February’s Reach Out America meeting drew a diverse crowd of members and friends to hear Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. She is the rabbi of the world’s largest LGBTQ and straight congregation, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, located in New York City.
Kleinbaum shared the poignant story of how the synagogue, a grassroots community institution founded during the AIDS crisis, lost large numbers of its founding members to the disease; its present activism includes continued support for a Greenwich Village mosque that was a response to the administration’s attempted travel ban and other anti-Muslim pronouncements.
In that vein, she commended ROA for their continued community activism to create changes on the local level, which translates into transformation on a higher level.
Her passion, humor and strong moral compass led an inspiring afternoon for a captivated audience. Her message was clear: Keep organizing and do not let today’s horrible circumstances be depressing. Find joy in what you do.
Kleinbaum extended an invitation to ROA to join a Shabbat service, which will be organized in the spring.
Reach Out America meets the second Wednesday of every month, September through June, at 12:30 p.m., in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 48 Shelter Rock Road in Manhasset, where informed speakers address timely issues to effect positive change.
