In the News
A Hebrew Priestess Reconnects with Her Roots
BY GEN XIA YE SLOSBERG
“In kindergarten, everyone was asked what they wanted to be when they grew up,” Keshira haLev Fife recalls of her childhood. “And I said I wanted to be a rabbi, even before I understood what it meant.”
She says she has always felt drawn to spiritual leadership, though she “tucked away” this innate yearning, even carrying it with her even when she went to live in Australia after graduate school. It was while recovering after a long illness that she found herself reflecting about her purpose, and what she was on this Earth to do that she hadn’t done. “What came to me repeatedly was this idea of being in service….(read more).
Spiritual leaders share thoughts on another pandemic High Holiday season
By ADAM REINHERZ
August, 31 2021
“As the High Holidays approach, Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife, of Kesher Pittsburgh, hopes people focus on God’s creative patterns. Within the Book of Genesis, God deliberately separated each day, one from the next, and paused to see that “it was good.” There is value in similarly pacing one’s self, Fife said.
For example, beyond fasting on Yom Kippur, that day is also about…
Pittsburgh Judaism is undergoing a renaissance. Young queer Jews are leading it.
By CHRIS HENDLIN
“‘Queer Jewish spaces are not new in Pittsburgh. The city’s first LGBTQ+ Jewish congregation, Bet Tikvah, was founded in 1988 and is still active today et the needs of the LGBTQ+ Jewish community don’t look the same today as they did in past generations, Bet Tikvah member Deb Polk said.
Each generation builds upon the progress others have made, challenging norms within established communities and creating new spaces based on their concerns and interests. Today’s young queer Jews are on the leading edge of a more inclusive future.”
Service event commemorates Tree of Life massacre, spreads positivity through art
BY KATIE CASSIDY
October 24, 2021
Kesher Pittsburgh, in collaboration with the 10.27 Healing Partnership and Repair the World Pittsburgh, hosted “Service Setting Stones of Love and Hope,” a commemorative service event designed to bring together members of the community. People gathered to paint stones with messages of kindness and positivity that will be placed across Pittsburgh, wherever its owner sees fit.
This is the second annual “Service Setting Stones of Love and Hope” organized by Kesher to commemorate the Tree of Life massacre….
Mental health concerns are rampant. Jewish leaders are on the frontlines.
By DAVID RULLO of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and CHRIS HEDLIN of PublicSource
Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife of the post-denominational community Kesher Pittsburgh emphasizes the interconnectedness of mental, physical and spiritual health in her Jewish practice.
Her goal, she said, is to help people connect with the Divine. In the process, she creates a space where people can slow down and let themselves feel emotions they may otherwise push away.
Creating space for progressive voices
By SARA STOCK MAYO
December 2, 2020,
"It has to get political because we as American Jews must use our voices. We cannot just rage on social media or express concern on pulpits — we have to pray with our feet."
There are those in our community who believe Jewish activists should not bring politics into the public square, particularly given what happened in our community two years ago, when 11 Jews were murdered at the Tree of Life building. But I feel it is possible to simultaneously hold space for individual and collective grief while speaking truth to power
Call on Biden Admin to Appoint Afghan Refugee Special Envoy
Kesher Pittsburgh is proud to join more than 220 Jewish Orgs and Congregations from communities across the United States to “write with urgency about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. We are horrified by the images of people desperately attempting to flee Afghanistan and are deeply concerned that countless Afghans will lose their lives if they are not evacuated…..
Kesher Pittsburgh launches anti-racism initiative
By ADAM REINHERZ
April 30, 2021
Leah Levinstein was a visitor at a shiva house prior to the pandemic when another visitor turned to her and uttered a racist comment. Levinstein, 43, was blindsided. Even more startling to her, Levinstein recalled, was that shortly before attending the shiva, she had completed a training on what to do when encountering bigotry or ignorance, and still she said nothing.
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Service event commemorates Tree of Life massacre, spreads positivity through art
BY KATIE CASSIDY
October 24, 2021
Kesher Pittsburgh, in collaboration with the 10.27 Healing Partnership and Repair the World Pittsburgh, hosted “Service Setting Stones of Love and Hope,” a commemorative service event designed to bring together members of the community. People gathered to paint stones with messages of kindness and positivity that will be placed across Pittsburgh, wherever its owner sees fit.
This is the second annual “Service Setting Stones of Love and Hope” organized by Kesher to commemorate the Tree of Life massacre….
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A Hebrew Priestess Reconnects with Her Roots
BY GEN XIA YE SLOSBERG
“In kindergarten, everyone was asked what they wanted to be when they grew up,” Keshira haLev Fife recalls of her childhood. “And I said I wanted to be a rabbi, even before I understood what it meant.”
She says she has always felt drawn to spiritual leadership, though she “tucked away” this innate yearning, even carrying it with her even when she went to live in Australia after graduate school. It was while recovering after a long illness that she found herself reflecting about her purpose, and what she was on this Earth to do that she hadn’t done. “What came to me repeatedly was this idea of being in service….(read more).
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Pittsburgh Judaism is undergoing a renaissance. Young queer Jews are leading it.
By CHRIS HENDLIN
“‘Queer Jewish spaces are not new in Pittsburgh. The city’s first LGBTQ+ Jewish congregation, Bet Tikvah, was founded in 1988 and is still active today et the needs of the LGBTQ+ Jewish community don’t look the same today as they did in past generations, Bet Tikvah member Deb Polk said.
Each generation builds upon the progress others have made, challenging norms within established communities and creating new spaces based on their concerns and interests. Today’s young queer Jews are on the leading edge of a more inclusive future.”
-
Mental health concerns are rampant. Jewish leaders are on the frontlines.
By DAVID RULLO of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and CHRIS HEDLIN of PublicSource
Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife of the post-denominational community Kesher Pittsburgh emphasizes the interconnectedness of mental, physical and spiritual health in her Jewish practice.
Her goal, she said, is to help people connect with the Divine. In the process, she creates a space where people can slow down and let themselves feel emotions they may otherwise push away.
-
Spiritual leaders share thoughts on another pandemic High Holiday season
By ADAM REINHERZ
August, 31 2021
“As the High Holidays approach, Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife, of Kesher Pittsburgh, hopes people focus on God’s creative patterns. Within the Book of Genesis, God deliberately separated each day, one from the next, and paused to see that “it was good.” There is value in similarly pacing one’s self, Fife said.
For example, beyond fasting on Yom Kippur, that day is also about…
-
Call on Biden Admin to Appoint Afghan Refugee Special Envoy
Kesher Pittsburgh is proud to join more than 220 Jewish Orgs and Congregations from communities across the United States to “write with urgency about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. We are horrified by the images of people desperately attempting to flee Afghanistan and are deeply concerned that countless Afghans will lose their lives if they are not evacuated…..
-
Pittsburgh Jewish Educators Undergo Youth Mental Health Training
By DIONNA DASH
June 24, 2021
The goal of the course is to train adults to connect young people to the help they need — to be a bridge between a teen in crisis and a mental health professional.
Learn about Keshira's experience participating in this important training covered by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
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Kesher Pittsburgh launches anti-racism initiative
By ADAM REINHERZ
April 30, 2021
Leah Levinstein was a visitor at a shiva house prior to the pandemic when another visitor turned to her and uttered a racist comment. Levinstein, 43, was blindsided. Even more startling to her, Levinstein recalled, was that shortly before attending the shiva, she had completed a training on what to do when encountering bigotry or ignorance, and still she said nothing.
-
Creating space for progressive voices
By SARA STOCK MAYO
December 2, 2020,
"It has to get political because we as American Jews must use our voices. We cannot just rage on social media or express concern on pulpits — we have to pray with our feet."
There are those in our community who believe Jewish activists should not bring politics into the public square, particularly given what happened in our community two years ago, when 11 Jews were murdered at the Tree of Life building. But I feel it is possible to simultaneously hold space for individual and collective grief while speaking truth to power.