Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST), an LGBTQ-inclusive synagogue in Manhattan, commemorated the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel by reading 150 biblical Psalms over several hours and offering its members a space for reflection and remembrance.
The event represented the second of three parts of a broader effort to mark the one-year anniversary of the attack, according to CBST’s senior rabbi, Jason Klein, who stepped into his leadership role following Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum’s retirement earlier this year.
The first part came in recent weeks when Klein said CBST — which bills itself as a vibrant spiritual community and a progressive voice within Judaism — convened a space for Israeli congregants to check in with one another and share stories, feelings, and grief with clergy members. The third and final part will take place on Oct. 24 when folks will read the names of people who were murdered as part of the attack on Oct. 7 of last year.
While the focus is on commemorating Oct. 7, Klein emphasized that there is no personal, religious, or political “litmus test” associated with being part of CBST, which he said is a place where people can be welcomed. Many members attend CBST services because it is known to be a safe space for people in the LGBTQ community.
Klein said there are congregants with “deep ties” to Israel, including those with relatives and friends there, but there are also congregants who he said “have deep, deep connections to the Palestinian people — both on a personal level and on a level of activism and connections around organizations with which we’ve partnered for justice and for peace in the region.”
“In my experience, CBST has always strived to be a place where people can show up and just be met where they’re at and acknowledged in their full humanity,” Klein explained.
The attack on Oct. 7, 2023 killed more than 1,200 people, according to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the ensuing Israsel-Hamas war has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people in Gaza — including more than 100 journalists. There are still dozens of hostages in Gaza.
At multiple points in his interview with Gay City News, Klein was careful to say that he did not want to make any assumptions about what people were feeling or thinking — especially because there is such great diversity of perspectives among members.
Klein is just a few months into his tenure leading CBST after the retirement of Kleinbaum, who led the congregation for 32 years.
“I think for me, being here is, first and foremost, about showing up for people, showing up for them in their grief, showing up for them with their questions, being able to tap into the wisdom of Jewish tradition, and to create spaces for conversation, spaces for just total realness,” he said.
