Continuing With Our Algonquin Weekend, We Had Dinner, Then Went To The Gay And Lesbian Synagogue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              David had his heart set on going to this for a long time.  So, the weekend of June 20, we checked in at the Algonquin, had dinner at Friedman's with an old friend of ours, Larry, and went to the service.

                             As a sort of outsider, I found it interesting.  Just like when David comes with me to Catholic mass.  Architecually, I thought the place was small; at least more so than I expected.  Ruth Messinger was the guest speaker, and she was truly inspiring.  The congregation were very participatory, and the choir was huge and exceptional, with some good cantorial voices.

                             There was an old friend of David's, whom I had not seen in years.  She used to be a cute little thing but has morphed into a spinster with a hump.  Maybe, poor thing she has osteoporosis, If so, I wish her well, and free of pain so she can have comfort.

                                 People seem to find their way to this place, and it becomes their life.  David, unfortunately did not seem to have that experience, as he kept quoting the title of one of Thomas Wolfe's famous novels, "You Can't Go Home Again."  And, yes, I have read it.

                                    Both of us were glad we did this.  And I was especially glad for David.  For me, it was ironic, being at the same time the Catholic church I have been going to for the past three years is doing away with their Saturday 5PM mass, and the congregation there is like a community.  Yes, there is Sunday mass at !0AM, but that does not always work for us.  We can go to OLA for Saturday 5PM mass, but it is a bigger church with less chance to interact with congregants, and while the priests are the same, they tend to cater to the older congregants--older than I, even--who are very Old School, which I am not.  They would probably damn us both to Hell.

                                        A bit of religious quandary, one might say.  I will let you know how things turn out, but our night on the town at the Gay and Lesbian Synagogue was a learning experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        "Would a convent take a Jewish girl????????????"