Kesher Pittsburgh

2021 Year in Review

A note from Keshira as we wind down 2021:

Dear Kesher Pittsburgh friends,

As we wind down 2021, I am stopping to reflect on what we have built over this past year (these past few actually!) and to dream into what 2022 might hold. I'm proud and grateful to say that, even amidst all that's unfolded over this past year, we've continue to make space for meaning and connection.

If we want to go from strength to strength in 2022, it’s time for us to come together and build capacity for growth and depth into the future.

Please consider supporting our Hearthtending Fund and check out our year in review below!

For a group that started out with occasional Kabbalat Shabbat gatherings, we have been growing steadily toward our mission of being a connection point for kindred spirits who yearn for deep relationships, spiritual growth, and collective liberation within a decidedly Jewish framework.

From the onset of the pandemic, it became clear that this was a time to double down on my belief in the value of strong community and to stretch my leadership in order to be responsive to the moment.

This has meant growing our leadership team to include Sara Stock Mayo, Tim Fife, Lauren Goldstein, David Goldstein, and Jonathan Mayo (with more to hopefully come soon!) and hiring Sophia Bernstein, our amazing administrative coordinator. 

It has also meant considering what kind of programs and formats will work best for our people, keeping us safe while allowing us to lean into our Judaism during these years of uncertainty and sorrow. It has also meant creating spaces for celebration and music, connection and fun. Though I’ve lost track of how many events and gatherings we’ve had since March 2020 I can confidently say that it’s more than we had in the five years prior.

I’m grateful that, while we’ve been responsive to the ever-changing moment, we’ve nonetheless stayed true in our commitment to Jewish values, rhythms and practices which serve to bind us together for the better. Ultimately, we strive to create a space where each person can feel like they belong, exactly as they are.

Whether enjoying our monthly Kabbalat Shabbat gatherings or joining us for our annual High Holiday celebration, we’ve created a space that is musical and magical. 

Our KesherKIDS and B’Mitzvah programs for K-7th graders continue to help our youngsters deepen their Jewish identity, learn the importance of making community, and bring Jewish teachings alive through day-to-day menschhood and commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world.

Our V’ahavt/a: Countering Oppression as a Jewish Spiritual Practice cohort, now about to launch its second year, is an experience for white Jews to come together to learn, and to build relationships and resilience toward dismantling systems of oppression. And our Anti-Racism book club creates a space for folks to unpack what they’re reading and deepen their analysis.

Reflecting on our ritual, spiritual and learning-based gatherings for all ages and multiple generations, I feel grateful for the additional rich layers of collaborations and partnerships that Kesher Pittsbugh has nurtured along the way.

It might be said that if we only created these programs, dayenu, it would be enough. However, if I’m honest with myself, I often suspect that it may well not be enough. 

After all, we are living in tough times and we need more than just programs; we need  strong, joyful, loving and lasting community. We need to find “our people”so that, together, we can engage our Judaism for the better.

We can engage Shabbat rest as an act of resistance. 

We can claim our Jewish identities as whole, without needing validation from those beyond ourselves. 

We can live out our Jewish values in a way that makes meaning and creates a more just and liberated world. 

We can live the kind of lives that might just make us bright and benevolent ancestors whose memories are for a blessing.

To me, this is compelling - the idea that we can create our own spaces of meaning and Jewish joy. That we can ask tough questions and grapple with the world because it’s a little bit easier when we do it together. I want this for myself and for future generations and I know that I’m not the only one.

So now it’s time for us to come together and invest in the future of our community. We need to build capacity for growth and depth into the future. To make sure that we can continue to gather and learn and celebrate and comfort, and more.

As this year comes to a close, please consider becoming a Hearth Tender and ensuring that we can become more sustainable in 2022 and beyond. Your contribution, whether $1 or $1000 per month, will go a long way to ensuring that we are solid and stable as we grow. 

When we launched the hearthtending fund in November, I shared that I am asking for your support not because I don’t love this community enough to continue doing all of this but rather because I’ve loved it so much, it has grown beyond my capacity to do so.

I want to keep loving this community into being, and I need your help to make it so.

With blessings for a 2022 filled with wellness and wholeness, peace and prosperity, joy and justice, laughter and much love,

Keshira