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litibbilAnd Rabbi

JTS ordains its first married couple
and wife have ties to Michigan.

and husband

JUUE WIENER ST.AFF, WRITER

while the other worked part-
time."
Although Alex is the pulpit
rabbi for now, the two plan
to switch eventually, with
Amy leading a congregation
and Alex staying home with the
kids.
"Alex wanted to stay home
with Justin, but I said I really
wanted to, and since I carried
Justin I got to decide," said
Amy. "It's something I've al-
ways wanted to do, and hope
fully by the third kid, JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
Alex will be staying
home and I'll b_e work-
"I thought we would all be
o Joe Kort, Simcha in He-
ing."
brew means more than standing around staring at each
While the two rabbis
other," said Donald, a former
simply "joy."
are looking forward to
As a gay man and a Simcha president. "But we had
the move to Georgia,
member of the Jewish group over 100 people there."
they expect the transi-
Now, the group is made up
which bears that name, he has
tion will be challeng-
found refuge, family, comfort, mostly of lesbian Jews, a tran-
ing. Their synagogue
acceptance, support and shared sition that has occurred in the
recently switched from
Jewishness
with members of last few years. Susan Solomon,
Orthodox to Conserv-
president of Simcha, said the
Simcha.
ative, and many of the
But it wasn't always that move shows that younger Jew-
members are consider-
ish lesbians are "looking for
way.
ably more traditional
spiritual comfort in their
Before
Simcha,
Mr.
than the Greenbaums.
lives as well," she said. The
Kort had found Ju-
Although the syna-
Joe Kort: board members also have
daism
to
be
generally
gogue has egalitarian
religious gone through a transition.
homophobic, a trait His home.
services, it continues to
Once closeted individuals
that drove him from be-
require separate seat-
who hid their identities by
ing
a
practicing
Jew.
and
ing for men
referring to themselves by
With
Simcha,
he
was
women.
able to redeem his Judaism and their first name and the first
"It's the only con-
initial of their last name, they
feel more comfortable.
gregation in the coun-
now must be known by their
"It
has
brought
me
back
to
- try where women go
Judaism and given me a sense first and last names.
up to read Torah from
"We made the decision that
of camaraderie with other
behind the mechitzah
if
you
want to lead this group
Jews,"
Mr.
Kort
said.
"It
is
one
[division between men
you
have
to be out there
of
the
best
experiences
as
a
Jew-
;Nand women]," said
ish gay person to be involved enough" to be known, Ms.
Alex, who hopes to
Solomon said. "We want to in-
in."
:';eventually implement
still a sense of pride in who we
And
it
is
with
those
friends
1i family seating.
o'ln addition to the that he plans to celebrate the are."
. But while the structure of the
existence of Simcha at the
mechitzah issue, the
group
has changed, Simcha still
group's
eighth
anniversary
pic-
Greenbaums want to
nic this Sunday at the home of strives to serve its member-
l'ensure that the con-
a member. More than 100 peo- ship's needs. The group contin-
gregation does not
ues to offer support and
ple are expected to attend.
think of Amy as a "reb-
The picnic is a long way from informational gatherings as
betzin," a term which
the day the organization formed well as hosting several social
both of them find of-
almost nine years ago in a study functions each year, including
fensive.
group of gay Jewish men. As an annual picnic and a blowout
"During my inter-
the group grew in size, the Christmas eve bash at Peking
view process, someone
members decided to open it up House in Royal Oak. In fact,
said, 'That means the
to women and to expand their most members join for the so-
rebbetzin is going to be
purpose as well as their direc- cial camaraderie, Mr. Kort said.
a
rabbi,"'
recalled
Alex.
"I
said,
by pulpit rabbis. "We figured
"Simcha has helped me meet
tion.
`No,
the
rabbi
is
going
to
be
a
with two rabbis in a pulpit,
other
gay and lesbian couples,"
time
that
Sim-
that
It
was
at
you'd have to sign the kids rebbetzin.' It's hard to teach a
Mr. Kort said. "In fact, all of my
cha
held
its
first
social,
a
bagels
congregation
that
although
I'm
up for therapy before they're
and bobkas (cake) brunch which
born. We decided one person
JOYOUS CELEBRATION page 26
was open to the community.
would have a pulpit at a time, RABBI page 26

my. Shomer and Alex a community of roughly 1,400
Greenbaum met the first Jews, two synagogues and a
week of rabbinical Chabad house. Alex will serve
as spiritual leader of Congre-
school.
Last month, the two — both gation Adas Yeshurun, while
with Michigan connections — Amy undertakes freelance pro-
were the first married couple jects and cares for their new-
ordained together through the born son, Justin.
"When we met, we knew that
Jewish Theological Seminary,
the educational arm of the Con- rabbis' kids are usually the
worst kids in the world," said
servative movement.
The son of Cantor Samuel Alex, explaining that children
Greenbaum, Alex grew up in often suffer because of the
Oak Park, attending Congre- heavy work pressures faced

Rabbis Amy and Alex with son Justin.

gation Beth Shalom. Amy grew
up in the suburbs of Chicago,
but her parents subsequently
moved to Grand Rapids.
Now the Rabbis Greenbaum
are headed for Augusta, Ga.,

A Joyous Celebration

Simcha celebrates the strides it has made at its
eighth annual picnic.