חברר תקוה

January 22, 1993

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Page 29

-LOVE Di

Chevrei Tikva

The Cleveland Religious and Social

organization for Gay and Lesbian Jews

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

by Paul Zeitzew

Chevrei Tikva is back in the Chronicle again. Our year ended on a high note with a record number of members and friends attending the Synagogue's ninth anniversary dinner. Lots of good food and great entertainment from a group of the North Coast Men's Chorus.

The final event of the year took place on December 18 with our annual Hanukkah party, election of officers and the last Shabbat service for 1992. All ofthe officers and board members were elected with overwhelming support. 1993 should be an outstanding year with new officers and a board combining new talent and experienced veterans of the Chevrei Tikva scene. Look to this column for the new ideas that will be coming across this space.

The Hanukkah party is always a highlight of the year. It is one of those minor holidays that has no religious significance but everybody enjoys. We had enough latkes (the Jewish version of potato pancakes) for an army of 1,200; pot luck desserts that put several local bakeries to shame. You don't have to be Jewish or gaylesbian to enjoy latkes and desserts and 30 some people did away with most of the refreshments.

Hanukkah is one of those holidays that demonstrates two important facts about Judaism. The first emphasizes how much of a "home" religion Judaism really is. There are only certain prayers that require a minyan (10 people). Even those can be accomplished at home, work, or in one case, on Alitalia Airlines from New York to

Rome. (A minyan was formed in the aisle for evening prayers which included the Italian Jewish pilot.) Any other requirements of the religion can be done at any place with as little as one person or as many as can be found. Hanukkah became a home celebration before it moved to the Synagogue. Lighting the candles for each of the eight days is usually done at home before the Sanctuary.

This is also a holiday of freedom. In 25 words (or less): the Romans occupied the Main Temple of Jerusalem in 160 BCE. The Maccabee brothers, in spite of their small numbers, were able to overcome their oppressors and gain back the Temple. There was only enough oil for the Eternal Light to last one day, but the Almighty made it last eight days until sacred oil could be reproduced. The Temple represented Jewish freedom and the Maccabees made sure that the Jews enjoyed that right of passage.

Not to let our gluttony get away from us, each person was asked to bring cans of food or a cash donation for the Health Issues Taskforce PWA food bank. The food barrel was full when taken down to HIT along with some cash contributions. The middle name for Judaism is Tzedakah, which, translated, means charity. In 1993, we pledge to use our middle name to its fullest extent.

NEWSFLASH: The Gay, Jewish author, Lev Raphael, will be our guest, in conjunction with Gifts of Athena, on Saturday, February 27. Raphael wrote the award winning book of short stories, "Dancin on Tisha B'Av" and the current new bestseller, Winter Eyes, among many short stories. Call Chevrei Tikva at 932-5551 or Gifts of Athena, 371-1937, for more details. Admission: Three cans of food or $3.00 donation to the HIT PWA food bank.▼

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