Abstract:
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) is a non-denominational self-proclaimed synagogue for LGBT people and allies in New York City. It strives to be truly pluralistic and welcome each Jew regardless of their identity, Jewish denomination, and background. This thesis examines the institutional, communal, liturgical, and political challenges that it faces within the framework of Mary Douglas’s “grid and group” theory, arguing that the synagogue is in a pivotal moment of transition between two of Mary Douglas’s extremes for group membership. As it has progressed throughout the years, CBST has shifted to a position of liminality between a normative bureaucratic synagogue and one that is radical and queer, as it was originally created. I place this tension within the context of queer theory’s question of assimilation or transformation. To research this project, I observed CBST’s events and services for three weeks, interviewed twelve of their attendees and two members of their clergy team, and examined their prayer book, book of their history, and their main rabbi’s sermons. I conclude with suggestions for the future of CBST, recommending that they need to prioritize transgender individuals and other marginalized communities if they want to maintain their status as an inclusive place for those Jews who have traditionally been excluded. This project is important in studying groups that marginalized communities create for themselves as well as the challenges that they face over time, especially the controversy over assimilation.
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