In 2001, Rabbis Rebecca Alpert, Sue Levi Elwell and Shirley Idelson gave us the first anthology about Lesbian Rabbis. While here in Philadelphia we may think that this is a normal and common occurrence, to much of the world a lesbian rabbi is still a very odd concept; for some, an awful thought. What has happened since that book came out? Is it easier to be a lesbian rabbi now? What's it like for the next generation of rabbinical students? Where do we go from here?

Congregation Beth Ahavah is happy to welcome back Rabbi Rebecca Alpert and Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, along with Congregation Beth Ahavah's lesbian rabbinic intern Susan Falk, Friday night, May 2, 2003, at 8:00 p.m. They will reflect on the state of Lesbian rabbis and rabbinical students today, plus read selections from the anthology. The program will follow a shortened Shabbat service led by Susan Falk. The program is free and refreshments will be served. Books will be available for purchase before the service.

Rebecca T. Alpert is a rabbi and codirector of the women's studies program at Temple University. She is the author of Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach and Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition. Sue Levi Elwell is a rabbi and director of the Pennsylvania Council of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. She is the editor of the Jewish Women's Studies Guide. Susan Falk is a third-year student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.