Why we must go beyond welcoming

How do we go beyond welcoming to creating belonging? This question has driven months of our learning and work with Temple Isaiah in Lexington, MA. There is a fundamental difference between “welcoming” and “belonging” in a space. A guest can and should be “welcomed.” But LGBTQ+ members are not “guests;” we are community members…

Living Out Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream 

As a Black Jew, I’ve found myself admittedly jaded whenever Martin Luther King, Jr. Day comes each year. This is not because I don’t admire and respect Dr. King, far from it. It’s because many think of this holiday as the end, not the means. Yes, Dr. King was integral…

Three Stories of Hope in a Tough Year

Meet Cooper and Thank You

Dear Friend, On behalf of all of us at Keshet, THANK YOU for being a cherished part of our community in 2023 and for helping us start off 2024 strong.  Whether you learned with us, fought for LGBTQ+ rights with us, created communal magic at a Shabbaton or online program with us, or generously…

How Far We’ve Come

What Jewish Disability Wisdom Teaches Us About Shabbat

Last week, Keshet staff had the honor of learning about rest with Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, a discussion that was inspired by Julie Watts Belser’s recently published book, Loving Our Own Bones. Rabbi Tuchman is a powerful leader, speaker, and educator, and is the first blind woman to enter the rabbinate…

Teens and Hanukkah Miracles

Last night, we hosted our final Monday night hangout for LGBTQ+ Jewish teens of 2023. The facilitators, a fabulous group of five teens from all over the U.S., planned a mini talent show for the occasion. They played guitar, sang, showed their artistic creations, read poems, played the kazoo and…

A Shabbaton for LGBTQ+ Jews of Color, And More

As we approach Hanukkah this year, I find it important and timely to ask, “What brings you light in times of unforeseeable darkness?” For me, it’s community; the collective togetherness that lights my internal flame, illuminating a clear path out of enveloping darkness. However, since I was a young child,…

Bringing Keshet’s Equality Project to NYC and Beyond

As Keshet’s New York Education and Training Manager, I know that LGBTQ+ equality and belonging cannot be achieved overnight. There is so much to consider in this process, such as gender-inclusive facilities, LGBTQ+ programming, representation in leadership, inclusive forms and materials, integrating LGBTQ+ rights into a community’s social justice agenda,…

Trans People Exist in the Future

Every November 20th, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the memory of transgender and nonbinary people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-trans violence. In the past year, we know that at least 320 trans people were killed – 256 of whom were People of Color and the vast majority of whom…