I'm a lesbian, multiply disabled Jew, who has attended CBST for 1 1/2 years, and visited starting 21 years ago. The cantor and music director are magnificent and bring forth deep emotions, including great joy and faith. There are many wonderful congregants. Lesbians, gay men, transgendered people, and homeless youth are especially welcomed; along with a conscious inclusion of Sephardic culture and mixed and a racial diversity of congregants.
As a non-member, I have difficulty with the ways that people who use wheelchairs and/or have a service dog are not fully welcomed, despite many requests. I've known Rabbi Kleinbaum for decades and find her sermons inspiring. However when the only ramped entrance remains locked on Shabbat and people are explicitly excluded from Pesach, because of a service dog, I wonder when the espoused values will truly become fully inclusive. Members who contribute larger sums of money appear to be the priority here. This is in a context of raising money for a bigger synagogue, which does state an aim to be more accessible. However, without a desire to be inclusive, I'm concerned that this synagogue remains inaccessible. read more