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• KESHET INC

Thirty years and counting: I have been involved with many non-profit organizations. Keshet is at the top of my list for energy, dedication, brilliant leadership and financial responsibility.. Keshet will always have my support for the important work they accomplish.The energy surrounding Keshet is enough for 10 organizations.

I'm very grateful for my experiences with Keshet. The organization is full of thoughtful, friendly, progressive individuals who go out of their way to make everyone involved feel welcome. As someone new to Boston, I was not fully equipped to handle how socially isolating it can be, but Keshet was there for me and I can say, with confidence, that several of my dearest friends are Keshet members.

As a staff person at a foundation, I spend lots of time thinking about social change, how its made, which models are strong and which aren't as strong. Keshet is one of a handful of organizations (i.e. fewer than five) that is in the top tier in terms of strong social change models among all of the foundation's grantees. In addition to excellent execution, which is a prerequisite, the aspect of Keshet's model I find most compelling its combination of two strategies. On the one hand, they work with individuals, helping folks see that there is a way to integrate the GLBT aspect of their identity with the Jewish aspect of their identity. On the other hand, they work with mainstream Jewish institutions (e.g. synagogues, JCCs, camps, schools) to help them recognize a) that they may not be as welcoming and inclusive as they think they are, and b) how to be more welcoming and inclusive. Either of these approaches by themselves would be important work. The combination of the two is far more than the sum of the individual parts. The fact that Keshet has chosen to "grow" by spreading/sharing what its learned rather than scaling up its infrastructure in multiple cities is another smart, resourceful decision by the organization. Finally, institutions that come to realize that they weren't as welcoming and inclusive as they thought they were in terms of GLBT folks are, in my opinion, highly likely to ask the obvious next question. Namely, "Who else doesn't feel as welcome and included as we might think?" Interfaith couples, Jews of color, folks with physical, mental or learning differences could all appear on the institution's radar in a new way. Because of this ripple effect, I think of Keshet not simply as a GLBT organization, but as an organization that's bringing about a more inclusive, welcoming Jewish community in general. Any funder that is looking forward to the day when the Jewish community welcomes, includes and helps unleash the potential involvement of every individual has a great investment opportunity in Keshet.

Keshet has made fabulous strides in outreach to the Jewish Community. The educational programs have created important dialogue in moving toward more inclusivity for all.

I worked as a volunteer first and then for a small time as an intern when Keshet was starting to grow back in 2003. I think the vision of the organization with the community organizing tools applied, has brought to Boston, the US and also to the international Jewish community an example on how things can change for good. In Argentina and Latin America we had applied Keshet tools and programs succesfully and we have always had the support of their staff.