Building Blocks of Belonging
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Building Blocks of Belonging: Bay Area and Northern California

Building Blocks of Belonging is a three-part virtual series for Bay Area and Northern California Jewish educators and clergy who are committed to creating spaces of LGBTQ+ belonging in their organizations. Northern California has been a leader in inclusion and belonging efforts, but we know there is always more work to do. This series will build upon that strong foundation, ensuring our communities are places where LGBTQ+ Jews can thrive. 

Sign up for the series.  Come to as many sessions as you can! 

Session One. November 14, 2026 | 10-11:30am PT
Creating LGBTQ+ Affirming Programming, Policy, and Culture
Session Two. December 2, 2026 | 10-11:30am PT
Cultivating Hope and Resilience as Jewish Professionals
Session Three. January 6, 2026 | 10-11:30am PT
Navigating Pushback and Moving Forward

Session One: Creating LGBTQ+ Affirming Programming, Policy, and Culture

There are many ways to build LGBTQ+ affirming organizations! This session we will dive into three main organizational areas. We will discuss programming and curriculum: what we do. We will examine organizational and programmatic policy: how we say we do it. We will explore and brainstorm how to build a culture of belonging: the environment we create. 


There will be opportunities for participants to brainstorm LGBTQ+ affirming programming and lesson planning, and we will support each other in drafting our own statements of belonging and inclusion for the classroom and/or organization.

Session Two: Cultivating Hope and Resilience as Jewish Professionals

We are living in uncertain times that can feel scary for so many, but the Jewish community and LGBTQ+ community have long histories of resilience. We can use the wisdom from the past to help us navigate this moment while we work for a better future. As Educators and Clergy we have the opportunity to impart these critical lessons. 


In this session we will look at texts that speak to strengthening a hope practice through the burnout so many of us are feeling. We will learn from pivotal moments of resilience in Jewish and LGBTQ+ history. We will brainstorm ways we can strengthen our hope and resilience to sustain us in the important work we get to do everyday.

Session Three: Navigating Pushback and Keep Moving Forward

Creating spaces where all people feel celebrated is holy and just work. Still, the path to creating spaces of belonging can sometimes be a bumpy one. In this session we will go through some of the most common types of pushback organizations and educators face and bust common misconceptions about creating spaces that affirm the LGBTQ+ community. We will learn tools to effectively navigate this type of pushback from stakeholders and practice having these difficult conversations. 


Because this work is ongoing, this session will conclude with a look at how to continue mobilizing your community and building spaces where all people can feel seen, valued, and thrive!







Organization Information





Accomodations

Keshet is committed to providing accessible and inclusive opportunities.

This is an online program held using the Zoom platform. Keshet does not provide captioning but Zoom auto-captioning is available. This will be an interactive sereis that will utilize visuals and opportunities to come off mute and use the chat box feature. We hope attendees will stay on camera if they are able, but encourage people to take care of themselves as needed including being of camera.

Please let us know if you have any reasonable accommodation requests to participate in this event. Please submit requests 1-2 weeks before the event and Keshet will make every reasonable effort to accommodate these requests. If there is a request that we are unable to fulfill, we will work with you individually.

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