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RABBI page 3
the rabbi of the congregation, for Amy, and he enrolled in col-
Amy is still a rabbi."
lege as a pre-law student.
Even when it's not the rab-
"The reason I became a rabbi
binate, sharing a profession can and the reason it took so long
be challenging, and in the was because of my father," he
Greenbaums' case, differing ap- said. "[As a child], when I would
proaches sometimes add to the go to services on Saturday morn-
challenges. "I think more with ing, congregants would come up
my heart, and he thinks more to me and ask if I was going to
with his mind," said Amy.
be just like my father ... It takes
Alex agrees. "Whenever a wife 20 years to figure out your par-
and husband have the same pro- ents were right about every-
fession, everyone assumes they thing."
have so much in common. But
Alex also cites Rabbi David
actually both have opinions on Nelson as a positive influence in
what each is doing, and when his decision to enter rabbinical
you come home from work and school. "He had a profound in-
say what you did ... if the other fluence on me, although I didn't
disagrees, it's hard to say, 'Oh, always go to his Hebrew school
that's great, honey.' When it class," he said, adding that he
comes down to it, we often have often calls Rabbi Nelson when
differing opinions."
he has questions.
Whatever the differences, the
While Amy grew up "fairly
fact that the two spent almost unobservant," she says Judaism
21 hours a day together during always offered a "spiritual feel-
much of rabbinical school indi- ing" for her, and that becoming
cates that they are quite com- a rabbi was something "I knew
patible. "We had 80 percent of I wanted to do."
our classes together," recalled
Although the two are the first
Amy, although she added that married Conservative rabbis to
they did not always sit together be ordained together, they are
because "Alex likes to sit in the not the first rabbis in that cat-
back and talk, and I like to take egory. Rabbis Dennis Izenberg
notes and pay attention."
and Sandy Sasso were ordained
Both Amy and Alex grew up together through the Recon-
in Conservative homes and en- structionist Rabbinical College
rolled in rabbinical school im- in 1973, and Rabbis Lisa and
mediately after graduating from Joseph Eiduson were ordained
college. But for Alex, the career by the Reform movement in
choice was more difficult than 1992.11
JOYOUS CELEBRATION page 3
core friends are Simcha mem-
bers."
And others continue to rely on
the group for a sense of Judaism.
Some, exiled from more tradi-
tional communities that consider
homosexuality an abomination,
see Simcha as the only place to
find a safe and comforting associ-
ation to Judaism. To serve this
need, the group hosts a large
Passover seder, Oneg Shabbat
programs and a Chanukah par-
ty.
Ms. Solomon said she looks
forward to the break-the-fast
party following Yom Kippur be-
cause her parents are dead and
the group provides her with a
sense of family.
"I now look forward to spend-
ing the holidays with my new
family," she said.
But while the group offers a
port to Judaism to those who
feel exiled because of their sex-
ual preference, being part of
Simcha does not mean that the
members have become more ac-
cepted in Jewish life.
When the group initially
formed, board members sent a
letter of introduction explaining
their mission to all area Jewish
organizations, Donald recalled.
In response, the local office of an
Israeli educational institution
sent a letter asking Simcha to
remove them from their mailing
list.
"One thing is for sure," Don-
ald said. "I will never give them ,s
another penny."
And when the group marched
in the annual Walk for Israel
carrying a Simcha banner, they
met not with anger but instead
with clear avoidance. Mr. Kort
recalled how other marchers
would read their banner and
quickly distance themselves
from the group.
"We had a lot of space around
us," he said, laughing at the
memory.
But the group has made in-
roads as far as acceptance is con-
cerned. Several area rabbis,
mostly from the Reform move-
ment, have extended themselves
to the group.
But aside from the obvious
hurdles, the group also faces the
challenge of gaining new mem-
bers. At its high, the group had
120 paid members; that figure
has dropped to 80.
"We are at an average num-
ber now," Ms. Solomon conced-
ed, adding that she remains
optimistic.
"I look forward to a good fu-
ture," she said. "We serve a pur-
pose socially and spiritually for
gays and lesbians of the Jewish
community."
❑