חברר תקוה

Chevrei Tikva

The Cleveland Religious and Social Organization for Gay and Lesbian Jews

This space has been donated to Chevrei Tikva by the Chronicle, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Chronicle staff or management.

Shabbats come and go. Guests come and go. Chevrei Tikva has been fortunate in the past few years to have a variety to excellent abbis, two of them women, one of those a lesbian from out of town. Two cantors this year alone have lent their talents to our services, both women.

On the Shabbat of July 21, we were treated to the guests of guests, Rabbi David Gelfand and Cantor Sarah Sager, both from Fairmount Temple. It should be noted that Fairmount Temple is one of Cleveland's largest temples and one of the major synagogues in the country. It should also be noted, with some pride, that Rabbi Gelfand and Cantor Sager did not need to be asked; they offered to come over.

Cantor Sager is a mezzo soprano with a lilting voice. She tailored her voice to the size of our small meeting space. However, I have heard her at Fairmount where she can really belt out a tune (solemn, of course!). When we sang La Cha Do Di, a bright song welcoming in the Sabbath, her eyes and smile lit up when she heard the unofficial last row boys choir chime in with the right chants. (Sometimes the last row boys choir is in the first row, while other times you never know about them!) Throughout the evening she led us through traditional melodies as well as teaching us new ones.

At most traditional synagogues, the cantor and the rabbi are separate entities. They work together, but from a more formal stance. At Chevrei Tikva, Rabbi Gelfand and Cantor Sager worked in tandem as if they had rehearsed long hours for this evening. Of course, they did not. It was beautiful and spontaneous.

The rabbi discussed some prayers and their meanings to us then and now. The highlight was a talk about the flight of Ethiopian Jews to Israel recently. For us, sitting

in the U.S., reading about and seeing on TV the exodus of this ancient group of people, it seemed like a modern miracle performed by Israel. The rabbi told us the the "miracle" was 21 years in the making. In 1970, Israelis did not want to admit that there were black Jews. In spite of efforts and pleas by outsiders to get them out of a situation that would surely mean their annhilation, they were ignored. The way the rabbi discussed the subject, it was not unlike the plight of lesbians and gays, especially during the AIDS crisis. How many years was AIDS ignored because it was a "gay disease"?

I did not have to look around the room, but I could feel that our congregation was hanging on every word. Usually when a Shabbat service takes more than an hour, people began fidgeting in their seats. On a 90-degree night in an un-airconditioned building, a large crowd was mesmerized by the rabbi and cantor. In a short "thank you" from our vice president, they were invited to return.

Hopefully it will be soon.Shabbats come and go throughout the year. But the "Shabbat of Shabbats" is going to take place in the middle of September: Yom Kipper, preceded by Rosh Hoshana. As in the past, Chevrei Tikva will celebrate the season with all five Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kipper services. This year we will add a Shofar service. The Shofar (ram's horn) is an instrument used as a trumpet. In fact, in ancient times, it was the trumpet used by messengers who went from town to town, village to village to advise people of the holiday, since there were no Playboy or Playgirl calenders in those days.

Also, as in the past, Chevrei Tikva will be having dinner and lunches, where appropriate, so that people can fulfill the holidays being surrounded by their extended family. Attendance at any Chevrei Tikva service is open to any interested persons without obligation.

For details on the holidays, or for other information, please read Charlie's Calender (page 22), or call 932 5551.▼

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September, 1991

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