Keshet Laughs For Funds

Over 400 LGBT Jews and allies attended the fifth annual Keshet Cabaret and raised $145,000 to support the organization’s work for a fully inclusive Jewish community.

Passover and LGBT Liberation: What Is Your Community’s Story?

This year, I ask you to think about what kind of story you want to tell about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender inclusion and equality in your Jewish community.

Poll: 81% of Jews Back Gay Marriage

It isn’t news that American Jews overwhelmingly support legalizing gay marriage. But a new survey out today puts that level of support at 81%, a few notches higher than previous polls.

The freaks of J Street

I came to the J Street Conference looking for allies. As a queer Jew who is sternly critical of Israel, but still a staunch Zionist, I was looking forward to meeting some like-minded folks.

Keshet Cabaret

On March 17, The Keshet Cabaret raised over $145,000 for their work to create a fully inclusive Jewish community for LGBTQ Jews.

A Fully Inclusive Jewish Summer Camp

This guest post comes from Stefan Teodosic, Executive Director of B’nai B’rith Beber Camp.

A Fully Inclusive Jewish Summer Camp

This year, I had the opportunity to participate in the Keshet LGBT inclusivity training for Jewish organizations; and it was a great learning tool about new programs for our staff and campers.

Where were we 10 years ago?

Idit has been at Keshet for 10 years – a lifetime in terms of change in the Jewish LGBT world.

Honoring Women’s Advocacy During Women’s History Month

Today is International Women’s Day. GLAAD’s Religion, Faith, and Values program would like to take this opportunity to mark the achievements of women who have been dedicated in their advocacy on behalf of LGBT people within their faith communities.

Uniting Gay and Straight at School

Once rare, Alliances are now common in Jewish day schools.

A tale of two Hineini tweets

Gilda Radner and Chanukah Lights: A Coming Out Story (Chag v’Chesed: Chanukah 5772)

When Jewish comedian Gilda Radner lit a menorah on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s, it was the very first time that lighting Chanukah candles had been broadcast on national television.

Transgender Jews: Breaking Down One Wall, Praying At Another

Last week, on a foggy night in northern Israel, I heard the news I was waiting to hear for six years -- Massachusetts, my home state, had finally passed a Transgender Equal Rights Bill. This new law offers vital protections to transgender people in employment, housing and credit, and explicitly includes trans people in the state’s hate crimes law.

On leaders and lions

Unlike some young adults, I am not cynical about the role of federations in Jewish communal life. I believe federations serve a vital purpose for local communities and for the Jewish people worldwide. My own organization, Keshet, has received funding from CJP, the Jewish Federation of Greater Boston, for over ten years. 

Transgender Remembrance Day: An Open Letter

All of us, trans and ally alike, deserve to thrive; to bring our fullest, most vibrant versions of ourselves into the world. Transphobia, the fear or hatred of trans and gender variant people, makes that impossible for many trans people— sometimes by cutting words, cold shoulders, exclusion, discrimination and sometimes by violence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

In the meantime, I would like to share some thoughts about Trans Day of Remembrance which takes place in hundreds of locations around the globe on or around November 20 each year (details on the Colorado observance below).

On Not Letting Ourselves Off the Hook

Helping folks locate themselves in Jewish tradition, religion, history, to help them understand why Jewish existence and identity might be relevant and even valuable, especially when Jewish education seldom mirrors the realities of Jewish life, namely, issues as complicated as gender and sexuality. It’s difficult to do that work, and it is even more difficult to do it well, but this year, let’s not let ourselves off the hook.

LGBT Heroes Posters: An Outdated Approach?

Keshet, an organization that works for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews in Jewish life, has issued its first three “Jewish LGBT Change Makers” posters through its Hineini Education Project. When I took a look at them online, I was immediately reminded of the Jewish Women’s Archive’s “History Makers” (formerly “Women of Valor”) posters. The similarity is both good and bad.

When will acceptance be accepted?

This week, I had the chance to speak with Klein about Keshet’s history, future and everything in between.

Torah Queeries

“I came across a book called Torah Queeries and I spent some time a couple of summers ago at a week-long institute where I took a course where that book was the subject of the conversations and study. I found it so compelling, interesting and engrossing that I decided it could be a focus for LGBT Jews who wanted to further integrate their queer and Jewish identities. And the Pride Center seemed like a really good place to do that,” said David Rogoff.