Putting Talmud back into the Hands, Mouths, and Bodies of our People

Keshet spoke with Rabbi Xava De Cordova (she/her) and Binya Kóatz (she/her), co-founders of Shel Maala, a digital-first queer Yeshiva founded in 2020 for Trans Day of Visibility. Keshet: Tell me about how Shel Maala came into being. Xava: I was very sick, independently of COVID, when the pandemic started.…

Resources for your Seder & Liberation

“We need to sustain the sanctity of possibility.”  Is Perlman, Keshet’s NY Youth Engagement Intern, shared these beautiful words at a Keshet-Mazzoni Center Salon this week in Philadelphia. They were referring to the process of self-recognition, affirmation, and reinvention that we see so many LGBTQ+ youth experience at the Keshet Shabbaton and in…

We Created Something Truly Sacred

This past weekend, Keshet had the honor and joy of welcoming 84 LGBTQ+ Jewish teens and educators to our 11th annual LGBTQ+ and Ally Teen Shabbaton. For 48 hours, we created something truly sacred: a space where queer and trans voices and experiences were centered, where we could explore the…

Ki Tisa | Resisting Against Idolatry

This week’s Torah portion is, in part, about idolatry. This is a concept repeated over and over again in Torah: that we must not worship false idols. Today we are not at risk of melting down our gold and turning it into a calf the way the impatient Israelites did…

Each of Us is Meant to Act

It feels fitting that today, International Women’s Day, comes on the heels of Purim, a holiday that celebrates Queen Esther’s heroism in risking her life to save her people. Jewish history is full of extraordinary women making change: rabble rousers, activists, artists, educators, political leaders, and more. You can learn…

We’re Hiring in Texas!

We have good news and bad news to share with you. First, the bad: the politicians who pledged to protect the rights of all Texans have already introduced a raft of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Senate Bills 625 and 249, in particular, would prohibit access to the gender-affirming care that many LGBTQ+…

Queen Esther’s Story Means More to Me After Coming Out

What Makes a Welcoming Camp Environment

What makes a welcoming camp environment? Keshet spoke with Rena Kantor (they/she), a 15 year-old participant in our youth programming from the Detroit Metro Area, about their experiences at summer camps. Keshet: What have your summer camp experiences been like? Rena: This is my third year at Camp Ramah Wisconsin.…

Purim is Radical Resistance

Purim is almost here! It is a holiday of radical imagination and queer resistance. Esther, undercover as a Jew in King Ahashverus’s palace, is urged by her uncle Mordechai to risk her life by coming out as Jewish and advocating for her people. His message is clear: in this time of…

Revolutionary Love

In the midst of a cold and dreary February, this week marks several days of joy for me. I love to enjoy the all-pink everything, confectionary sweetness of Valentine’s Day. And as part of the holiday, I am choosing to honor the love I have in my life from my…