February 19, 1993

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Page 13

Lev Raphael to speak in Lakewood and Oberlin

The award-winning Jewish gay author, Lev Raphael, comes to Cleveland for an evening of literature and conversation sponsored by Chevrei Tikva and Gifts of Athena bookstore. Chevrei Tikva is Cleveland's synagogue with an outreach to the lesbian and gay Jewish community.

Lev Raphael, the author of numerous short stories and the critically acclaimed Dancing on Tisha B'av, will be in-

troducing his recently published Winter Eyes. Raphael will read and discuss his works on Saturday, February 27 at 8:00 pm, in the large party room of the Carlyle Condominiums, 12900 Lake Ave, Lakewood.

After winning the Harvey Swados Fiction Prize while a student at the University

of Massachusetts at Amherst for his short stories, Raphael published "Dancing on Tisha B'av" (St. Martins Press 1990). Raphael's unique voice is from his experience as a gay person, a Jew, and the son of Holocaust survivors. Winter Eyes concerns the struggles and triumphs of a young boy's life and his relationship with his JewishPolish immigrant family.

Winter Eyes sold out of its first printing. Gifts of Athena will have copies of Dancing on Tisha B'av or take orders for Winter Eyes at the author's reading. A pot luck dessert social will follow. With or without a pot luck all are welcome. Admission is $3.00 donation or three cans of food for the HIT PWA food bank. For more information contact Chevrei Tikva at 932-5551, or Gifts of Athena at 371-1937

Raphael will also be giving a free lecture, "On a Narrow Bridge: A Gay Jewish Writer's Story," on Sunday, Feb. 28 at Oberlin College's Wilder Hall, Room 101. The lecture which begins at 12 noon is sponsored by Hillel and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Union.

Support group for battered lesbians offers hope

The Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (CPDV) has recently started a weekly support group for lesbians who find themselves the recipient of verbal, psychological or physical abuse. The group, which is run by trained volunteers and directed by CPDV's hotline and outreach coordinator, Susan Kreinbrook, is held weekly on Wednesday evenings in the Lakewood area.

CPDV development and public relations director Brynna Fish, calls the formation of the group fantastic and says that it is already helping lesbians face the real issues of the abusive situation without condemnation.

Any lesbian who has sought help or shelter to escape domestic violence knows that she faces a "double whammy," noted Fish, because of homophobia that exists in society. While a shelter may initially be a place where a woman can find comfort and begin to have hope restored, she must always face a coming-out decision. Simply by talking about the battering, she must identify herself as lesbian, and may find that the reception from others turns chilly. All of this occurs while the woman is feeling helpless and is at one of the lowest points of her self-

esteem.

Fish reports that CPDV has a philosophy of service for all people affected by domestic violence, and offers counseling, outreach, transitional housing and a hotline in addition to several support groups. Last year, Center executive director Leigh Robertson helped with CPDV staff training that included lesbian sensitivity. Robertson, whose background before coming to Cleveland was with programs for battered lesbians in Michigan, assisted in creating and facilitating the new support group.

The CPDV also conducts a counseling group for males who abuse women. The organization, which receives financial support from United Way, along with federal, state and county funds, is "very open to new ideas, as needs are identified," said Fish. Some groups possible in the future are for gay men who are battered, and for lesbians or gay men who are abusers.

For more information about the support group for battered lesbians being held on the West Side, call 391-0029. If you need immediate help, call CPDV's 24-hour battered women's hotline: 391-HELP.

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