In the beginning…

We read those words this Shabbat in Parashat Bresheit, inviting us into G-d’s creation. Inviting us to separate the darkness from the light, the heavens from the earth. How fitting, I thought, that this is the week I start creating with Keshet, joining the team as Greater Boston Education & Training Manager!

I find the act of creation in the Torah liberating as a trans individual. G-d forms the Adam, the human, from the dust of the earth on the sixth day. It is said G-d created them “male and female.” Many historically have chosen to interpret this as two distinct creations – one male, one female. This interpretation has been used to oppress and target folks who exist outside gender norms for centuries. However, in reading it outside of the gender binary, it could be seen that G-d created the primordial Adam as containing both male and female qualities in one body. With this interpretation, many trans, nonbinary, and intersex Jews can also see themselves as being B’tzelem Elohim—made in G-d’s image.

Creation is not limited to events of biblical proportions, however. We create every day, taking in from our surroundings and fashioning something new that was not there before. Keshet has continued to create and innovate since 2001 (the year I was born!), making the Jewish communal world safer for the LGBTQ+ community through education, community mobilization, and youth programming—a niche that had not been filled before Keshet stepped in.

New beginnings, then, can be seen through a plethora of lenses. We can look to the very first thing G-d creates, light (Yehi or, “let there be light”). For me, that’s a reminder that so much of our work is about visibility, making sure that LGBTQ+ Jews can be fully seen in the communities we call home. A few verses later comes the first thing the Torah designates as being ‘not good’: lo tov hot ad-adam levado, meaning it is not good for a person to be alone (Gen 2:18). Creation isn’t complete without community, and no one should have to choose between their Jewish and queer selves to find one. Finally, we can look at creation as an act of partnership, as the Talmud describes people who act justly as partners with G-d in the work of creation.

These are the beginnings I hope to build: bringing more light, making sure no one is alone, and reading our tradition with fresh eyes. You can find me all over New England as I work to help advance Keshet’s mission of equipping Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ+-affirming communities. Let’s create, together.