Dear Jewish trans and LGBQ+ young people everywhere,

As queer and trans adults, let us be the first to say, you deserve so much better. What motivates us to do this work is the knowledge that we can be the adults that both of us needed as teens. If we can uplift the Jewish LGBTQ+ youth of today, uplift you, then dayenu. It would be enough. 

In 2016 when we were both in high school, our communities were there for us when we needed them. We draw on our ancient Jewish tradition — al tifrosh min hatzibur, do not separate yourself from the community — when we say you are our community, and we will not separate ourselves from fighting for and alongside you. We will not separate from each other, not when we know just how much love and care we have for one another. 

We are not backing down. Every day we will fight these attacks. One of the ways we will do so is by bringing our whole, authentic, joyful selves to all of the spaces we’re in: online at Monday Evening Hangouts, in person at our Shabbatonim weekend retreats, and everywhere else. As trans adults, we’re going to stand by you, because we’re in this together.

The past couple months have been hard for our community. We hope you are finding ways to be kind to yourself. Whether we are feeling concerned about our own access to care, or we are fearing for the rights and safety of our friends and loved ones, we remain the inheritors of an extraordinary legacy of strength and resilience from our ancestors: we are what our ancestors dreamed of, and we will get through this together. 

The pace of threatening executive orders issued by this Administration has been and will remain dizzying. This is a tactic that is designed to shock, confuse, and terrify. It is important that we remember: executive orders cannot override the Constitution or become federal or state laws. To repeat: these executive orders are not law. 

We know that does not mean they have not already caused harm. They certainly have and will continue to. But we are fighting back. our LGBTQ+ legal advocacy partners are already filing lawsuits, and state and local governments are already resisting. 

You can fight back by taking care of yourself: nourish your body, listen to music, spend time doing something you love. What they want is our overwhelm: what they’ll get is our persistent existence.

At Keshet, we are resolutely holding onto our joy as we look ahead to our 2025 programming, knowing that our joy is a hallmark of our LGBTQ+ Jewish community’s resilient authenticity. Join us at an upcoming program soon — and share with the other LGBTQ+ Jewish young folks in your life.

With light and warmth on behalf of the Youth Programs team, 

Issac Young
Midwest Youth Engagement Manager
he/him/his

Sawyer Goldsmith
Youth Programs Manager
they/them/theirs