LGBTQ Organizations Unite to Combat Racial Violence
condemning racist violence: “We, the undersigned, recognize we cannot remain neutral, nor will awareness substitute for action. The LGBTQ community knows about the work of resisting police brutality and violence.
"We celebrate June as Pride Month, because it commemorates, in part, our resisting police harassment and brutality at Stonewall in New York City, and earlier in California, when such violence was common and expected. We remember it as a breakthrough moment when we refused to accept humiliation and fear as the price of living fully, freely, and authentically.”
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We are devastated by the callous murder of George Floyd, z"l, who perished in an act of racist police brutality this past Monday. We also remember Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, z"l, who were fatally shot in acts of racist violence.
We mourn their tragic loss and vow to continue fighting for a world without racism, bigotry, and hatred; a world in which every one of our black and brown family members and neighbors--Jews of color and all people of color--is treated as being made in the divine image, a world that takes their safety and dignity seriously.
We recommend this list of
“Anti-racism resources for white people,” which compiles excellent articles, books, movies, and podcasts for learning how to deepen our engagement with anti-racist work. As we learn from Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of the Ancestors), “It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it.”
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We are co-sponsoring a virtual rally on
Thursday, June 4 at 5:30 pm EST (Zoom link:
hillel.zoom.us/j/8064875853; Meeting ID 806 487 5853) and encourage you to join the rally if you are able to send a message of unity and show your support of people of color and their right to live in a world free of the scourge of racism.
We sent an email to the community this morning with resources for learning and taking action. Please
read the email here if you haven't had a chance.
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Friday, Jun. 5 / 14 Sivan
Connecting in Community, 3 pm
Meeting ID: 256 347 787; by phone: +1 646 876 9923
Led by Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern Deborah Megdal
Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 pm
Trans/Non-Binary Pride Shabbat
Ba’al Tefillah:
Ze’evi Berman
Piano:
Music Director Joyce Rosenzweig
Service Leader:
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
Guest Speaker:
Ariel Ezekiel Zitny
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Saturday, Jun. 6 / 14 Sivan
Shabbat Morning – Yoga Meditation Minyan, 9:30 am
Service Leaders:
Rabbi Yael Rapport, Corey Dane
Divrei Torah:
Rabbi Yael Rapport, Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch
Havdalah, 9 pm; gathering beginning at 9 pm, service beginning at 9:30 pm
Service Leader:
Rabbi Marisa James
Meeting ID: 654 880 356; phone: +1 646 876 9923 (New York)
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Stretch Yourself this Shabbat!
Join
Rabbi Rapport in our Yoga/Meditation Shabbat service for Pride month, with special guest teacher,
CBST Member Corey Dane, and Zoom scholar in "residence," Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch! Rabbi Hirsch and Rabbi Rapport were co-authors on
a new halachic examination of yoga as Jewish worship practice, published this month (we're working on getting a PDF of the article to share at a later date).
Our 75-minute service will be a combination of Shabbat-informed meditations and gentle yoga (with a track for both mat-based and chair-based practice), followed by lunch and Torah/text study with Rabbi Rapport and Rabbi Hirsch. You decide: is yoga kosher? When does Jewish prayer practice innovate and appropriate over the centuries?
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The CBST Community Attends Friday Night Services From Home!
If you need assistance to access CBST services or programs online, please contact us at
techsupport@cbst.org
. Need help ASAP? Text
646-450-3556.
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Songs to Soothe the Soul
Music: Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens; Playwright: Terrence McNally; Based on the 1975 novel
Ragtime
, by E.L. Doctorow
Sally Wilfert, The CBST Chorus, Joyce Rosenzweig (conductor), and Shinae Kim (pianist); From the 2016 Shabbat Shirah Concert, "There's No Place Like Home"
It is remarkable and sad that a Broadway show written in 1996, and based on a fictional story taking place in 1902, could have so much relevance to the events taking place in our country today. The racism and hostility that causes Coalhouse's car to be violently destroyed, is the same anti-black racism that caused Sarah to be beaten to death by the Secret Service because she is "mistaken" for an assassin at a rally. At her funeral, these words of grief and anger are cried out by the mourners, who demand an end to such injustice and pray for the day when all people will know justice and equality.
Keyn y'hi ratzon
!
Sally Wilfert
will be one of the featured singers in our upcoming concert "And Yet, We Sing" this Sunday at 4:00 pm.
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CBST in the News
Rabbi Kleinbaum, Matt Nosanchuk,
and
Rabbi Rachel Timoner
co-authored
this powerful op-ed
on taking a stand for racial justice in
The Forward
--give it a read.
RUSA LGBT, founded by CBST member
Yelena Goltsman
, held a fabulous online Brighton Beach Pride event this past Sunday, with LGBTQ+ Russian-speakers from around the world. If you missed it, you can watch the video on YouTube
here
. There's also an article in
Gay City News
here
.
Rabbi Kleinbaum
was interviewed on "What We Learned From The AIDS Crisis" by Valley Beit Midrash. You can watch on YouTube
here
or listen on SoundCloud
here
.
CBST rebbetzin
Randi Weingarten
was on the May 27 Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC discussing “How Schools Can Open Safely.” Take a listen
here
!
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Rabbi Kleinbaum's Drash on Racial Justice (May 29)
This past Shabbat, Rabbi Kleinbaum spoke powerfully about our responsibilities in this moment. If you missed it, or if you'd like to share it with friends or family, it's available to watch
here
.
CRRI Deborah Megdal's D'var Torah (May 30)
Did you miss Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern Deborah Megdal's D’var Torah from this past Shabbat?
Watch it here
to learn her insights.
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We won't be walking together in person this year, but we're thrilled that the AIDS Walk organizers have created an entire day of programming online to help raise money for AIDS treatment and research. CBST member
Rita Fischer continues to be one of the top fundraisers for the AIDS Walk--more than $1,000,000 so far over 30+ years!
You can join her virtual team and/or donate here
. Whether or not you make a donation, join us at 10 am for the opening event online.
More information available here
.
CBST, the Middle East, & Me:
A Discussion on Jewish-Arab Medical Collaboration in Israel in the Time of COVID-19
Wednesday, June 3, 7-9 pm
Gina Ross
, MFCC, will lead the discussion. She is founder & president of the International Trauma-Healing Institutes (ITI-USA and ITI-Israel) and an international senior trainer in SE® (Somatic Experiencing®), which she introduced in Israel twenty years ago. She co-founded the Israeli Center for Psycho-Trauma Treatment in Jerusalem.
Cooperberg Rittmaster Educational and Pastoral Intern (CREPI) Atara Cohen's
Semikha
Ceremony
Rabbi Atara Cohen
is having her
semikha!
Maharat will celebrate its graduates, women's leadership, and Torah through a virtual
semikha ceremony.
From HIV/AIDS Epidemic to Pride Shabbat: Liturgical & Cultural Transformations in Progressive Judaism
Tuesday, June 16, 1-2 pm; details & registration
here
This event is hosted by Fordham University.
Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern Deborah Megdal will be in conversation with Israeli scholar and cultural anthropologist
Elazar Ben Lulu. There is no charge, but registration is required in order to receive the Zoom link 1-2 days before the event.
A Conversation with Tony Kushner and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
One of America’s most celebrated dramatists,
Tony Kushner
has never hesitated to take on the world--or history. In a conversation with
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
, Kushner will discuss his life as a literary legend, the breadth of his work, his commitment to Jewish ethics, his tangles with some in the Jewish community about Israel, and how familiar his Angel might find today’s America.
Held by Temple Emanu El-Streicker Center; co-sponsored by CBST.
Family & Friends Kabbalat Shabbat Services
Friday, June 19, 6:30 pm
Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat services, featuring guest speaker
Dr. Sa’ed Atshan, Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College. There will be a post-services discussion "oneg." Dr. Atshan is Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College. He previously served as Postdoctoral Fellow in International Studies at Brown University, and he earned a PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. Atshan is also a LGBTQ Palestinian Quaker human rights activist.
Monday, June 22, 6 pm, via Zoom;
Register here
to receive the Zoom link
CBST hosts a special conversation with Chani Getter, Abby Stein, Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, exploring the themes and questions raised by the Netflix miniseries
Unorthodox,
especially focusing on the experience of LGBTQ individuals within ultra-Orthodox communities.
Register here
to receive the Zoom link to attend. Registrants will receive the Zoom link at 5 pm day-of. For more info and a recommended reading list,
click here
.
Tuesday, July 7, 6-7:30 pm; via Zoom;
Register here
to receive the Zoom link
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Make your voice heard! The NYC primary elections are coming up on
June 23
! To help prevent the community spread of COVID-19, all registered, eligible voters may apply to vote by absentee ballot for the June 23 elections. For more info and to apply for an absentee ballot,
click
here
.
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Upcoming CBST Members Only Town Halls
- Monday, June 15: CBST rebbetzin Randi Weingarten on “Reopening Schools Safely and Responsibly”
- Monday, July 13: Medical updates
- Monday, August 24: How CBST will observe Yamim Noraim/High Holy Days this year
Letting Us Know About Illness: If you or a CBST member you know is ill & would like support,
please contact us. We’re here for you!
Spiritual Guidance
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All class recordings are available
here
.
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Mindful Yoga via Zoom
Meeting ID: 851 6877 6767; Call-in: +1 646 876 9923
Let's come back to our body and senses! Join us for a moderate to gentle yoga practice that reminds us to be fully present. All levels welcome, and modifications will be offered for whomever shows up. Hilary Nudell, the instructor, has been teaching courses in Yoga, Stress Management and Meditation at Fashion Institute of Technology for over 25 years.
Psalm Study with Rabbi Kleinbaum
Meeting ID: 513 468 144; Dial by phone: +1 646 876 9923
Join in study of the Book of Psalms with Rabbi Kleinbaum. No experience necessary! Every morning Monday-Thursday 10:00 am to 10:45 am.
Pirkei Avot Study with Rabbi Moskowitz
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please note that Rabbi Moskowitz's class is on break this week. It will
resume on Monday, June 8 with the new timing of 4 pm to 4:45 pm.
Meeting ID: 926 6553 3458; Dial by phone: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592
Pirkei Avot, a classic of Jewish ethics, is customarily studied between Passover and Shavuot to prepare us to accept the Torah. Our class will start at the beginning and learn one mishnah a class, in order.
No experience necessary; no Hebrew necessary; no registration required. All are welcome!
RESISTANCE: Calls & Cards meets Democracy Action Team!
Thursdays from 12:30-1:15 pm, via Zoom (RSVP
here
for the link)
We’ll help you make your voice heard by contacting elected officials and key figures in city, state, and federal government through texting, emailing, calling, and sending letters and postcards. Some areas we work on: voting access (protection, registration, turnout), immigration, refugee protection, environmental protection, common sense gun laws, ending mass incarceration, education reform, healthcare, & the fight against rising antisemitism, racism, and bigotry in all forms.
Connecting in Community with CRRI Deborah Megdal
Meeting ID: 256 347 787; Dial by phone: +1 646 876 9923
In this stressful time, we need to love, support, and listen to one another with an open heart. All are invited to a short text study & support session. No registration required.
Please "arrive" 10 minutes early
for any Zoom call so we can start on time. Thanks!
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Hosted by Aleinu, Open to All
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Challah Baking with Aleinu
Thursday, June 4, 6:30 pm
Join Aleinu and Board Member Johanna Sanders for a lesson in challah baking! Since yeast is hard to come by these days, we will be following two tracks:
here
is the recipe with yeast, and
here
is the recipe without. If you have food coloring, she’ll even show you how to make a rainbow challah! Feel free to come and bake with us or join us for a night of sharing stories of our queer journeys as we kick off Pride month.
Hosted by Aleinu, open to all
.
Register here to receive the Zoom link.
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Resources in Times of COVID-19
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NEW: Tech Support at CBST!
Need help accessing an online service or program? Email
techsupport@cbst.org
. Need help ASAP? Text
646-450-3556.
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