Special Collection #0006:
The Beth Ahavah Papers
1974-1987 [bulk 1977-1984]
18 linear inches

The Beth Ahavah Papers primarily document the first decade of activities sponsored by Beth Ahavah, a gay and lesbian synagogue in Philadelphia.  Beth Ahavah donated the papers to the Library/Archives in 1987.

Besides information specifically about Beth Ahavah, the collection includes extensive documentation of the International Conferences of Gay and Lesbian Jews and information from other gay and lesbian synagogues.  Other papers in the collection trace Beth Ahavah's interaction with non-Jewish gay groups and non-gay Jewish groups.

Congregation Beth Ahavah was founded in September 1975 as a community and religious organization for lesbian and gay Jews and their family and friends.  Services and social events were originally held in members' homes.  Beth Ahavah moved to Dignity House (252 S. 12th Street, Philadelphia) in 1977, and to 2116 Walnut Street, Philadelphia in 1980.  Beth Ahavah relocated to 8 Letitia Street, Philadelphia, in 1992.  In 1990, Beth Ahavah became an affiliate of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the central body of the Reform Jewish movement in the U.S.  This marked the first time the congregation officially aligned itself with a particular branch of Judaism.

A small percentage of the papers have been embargoed for 50 years from their creation date to maintain the privacy of individual members and employees.  For additional material about congregation Beth Ahavah, see its newsletter, The Shofar, in the Library/Archives' General Ephemera Collection.

PHOTO:  Beth Ahavah's banner at the 1975 Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade.  Photo © Harry R. Eberlin, used by permission.  From Tommi Avicolli Mecca's slide show "Rocking the Cradle," in Special Collection #0011.