Keshet

Address: 1860 Washington St., Newton, MA 02466

Years Active: 1996–Present

Tradition: Judaism

Keshet is a Newton-based nonprofit that advocates for American LGBTQ+ Jews. (The group’s name, “Keshet,” is Hebrew for “rainbow,” קֶשֶׁת. Per their website, it also means “‘bow,’ an instrument for action.”) Keshet began as a group of volunteers in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood in 1996, and, after slowly growing over time and hiring its first full-time staff member in 2001 (Idit Klein, their CEO until 2025), it currently has presences in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Florida, and Texas. 

Keshet closely connects their activism and their Judaism. “Fighting for justice,” their website notes, “is a deeply Jewish act.” In a 2025 article in the Forward, Rabbi Micah Buck, Keshet’s Director of Education and Training, emphasized this point, sharing that the pursuit of justice is consonant with the values already at the forefront of many American Jewish communities. He adds: “For all the weaponization of people’s identities… the basics of access, dignity, and celebration are not fundamentally sites of division within the Jewish community.” Another page on Keshet’s website declares: “Taking action for LGBTQ+ rights is a mitzvah!” To this end, Keshet offers a number of resources on their site for “Queering Jewish Rituals,” such as queer- and trans-friendly Jewish wedding rituals and trans inclusion in “traditional Jewish death and burial practices.”

Some of their signature programming includes “Thrive,” a coalition of Jewish synagogues and organizations that aim to advocate for and defend LGBTQ+ youth in the US. Thrive holds periodic events attempting to organize and raise awareness for at-risk queer and trans American youth. It is free to join and encourages the participation of “any Jewish organization that believes trans and LGBQ+ youth deserve to live with dignity, safety, and respect.”

Additionally, Keshet offers two resources that aim to directly help both LGBTQ+ folks escaping discrimination in the US, as well as American synagogues that wish to provide such knowledge and resourcing. Their program “Move to Thrive,” co-run with the Hebrew Free Loan Society, offers interest-free loans to folks aiming to move states due to anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. (It does not appear that applicants have to be Jewish to receive this loan.) According to a May 2026 article by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “The initiative has drawn more than 400 inquiries, according to Jaimie Krass, the president and CEO of Keshet. So far, 29 applications have been approved, representing 56 people across households in 12 states, and $274,500 in loans have been disbursed.” Keshet also offers the cohort-based Shivyon program, which offers analysis and guidance to Jewish groups (whether that be one or multiple synagogues, a nonprofit, or another kind of organization) to strengthen their LGBTQ+ support and resourcing for queer and trans Jews within their community.

Keshet also offers programming for LGBTQ+ Jews of color, having hired their first staff member for organizing this in 2023. The organization released a report on the experiences of LGBTQ+ Jews of color across the country in 2025, finding that “a complex emotional landscape where a lack of support, representation, and biases from fellow Jewish community members often lead to feelings of isolation, exclusion, and the need to compartmentalize aspects of their identity.”

Keshet is vocal about their commitment to racial justice, as outlined on the “Racial Justice Commitment” page on their website. They write: “We affirm that racial equity and justice—an understanding and acknowledgment of historical and ongoing racial inequities and a commitment to actions challenging those inequities—are core to Keshet’s vision of a just society.”

Historically, Keshet has organized the fight against various anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, such as their push to mobilize against the anti-trans bill HR 734 in 2023. (Once a campaign has finished, the website will keep its page on their website but note that it is “Archived,” and will include a blurb discussing the campaign’s result.) Keshet currently has a page on their website dedicated to tracking their activism and resources in a number of states where LGBTQ+ individuals are at risk: Texas, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Missouri. Each page has a section for resources, organizing goals, and anti-LGBTQ+ “Bills to Watch.” 

The group lists seven values core to their mission—their “Seven Values for Inclusive Jewish Community”—which are Justice, Pride, Human Dignity, Partnership, Belonging, Impact, and Joy. In explaining these values, Keshet notes that “these organizational values inform the work of our staff, board, and other leaders in building a dynamic, strong, inclusive, and effective organization.”

Sources and Further Information:

https://www.keshetonline.org/about-us/

https://forward.com/culture/785728/can-this-lgbtq-jewish-organization-navigate-these-turbulent-times/

https://www.keshetonline.org/thrive/

https://www.keshetonline.org/queering-jewish-rituals/

https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/trans-gender-queer-jewish-wedding-serviceneeds-language-disclaimer-trans-gender-queer-jewish-wedding-service/

https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/toward-a-gender-inclusive-hevra-kadisha/

https://www.jta.org/2026/05/08/united-states/as-anti-lgbtq-laws-spread-these-two-jewish-nonprofits-are-funding-moves-to-safer-states

https://www.keshetonline.org/shivyon-keshets-equality-project/

https://www.keshetonline.org/programming-for-lgbtq-jews-of-color/

https://www.keshetonline.org/threads-of-identity/

https://www.keshetonline.org/racial-justice-committment/

https://www.keshetonline.org/community-mobilization-campaigns/national-campaigns/equality-is-a-jewish-value-protect-trans-and-lgbq-youth/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/734

https://www.keshetonline.org/our-work/community-mobilization/keshet-in-the-states/

https://www.keshetonline.org/organizational-values/

Entry written by Nicole Collins in 2026.