A Gay Synagogue in New York
A Gay Synagogue in New York recounts the communal experiences and personal dilemmas of the congregants of Beth Simchat Torah, the largest gay and lesbian synagogue in the United States.
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Explores the dramatic true story of a group of gay and lesbian Jews confronting questions of sexual identity within a traditional religious framework in the creation of the largest gay congregation. Booknews Shokeid, a mainstream Israeli anthropologist, relates his experiences and observations studying the Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST), a gay synagogue, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He outlines the history of CBST and discusses the ritual process at the synagogue, the politics of a lay-led synagogue, and the social component at CBST. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Acknowledgments1A Journey to CBST12From Tearoom to Sanctuary: Introduction163The History of CBST324Why Join a Gay Synagogue?635The Ritual Process826The Drashah: Negotiating Multiple Realities1187The Talmud Circle: Identities in Conflict1438The Politics of a Lay-led Synagogue1569Getting Around the Gender Issue17410The Social Component at CBST: Couples, Gentiles, Cruising, and Talking Sex18311"We Are an Extended Family": Confronting the Rampage of an Epidemic21612A Gay Space, a Jewish Space, a Safe Space232Notes245References253Index261
\ From the Publisher"A clear winner . . . this book is a model of how to do ethnography in a modern context."—Leonard Plotnicov, author of American Culture: Essays on the Familiar and Unfamiliar\ "A important book."—Jewish Journal of Sociology\ "Shokeid is skillful in conveying the ideological, gender-based, and religious cleavages that make the establishment of a lesbian and gay congregation a complicated endeavor."—Journal of Contemporary Ethnography\ \ \ \ \ \ BooknewsShokeid, a mainstream Israeli anthropologist, relates his experiences and observations studying the Congregation Beth Simchat Torah CBST, a gay synagogue, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He outlines the history of CBST and discusses the ritual process at the synagogue, the politics of a lay-led synagogue, and the social component at CBST. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR booknews.com\ \
