Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum stepping down from leadership role at world’s largest LGBTQ synagogue after 32 years
Saying shalom to retirement
Regarding the current state of affairs in the world, a few words about a remarkable woman:
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (known as the gay synagogue) was established in 1992 during the peak of the AIDS crisis when there was no staff or leader until Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum arrived. LGBTQ Jewish leaders, who were living in fear and trauma due to the AIDS epidemic, were able to gather freely to worship under her leadership.
Rabbi Kleinbaum’s congregation has now grown to 1,300 members, with 25 staff, four rabbis, an internship program, prominent alumni around the world, and is now the largest LGBTQ synagogue in the world.
To celebrate her retirement after 32 years, the Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum & Randi Weingarten Fund for Social Justice at CBST will host a celebratory concert on June 3 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Left write out
Have you ever noticed that TV interviewees, many of whom have marginal fame and pose on location, always position themselves in front of or beside a bookcase? Why is that?
Do they not have couches, chairs, stools, pillows, or other items to rest against instead of stacks of unread paperbacks?
Another one of my grievances: Why does everyone, from out-of-work actors to singers to plumbers, feel the need to write a book?
In reel time
Melissa Leo, an Oscar, SAG, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner known for her role in the 2010 film “The Fighter,” is now starring as a detective in Tribeca’s Angelika Village East world premiere of “The Knife.” This thriller involves an African family and is directed by Nnamdi Asomugha.
Brain drain
One word about the brilliant and trustworthy legal mind Michael Cohen, who is so intelligent that he believes Grape Nuts is a venereal disease.
Prez-ing issues
In case you thought the United States has always been governed by brilliant individuals, here are some more examples of presidential miseries:
In 1789, George Washington reluctantly took on the presidency at the urging of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, despite his dislike for handshaking and referring to himself in the third person.
Thomas Jefferson, ambitious and dismissive of politics, ran for president against John Adams to win the election.
James Madison, known for his crankiness and poor health, was not easily remembered for his actions during the War of 1812.
William Henry Harrison, a relatively forgotten president, was elected amid great indifference and criticism.
After a lengthy meeting with Joe Biden, our acting President: “The man has a lot to say, but it takes a long time to figure out what he’s really trying to convey.”
Spoken in hushed tones, possibly by Mrs. Biden, and barely audible to anyone else — only in New York, kids, only in New York.
