KESHET INC

Keshet works for the full equality of LGBTQ Jews in Jewish life. We equip Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces in which queer Jewish teens feel valued and, together, take action for LGBTQ rights nationwide.

• We partner with leaders of national and local Jewish organizations and synagogues, offering workshops and trainings that give communal leaders the tools, skills, and confidence to put LGBTQ equality into practice.
• We create opportunities for LGBTQ Jewish teens across the country to come together, develop proud, LGBTQ Jewish identities, and build leadership skills to advance change in their home communities.
• We call on the Jewish community to fight for LGBTQ justice and take action collectively to advance real breakthroughs—from securing marriage equality to transgender civil rights.
• We are an open resource of best practices and educational materials on the intersection of Judaism and LGBTQ equality for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge or apply those resources to their own community.

Keshet sparks change across every level of Jewish life, from the policies of our institutions to the attitudes of community members. Only by building relationships with Jewish leaders, LGBTQ Jews of all ages, and allies can we create progress that lasts.

• We meet people where they are in their journeys to LGBTQ equality and inclusion, giving them the tools they need to take the next step forward.
• Because we partner with today’s and tomorrow’s Jewish leaders, our work changes lives and communities right now while creating a ripple effect of change for the future.
• We fuel progress everywhere LGBTQ people face discrimination in Jewish life, at the individual, institutional, and systemic levels.
• We believe in community-led change. When we inspire and equip Jews of all ages to be allies and advocates for equality in their own communities, we see tangible and lasting progress.
• LGBTQ visibility changes hearts and minds. We lift up the voices of LGBTQ Jews and allies—and encourage them to share their own stories—so their perspectives can make a difference in Jewish life.

While there are many LGBTQ Jewish small-scale initiatives and several organizations, Keshet is the only organization that advances LGBTQ equality in Jewish life across Jewish movements, types of organizations, populations, and geographies nationwide. To do this work, Keshet utilizes our extensive and deep collaborations with numerous organizations both in local communities and nationally through large-scale partnerships.

Keshet works with a robust and diverse group of Jewish organizations of all movements, types, sizes, and locations to equip them to build LGBTQ-affirming communities. We believe that communities themselves drive the deepest and most sustainable change; we join them in partnership every step of the way. To that end, we partner with local and national organizations to identify their most pressing needs and develop programs and tools to best serve them. We form partnerships with national network organizations such as Jewish Community Center Association, Hillel International, Union for Reform Judaism, Foundation for Jewish Camp, and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Keshet maintains partnerships with all of the non-Orthodox Jewish youth movements and in recent years also has been working with several Modern Orthodox schools in various parts of the country. Additionally, Keshet staff continually build and strengthen their local connections in communities throughout the country. Our strategic approach results in meaningful collaborations which allow us to continually expand our work and partner with more institutions and networks nationwide.

Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life. We equip Jewish organizations with the tools to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces for LGBTQ Jewish youth to feel valued as LGBTQ and Jewish, and mobilize the Jewish community to fight for LGBTQ justice nationwide.

While COVID required dramatic adjustments to programming, Keshet approached that challenge as an opportunity to expand our work and reach wider audiences. As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person gatherings nationwide, our Education and Training team redesigned all core trainings to be delivered online. We rethought how learners engage with us and redesigned the interactive portions of our trainings. While online training does pose substantial challenges, it also opens the door to new forms of interactive learning and makes repeat engagements more appealing and accessible. Ultimately, Keshet has actually increased our reach in the last two years.

Our Jewish communities are also in the midst of generational, revolutionary change: as dramatically more young people come out as LGBTQ, their families and communities become more aware that LGBTQ people are fundamentally part of their world. This change is slowly translating into more Jewish institutions seeking Keshet’s support to be more LGBTQ inclusive.

Over the course of the past several years we have learned that it is possible to reach new people and build new relationships via online engagement – including training for institutional change, support and leadership development with LGBTQ young people, and Jewish community mobilization for LGBTQ rights. While Keshet’s gatherings and connections were predominantly online this past year, the impact and value of these events is real and profound.

Meanwhile, throughout this process of having to continually reconfigure Keshet’s programs and plans, our staff have demonstrated tremendous resilience, creativity, and commitment both to one another and to our organization. Despite the constant change and uncertainty of these times, Keshet is thriving and stronger than ever.

We have outstanding results from this past year (available online at our website), which includes significantly expanding Keshet's programming in new directions, including
…Significantly increasing our programs designed by and for LGBTQ Jews of Color (both adults and teens)
…. Launching programming for grandparents and other beloved elders of LGBTQ youth (L’dor Va’dor) to learn about LGBTQ terms, identities, and rights, and to take action for LGBTQ rights …. Adding a fourth region to our work by bringing on Keshet’s Florida Education & Training Manager.