LGBTQs to Celebrate Holidays with Accepting, Inclusive Religious & Spiritual Orgs. in New England

The New England area offers many progressive Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other groups of various denominations who are dedicated to inclusion of LGBTQ people, as well as those that are explicitly run by and for LGBTQ folks and allies.

Observing Transgender Day of Remembrance in the Jewish Community

When I was growing up, as a little girl in the Orthodox Jewish community, I would stare longingly over the mechitza (the dividing wall between men and women in the synagogue), feeling betrayed by God for giving me a body that didn't feel congruent with my soul. I never imagined that one day I would feel right in my body, accepted in my community, and able to walk freely in the world as a Jewish man.

New director named for Keshet Bay Area

LGBT Jews in the San Francisco Bay Area have a new addition to their leadership ranks with Rebecca Cariati, who recently stepped into the role as regional director of Keshet.

Supporting the growth of LGBTQ Jewish leadership: Guest Opinion

Despite boasting large Jewish and LGBTQ populations, the Bay Area has so far failed to produce many out-and-proud leaders who successfully straddle both communities. This is a shame, as each community would benefit from the integration of the other into its leadership and professional base.

Mother honors her slain son with activism in the LGBTQ community

Ayala Katz will speak Sept. 3 at Boston temple.

First-Of-Its-Kind LGBT Jewish Curriculum

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Institute for Welcoming Resources, Keshet, COLAGE and Family Equity Council released a curriculum designed to help Jewish congregations support and embrace LGBT members of their families.

Keshet Awarded $250,000 for Inclusion Training

Keshet, a national grassroots organization that works for the full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Jews in Jewish life, has been awarded $250,000 by the Jim Joseph Foundation.

Four Questions with Sonny Oram, Fashion Blogger and Keshet Cabaret Co-Chair

This week I had a chance to chat with Sonny Oram, founder of Qwear,a fashion blog that celebrates the styles of queer women and trans and non-binary individuals. Sonny is a co-chair of this year’s Keshet Cabaret, which takes place Saturday, Feb. 28, at Club Café in Boston.

Shabbaton Creates Safe Space for LGBTQ Teens

A Shabbaton, an extended Shabbat retreat weekend, offers a time for reflection and rejuvenation. At a recent Shabbaton for 70 LGBTQ and ally teens, supported by UJA-Federation of New York, the Shabbat event provided an additional meaningful experience: the chance to feel truly comfortable and accepted.

UJA Holds Its First LGBTQ Conference

Titled “Community Conversation on LGBTQ Engagement,” the daylong conference, held on June 20, drew over 180 participants, including representatives from 71 different organizations.

A Jewish Reading Guide for Pride Month: Rabbis, writers, and poets select essential LGBT titles for Jewish readers

In honor of Pride month, I asked several other people who know Jewish LGBT literature (including some who wrote books I’d included in my blog post) to name three essential books that Tablet readers should know about.

I’m Proud because Being Different is Not Just OK – It’s Incredible

Val Weisler shares her story about her experience leading up to Keshet's LGBTQ Teen and Ally Shabbaton as part of Keshet's celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month.

To be young, Orthodox and openly gay

Orthodox Jewish high schools in the United States try to balance concerns for their reputation and their students, as growing number of teens openly identify as gay.

No, LGBT Inclusion Isn’t Just Window-Dressing

My friend and colleague Jay Michaelson’s op-ed “Include Me Out of This Jewish Community” calls into question the value and utility of “LGBT inclusion” in the mainstream Jewish community. I agree with some of Michaelson’s overarching points that being included in the mainstream without participating in fundamental change lacks meaning. But my experiences working for full equality and inclusion for LGBT Jews for the past 14 years as Executive Director of Keshet have led me to a radically different conclusion than Michaelson’s.

Seven Schools Where Jewish LGBTQ Students Thrive

As part of Hillel’s ongoing commitment to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) inclusion, we’ve compiled a list of seven colleges we think are doing an awesome job of engaging in active collaborations with campus LGBTQ centers, have LGBTQ-inclusive policies and programming, and even support Jewish LGBTQ student groups.

Reconciling Jewish, Queer Identities

By coming out as gay, a college student worried his religious identity would suffer.

A Decade Later, Mass. Jews Look Back at Legacy of Same-Sex Marriage – First State To Legalize Signaled Major Shift for Jews

A decade later, Mass. Jews look back at legacy of same-sex marriage first

Ten years after the first same-sex marriages were performed in Massachusetts, the national legal and political landscape has shifted dramatically. Today, 19 states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage — two of which, Oregon and Pennsylvania, joined the list in May following federal court rulings striking down their bans on same-sex marriage.

Father’s Day Pride

Last June, I celebrated Father’s Day in Miami with my two boys, ages 8 and 17, as we heard the news that a Jewish lesbian named Edie had triumphed against the Defense of Marriage Act.

Keshet Announces Honorees for Inaugural Landres Courage for Dignity Award

Jennifer Gorovitz, former CEO of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund (JCF), and Ayala Katz, who became an outspoken leader for LGBT equality in Israel following the murder of her gay son, Nir, have been named the first recipients of Keshet’s new Landres Courage for Dignity Award.