Calling all Jewish Educators Committed to LGBTQ+ Belonging!

Keshet invites you to join our Community of Practice for educators across the Jewish communal landscape, who hold a deep commitment to meeting the needs of your students and to fostering LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging in your organization. Together, we will share tools and resources, brainstorm and problem-solve in community, and build networks of mutual support that help us lead with courage and compassion.

Tell me more about who the Community of Practice is for!

Educators play many important roles in the lives of your students and organizations. You are at the junction of curriculum, student wellbeing, policy, identity formation, and community building. Whether you are an educator in a day school, congregational setting, camp, adult education, Hebrew school; whether you have participated in Shivyon, Keshet’s Equality Project or are newer to this work, this no cost cohort is designed to ground, sustain, and expand your capacity to be LGBTQ+ affirming in your Jewish educational settings. 

This Community of Practice is for Jewish educators of all genders and orientations, LGBTQ+ and allies alike, who are committed to building LGBTQ+ affirming communities and supporting the flourishing of every member of our people. For Jewish educators who identify as LGBTQ+, we will be offering an affinity group space within the larger Community of Practice offerings.

What can I expect from this experience? 

Through this Community of Practice, educators across Jewish communal settings will gain access to multiple pathways to connection and engagement. We invite folks to participate in the ways that work for you and your busy schedule. Offerings will include: 

• A supportive online community of educators dedicated to creating LGBTQ+ affirming Jewish learning environments, to sharing resources and ideas, and to workshopping challenges and share successes
• Quarterly online learning sessions with Keshet and our partners
• Resources and best practice tools to bolster LGBTQ+ belonging in our learning communities

When is the next session? Will I be expected to attend every one?

You can register to participate in the Community of Practice at any time and attend as many learning sessions as you have capacity for. Future topics will include Antisemitism, Homophobia/Transphobia, and the Queer Jewish Community; Supporting LGBTQ+ Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Resilience; and other topics we as a community identify together. 

What values will guide our community space?

The values that will guide and shape our Community of Practice are: 

• Growth & Learning Mindset
• Take Space / Make Space
• Take Lessons, Leave Stories
• Trust Intent, Tend Impact
• Center LGBTQ+ Voices & Honor Jewish Diversity
• Communal Responsibility
• Have Fun

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to H. “Hensch” Henschel directly!