Braiding Together Cincinnati’s Jewish & Queer Communities
Walking into the JCC’s Amberley Room for the annual Rainbow Challah Bake, I was quickly and warmly welcomed by everyone there. Some were people I knew, like the event’s organizer, Wyn Garfinkle, and many were not. But whether it was my 100th time meeting someone, or my first, I knew one thing: I was exactly where I was meant to be. The queer and Jewish communities are both spaces that pride themselves on being welcoming of others, no matter their background, and I felt that in the JCC during the event.
As we entered the room, participants were encouraged to pick up a reusable mixing bowl with all of the necessary ingredients pre-portioned for easy mixing. You were then welcome to take a seat at any table. There were roughly 15 tables, all with about 6 chairs each. By the time the event began, nearly all of those tables were full. I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of folks who came to the event. It was a mixture of folks I knew from shul and the wider Jewish community, but there were also many people I didn’t recognize that were part of the wider Cincinnati Jewish and queer communities, and JCC member families, not all of whom were Jewish or queer. It was very heartening to see so many people, both allies and members of the queer and Jewish communities, come to celebrate together.
Before the event began, local Jewish drag queen, Shosho Zahav, got up on stage and performed a karaoke number for the crowd. In a time where drag and queerness are increasingly being seen as bad, especially at family friendly events, having a drag performer at the event was a real moment of allyship. The JCC wasn’t just saying that they stand with the queer community, they showed us.
Finally, the event began. Chef Rebecca Garfinkle led us in making our dough from scratch. She provided clear, easy to follow instructions, and made the process very accessible to people of all ages. Once the dough was made, we left it to rise and enjoyed a delicious meal of salad, mac ‘n cheese, and coleslaw.
After we finished eating, our dough still needed more time to rise. Zahav hosted a karaoke contest. Performers had the chance to sign up ahead of time to sing songs that ranged from queer anthems like “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan to popular Taylor Swift hits. The crowd had a great time cheering the performers on. The energy in the room was great, and it was a fun way to fill the time while we waited for our dough to rise.
Finally, our dough was ready, and it was time to add the dye. Each table had several different colors of dye, but to complete our rainbows we all shared with the tables around us. One trick Garfinkle shared was that if you were at a table of six, each person could dye their dough one color and then split it six ways. After getting our hands covered in dye, we rolled out six strands and carefully braided our loaves before adding sprinkles on top. We were given disposable bread tins as an easy way to transport our unbaked bread home. Then, the event was over. Each participant was allowed to take home their reusable mixing bowl and spatula, if they wanted, so I took mine with me (as did most people). We were given a magnet with the recipe we followed and went home to bake our challahs. Since my dough had been rather sticky, I wasn’t sure how mine would turn out, but in the end, it came out perfectly.
It was so wonderful to spend an evening baking surrounded by community members who came to support the Jewish and queer communities of Cincinnati. I felt seen, and I know that everyone who participated felt the same way. I look forward to the other Jewish and queer events happening in our community this summer, like the Rainbow Waters pool party hosted by Elech (Cincinnati’s Queer Jewish community), and Pride Shabbat services many shuls in the area are hosting for Pride month. Thank you to Wyn Garfinkle, Chef Rebbecca Garfinkle, Shosho Zahav, Mayerson JCC, and everyone else who helped make the Rainbow Challah Bake such a welcoming event for all.
