In a multireligious service on the eve of Berlin’s Christopher Street Parade, June 21st, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City, delivered the sermon in presence of the Governing Mayor of Berlin ‒ she spoke from the same pulpit that Martin Luther King ascended in 1964 when he came to what was then East Berlin to preach about love overcoming walls. Interfaith work, gender equality and LGBTTQ inclusion are essential parts of our college’s philosophy and practise, and we applaud all clergy involved who made this event possible. Special thanks to our host Bertold Höcker and to Rabbi Kleinbaum, Rabbi Adrian Michael Schell and Cantor Aviv Weinberg for joining in. For all of us, it was a privilege to welcome and honor Member of Parliament Volker Beck who has been leading fight for marriage for same-sex couples fo
r over 25 years – it was voted and passed June 30! (© Philipp Kost)
