Congregation Beit Simchat Torah

History

The congregation, founded in 1973 by twelve gay Jewish men and led by Jacob Gubbay, originally met in Chelsea's Church of the Holy Apostles and brought its prayer materials to services each week in a brown paper bag. In 1978, they began renting space in the West Village at 57 Bethune Street—in the Westbeth Artists Community residential-artistic complex—for offices, a Hebrew school, and a sanctuary. However, the space was not large enough for Friday night services (i.e., Kabbalat Shabbat and maariv), which continued to be held in the church. The synagogue has also held annual Yom Kippur services at the Jacob Javits Convention Center: the only free-to-attend High Holy Day services held in the city. Yom Kippur services have drawn over 4,000 people.

130 West 30th Street

In June 2011, after 16 years of searching, the congregation purchased a large space in Chelsea, Manhattan, at 130 West 30th Street between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue. Built in 1927–28, the landmarked Assyrian Revival-style building was designed by architect Cass Gilbert. It underwent renovations between 2013 and 2016. The "Dedication of Our New Home" was marked that year with a celebration on April 3.

Notable members

• Barbara Gaines (born 1956), television producer
• Brad Hoylman (born 1965), New York State Senator
• Mike Moskowitz,Ultra-Orthodox rabbi, LGBTQ ally, and Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies at CBST
• Cynthia Nixon (born 1966), actress and activist
• David L. Reich (born 1960), president and chief operating officer of Mount Sinai Hospital and president of Mount Sinai Queens
• Janet Weinberg (1955–2018), advocate for people with HIV/AIDS and disabilities
• Randi Weingarten (born 1957), president of the American Federation of Teachers
• Edith Windsor (1929–2017), successfully brought a federal lawsuit, United States v. Windsor, against the Defense of Marriage Act

References

References

1. (2012-10-05). "About".
2. Kurshan, Virginia. (November 13, 2001). "130 West 30th Street Building Designation Report (List 331, LP-210)". [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]].
3. (October 5, 2012). "About: Mission and Values". Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.
4. Ingall, Marjorie. (2016-04-01). "CBST, the World's Largest LGBT Synagogue, Gets a New Home".
5. Weiss, Anthony. "Gay Acceptance and Gay Synagogues". GLBTJews.org.
6. "Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Bet Simchat Torah, New York City". Religion & Culture: Meeting the Challenge of Pluralism (a Ford Foundation project).
7. {{cite fromatoz, pp.98–99
8. Allen, Dan. "High Holy Days for NYC's LGBT Community: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Opens Its Doors for Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur". About.com Local – Manhattan, NY.
9. Dunlap, David W.. (August 8, 2011). "'Gay Synagogue' Finds a Home, Full of Ancient Assyrians". [[The New York Times]].
10. Dunlap, David W.. (June 21, 2012). "Designing a Synagogue for a Gay Congregation, With Acoustics in Mind". [[The New York Times]].
11. (2018). "130 West 30th St. New York". FSI Architecture.
12. Chandler, Doug. (July 26, 2011). "In A Move Freighted With Symbolism, CBST Purchases First Home". The Jewish Week.
13. (October 6, 2012). "Our History". Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.
14. Oswald, John A.. (10 November 2015). "Legendary Producer Barbara Gaines Awarded for LGBT Work".
15. (December 21, 2012). "Senator Brad Hoylman".
16. Maltz, Judy. (July 11, 2019). "This ultra-Orthodox rabbi wants you to know that 'He/His' is his pronoun of choice". Haaretz.
17. Young, Robin. (November 9, 2018). "This Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Says His Holiest Moment Was Becoming Public LGBTQ Ally".
18. (2018-06-12). "Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies".
19. Sales, Ben. (July 3, 2018). "This ultra-Orthodox rabbi just took a job at an LGBT synagogue".
20. Rogovoy, Seth. (March 20, 2018). "The Secret Jewish History of Cynthia Nixon". [[The Forward]].
21. "Make For Me a Holy Place".
22. Andy Humm. (November 14, 2018). "Janet Weinberg's Life Celebrated".
23. (11 June 2024). "The Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum and Randi Weingarten Fund for Social Justice".
24. Hoffman, Allison. (September 28, 2012). "Jewish Organizations Join DOMA Appeal: The case of Edie Windsor finds allies in the Jewish community". Tablet Magazine.
25. Kampeas, Ron. (June 28, 2013). "Edie Windsor's lawyer and the daughters of Zelophehad (includes drash)". JTA: The Global Jewish News Service.