000 people. Cohen divides her book into three main sections: “The Early Years,” covering CBST’s efforts to find a home, deal with the AIDS crisis and find a rabbi; “Building the Sanctuary,” addressing how CBST came to develop liturgy, songs and traditions, including its own Torahs; and “Enlarging the Tent,” describing CBST’s continuing embrace of diversity among its members and its plans for the future. The many personal glimpses of CBST members scattered throughout this account add much interest, poignancy and humor. Several early members mention how freeing it was to avoid the prying questions during oneg (a useful glossary is appended for gentiles), the social/cultural hour after services in which members might be asked, for instance, if they were getting married. A heartbreaking number—nearly half the original male members—of in memoriam notices are reproduced for AIDS-related deaths, but, in a heartening statistic, baby-naming ceremonies “far outpaced AIDS funerals” by the early 2000s. Cohen is honest about the disagreements that were part of CBST’s growth, such as inclusion of women, and how the organization is still changing—for example, the basic issue of confidentiality, so important to early members, has altered with time: “It wasn’t until the 2000s that mail from CBST began to bear the synagogue’s name on the envelope, a change that some members found startling even then.” 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.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0979400919
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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