ABSTRACT
when the organizers of the 1993 Salute to Israel Parade decided to ban New York's queer synagogue from participation, the controversy fostered debate within New York's queer Jewish community about an appropriate response to the perceived affront. In one response, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST), the queer synagogue of New York, and many of its supporters, including the Reform movement's leadership and its Zionist association, held an alternative celebration at a midtown synagogue. But some queer Jews, feeling disenfranchised by the so-called gay Jewish establishment, decided to attend the parade and protest the organizers’ decision from the sidelines. The protest was small—no more than between 20 and 30 individuals at its height—but it managed to attract media attention and constituted a visible gay Jewish presence at the parade. The demonstration also had a transformative impact on both the identity construction of the protesters and the direction of their fledgling organization.
