The Keshet Neshamot/Rainbow Souls Shabbaton: A Retreat of Radiant Belonging, co-led by the JOC Mishpacha Project and Keshet on Feb 16-18, 2024, is a Shabbat weekend retreat at Pearlstone Retreat Center, in Baltimore, Maryland, for 18+ QJOC (queer Jews of Color). Focused on joy, healing, and the diverse tapestry of QJOC experiences, the Shabbaton, with 20-25 participants, will offer transformative workshops, discussions, and shared narratives. Aligned with JPride's mission, the event aims to be a celebratory space that nurtures and fosters spaces with higher levels of belonging and psychological safety for a historically marginalized portion of the Jewish demographic in the United States.
The Keshet Neshamot/Rainbow Souls Shabbaton - Keshet
We hope that participants will leave with a seed of change propelling them to feel more excited and comfortable navigating their relationship with Judaism and Jewish spaces.
The JPride grant funding supports the event logistics, guest speakers, workshops, and specifically, resources amplifying QJOC voices that all participants will receive. The JPride grant will be strategically allocated to support event logistics, engage guest speakers, facilitate impactful workshops, and provide resources amplifying the voices of Queer Jews of Color. Specifically, a portion of the funding will uplift the production of an existing QJOC Shabbat guide by Kadijah Spencer, which we will distribute to all participants. We hope to secure project funding by early January to allow sufficient time for making modifications — such as adding transliteration next to the existing Hebrew text —before printing and distribution before the Shabbaton. Keshet and the JOC Mishpacha Project have partnered with other Jewish organizations, including the Mitsui Collective, Ammud, OneTable, JSJR, JFNA, and Beit Mishpacha for this project.
Keshet envisions a world where all LGBTQ Jews and our families can live with full equality, justice, and dignity. We strengthen Jewish communities. We equip Jewish organizations with skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ+ affirming communities, create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advance LGBTQ+ rights nationwide. We partner with the full range of Jewish institutions—day schools, synagogues, youth movements, summer camps, JCCs, federations, communal agencies, and beyond. Founded in 1996 as a small, volunteer-run group in Greater Boston, Keshet now maintains offices in the Bay Area, NYC, Boston, Chicago, South Florida, and Texas, with other staff across the United States. Last year, we trained 7,819 staff and leaders from 212 Jewish organizations, directly engaged 1,200 young people, and mobilized members of 417 Jewish organizations to advocate for equality.