Resistance is Always Possible

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Resistance fighters, vastly outnumbered by Nazis, refused to surrender even though they knew the odds were against them. Their bravery and determination remind us that resistance is always possible. It has been hard to show up as a trans person…

The Need is Here, and So are We

It’s hard to be queer in Florida right now. When I drive through town, I wonder which one of my neighbors voted to erase my identity. I post on social media about the legislation being introduced in Tallahassee and it doesn’t provoke the outrage that I would expect. I sometimes…

Dayenu v’lo Dayenu

This Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting with nearly 100, mostly new friends of Keshet at the homes of our supporters, first in Miami and then in Boca Raton. As I described Keshet’s work, I spoke of when we see our impact and the changes we have made possible…

Meet Keshet’s Newest Board Member, Adam Simon

Celebrate Trans Day of Visibility, and Keep Fighting

“I’ve never been interested in being invisible and erased.” -Laverne Cox Amidst the flurry of anti-trans legislation being passed around the country, I am grateful for the reprieve and the opportunity that is Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) — a day to uplift the accomplishments and celebrate the joy of…

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…