Dear Friend,

“I’m thinking of you at this terrible time and wanted to send my love.”

“How is your family in Israel? How are you holding up?”

Such messages have meant the world to me since October 7th. I’ve also drawn a lot of strength from loving exchanges with Palestinian friends with whom I share both anguish and hope – still, despite it all – that together we will reach a better day.

As Jews, we know that we thrive in community. Especially in challenging times, it is so important to come together: to support one another and affirm the preciousness of life.

At Keshet, we continue to grieve the many lives lost in the October 7th attacks on Israel. We pray for the safe return of the hostages. And we fervently hope that no more innocent civilians, both Israelis and Palestinians, lose their lives in the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza. And at the same time, we affirm the preciousness of life here in North America as we work for a world where LGBTQ+ people can live in dignity.

That’s why I hope you will join us on Thursday, November 9th at OUT!standing 2023 — featuring special guests Liz Glazer and BETTY. I promise you that Liz and BETTY will offer humor and song that will offer strength and meet us in this moment.

Our evening’s emcee, Liz Glazer, is an award-winning standup comedian, actor, and writer. She began her career as most standup comedians do: as a tenured law professor. Liz gave it all up to do comedy, where her material draws from her own life as a lesbian, a rabbi’s wife, and a former lawyer.

She released a comedy special earlier this year called, “A Very Particular Experience,” which touches on loss and grief and uses humor as a tool for healing and making it through.

As she said during her interview on the Forever35 Podcast, “As a person, I always looked to and used humor as a way of processing feelings and life and hard feelings in life, perhaps most urgently with humor.”

Our musical guest for the evening is the indie pop trio BETTY, composed of Alyson Palmer, Elizabeth Ziff, and Amy Ziff. BETTY’s performances mix music, performance art, politics, and comedy.

Their nonprofit, BETTY Effect, is on a mission to use music and performance techniques to help others communicate and connect for personal power, social progress and peace, especially women and girls and LGBTQIA communities.

Plus, lyrics from their song “Jerusalem” capture the emotions that many of us are feeling right now: “Half-asleep nights are melting into half-awake days. I wish I knew what faith was or how to pray. Try and try and try again, and try and try…”

Whether you attend OUTstanding! in-person or online on Thursday, November 9th, you’ll join us in honoring six heroes who lead with courageous hearts and give us hope for a better future. 

Thanks to Liz Glazer and BETTY – and to you – we’ll connect as a community in an evening of healing humor, music, and inspired voices. I hope to see you there.

L’Shalom,

Idit Klein
President & CEO
she/her