Michael E. Levine, z"l, Open Door Fund 5786
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 in the 1970s. Michael actively and passionately dedicated himself to building CBST as a spiritual home for all those seeking a safe place to pray and belong. CBST is honored to remember Michael's dedication and passion for our community by adding his name to the Open Door fund.
The High Holidays were a particular focus for Michael. Even with limited resources and no rabbi, Michael and our other founding members believed that the High Holidays should reflect the spiritual depth of our community. “We should have nothing less than other shuls,” Michael often said while planning for the holidays in those early years. Once we hired our first rabbi, Senior Rabbi Emerita Sharon Kleinbaum, Michael continued his dedication to the planning and production of CBST’s High Holiday services. He supported our rabbis’ vision each year, holding CBST to the highest standards for prayer, engagement, learning, and welcoming.
CBST will always stand on Michael’s strong shoulders. When he died earlier this year, while with his husband’s family in the Philippines, our community across the globe came together and honored Michael and the ways he embodied the values that form CBST’s strong grassroots foundation.
We further honor Michael now through our Open Door Campaign to ensure that CBST remains — as it always has been — a spiritual home for everyone, particularly marginalized people, regardless of financial ability. The generosity of our community is essential to sustaining this initiative. Maintaining the Open Door requires substantial resources — space rentals, security staff, audio/visual equiptment, and more — to accommodate all who wish to join us. These costs are not merely operational; they are investments in our community’s history, our values, and our future.
Michael’s memory will guide us as we move through the rituals, music, and magical moments of the holidays together. Join us in opening our Open Door ever wider for the next generation, continuing Michael’s vision and building on his 50 years of generosity, passion, and deep Jewish values.