Michael E. Levine, z"l, Open Door Fund
Founding CBST member, Board president, and Stonewall veteran Michael E. Levine, z"l, was a pillar of welcoming in the CBST community from the moment he joined his first Shabbat. Michael actively and passionately dedicated himself to building CBST as a spiritual home with a wide Open Door to all those seeking a safe place to pray and belong.
The High Holidays were a particular focus for Michael as a reflection of the spiritual depth our founding members believed should exist for the community. “We should have nothing less than other shuls,” was the rallying call of our founders as they planned for the holidays in those early years. Once we hired our first rabbi, now Senior Rabbi Emerita Sharon Kleinbaum, Michael maintained his dedication to supporting the planning and execution of the High Holidays, continuing to join Rabbi Kleinbaum in holding CBST to the highest standards for prayer, engagement, learning, and—perhaps above all, welcoming. He wanted to set us apart from other communities to learn from the past years’ rituals, to change and improve each year.
Our community will always stand on Michael’s shoulders. When he died this past winter, our global community came together and remembered Michael and the values that formed CBST’s strong and grassroots foundation.
We now honor Michael through our 5786 Open Door Campaign. Over the years, CBST’s Open Door approach to Jewish observance, particularly around the seasons of the High Holidays and Pride, has ensured that everyone—no matter your background, no matter to what degree you have felt included or marginalized along your journey, no matter you personal finances—has access to a spiritual home.
The generosity of our community and the spirit behind it are essential to sustaining this initiative. Maintaining an open door requires substantial resources. Space rentals, security, seating, materials, audio/visual, and other logistical needs to accommodate a larger community. These costs are not merely operational; they are investments in our community, our shared history, and the values of radical welcoming that shape our future.
Michael’s memory will guide us as we move through the rituals, music, spiritual and magical moments of the holidays together. Join us in enlarging the Open Door of our “tent” for the next generation as Michael had envisioned over 50 years ago.