Comments on: New York rabbi celebrates 20 years at LGBT synagogue

By: dry mouth treatments

dry mouth treatments — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:58:34 +0000

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By: Lenny Earl

Lenny Earl — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:40:15 +0000

Andie, this culture is not one that draws female Rabbis who are "not as brave to make waves"… and Evie, I don't understand how ignoring the past will guide us to fight the battles of today in the right direction… do you?

By: NY Rabbi Celebrates 20 Years at LGBT Synagogue | AWiderBridge

NY Rabbi Celebrates 20 Years at LGBT Synagogue | AWiderBridge — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 20:19:17 +0000

[...] Michael K. Lavers Source: The Washington Blade Published: October 17, [...]

By: Vicki Hudson

Vicki Hudson — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 03:26:41 +0000

The loss of the SWM&CFestival was a loss to hundreds and hundreds of women, during a time when for many, this place was the only safe place for us. That is not a private battle.

By: Robin Tyler

Robin Tyler — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:43:38 +0000

No Evie, I will not delete the post. We never received an apology from Rabbi Kleinbaum. Although I understand she has an impressive list of accomplishments, the battle we fought to start and maintain a lesbian festival which organized thousands of women in the South took enormous courage as we were right in the middle of Klan Country. Eleanor Smeal, Rita Mae Brown, Melissa Ethridge and countless other political leaders, entertainers and workshop presenters appeared there. Thousands of lesbians who had never been out of the closet took part and it was an organizing tool not just for our community, but taught outreach and how to help battered women, women in poverty, marches on Washington, etc. etc. This was such an important part of our history, that I am not going to sweep what happened to us being thrown out of Camp Coleman under the carpet. When you refer to ‘so many important battles to fight’, think of those who did this decades ago in the deep South? We as both lesbians and women will never accept the injustice and not speak up about it. The total lack of support from Rabbi Kleinbaum is something she needs to attempt to clean up. This is not just a small ‘community’ battle. As a proud Jewish lesbian, I expect more from UAHC and Sharon. She is certainly welcome to contact me, and so is UAHC. I would be more then happy to have my Rabbi, Rabbi Denise Eger, mediate. Until we walk back on the land at Camp Coleman and are able to hold a final festival to make up for the discrimination, I nor other women will not be silenced.

By: Evie Litwok

Evie Litwok — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:47:01 +0000

Evie Litwok I am a member of CBST and my Rabbi is Sharon Kleinbaum. She is an amazing spiritual leader and has an impressive list of accomplishments. We, the LGBT community, have so many important battles to fight. Can I ask you to delete this post and to keep our community battles private?

By: Carolyn Whitehorn

Carolyn Whitehorn — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:00:15 +0000

I missed the first year at Southern, but I was there from 1985 until it folded. I had always had a reputation for being "aloof, stand-offish, and withdrawn" but at Southern that year I made lifelong friends. I still miss it.

By: Andie Grater

Andie Grater — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:46:22 +0000

not to excuse her but she was very very young at the time and perhaps not as brave to make waves. I had no idea she was part of the demise of the festivals.

By: Jelsa Palao

Jelsa Palao — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:15:51 +0000

I'm sorry that this woman didn't have the courage and the integrity to stand up – I hope she's not taking any bows for this… I remember entertaining at the Southern Festival and it was terrific – except for the scorpions everywhere…. it seems that people are really trying hard to make discrimination ok…. it's not ok and we have to keep fighting – even if it's against our "own" who are afraid to take a stand.

By: Louise Sali

Louise Sali — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:05:51 +0000

As I posted on festival page…I remember looking forward to that camp every year, it made us all happy to know in just a few months after west coast, we would see everyone at Southern.
I also remember the staff loving us! As trouble shooter I was always with the camps staff, we even had codes to meet up with one another for some real southern cooking…I was always answering!
All that said, the Rabbi was pretty powerful, and Aids and the "men's" issues, seem to be her path and didn't take much interests in Lesbian or Women's issues. I have always had difficulty in recognizing what was more important…the Power, or the Vision, to those fight for change. The big deal on all of us was to fight for HIV services, etc…not much fame or attention or $$ in rights of women or women identified projects! Glad for success, hope Tina is right and has a broader scope.