Project Kesher

Across PKI communities in Israel, women and LGBTQ+ immigrants explored the holiday through feminist and q***r perspectives, finding new ways to connect, celebrate, and belong.

In Modiin, women reimagined the traditional Rosh Hashanah Seder, exploring what its symbols and blessings can mean for us today. In Ramat Gan, women gathered to celebrate while reflecting on friendship, mutual support, and the strength of our communities.

In Jerusalem, PKI’s LGBTQ+ group explored what a “q***r Rosh Hashanah” could look like, creating new meanings alongside traditional blessings. A date became a wish for sweetness, while the biblical Tamar inspired a blessing for creativity, determination, and courage.

And for many Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ immigrants, simply walking through the door of a Jewish communal celebration can be a meaningful first step. This Rosh Hashanah, PKI helped dozens of participants attend a holiday dinner at the LGBTQ+ Center in Tel Aviv, providing Russian-language information, answering questions, and making sure coordinators were there to welcome them.

“As an LGBTQ woman, I never thought there was a place for me at the Rosh Hashanah table. Now I understand that there is not only a place for me, but friends sitting beside me.”

These gatherings reflect a core PKI belief: Jewish tradition becomes a source of belonging when people can question it, reinterpret it, and make it their own.

This Rosh Hashanah, Project Kesher Ukraine’s Vlada Nedak reflected on what it means to stand with Ukraine’s Jewish community, not only in prayer, but through action, solidarity, and showing up. Read her powerful first-person reflection in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, here: https://www.jta.org/paidpost/project-kesher/first-person-this-rosh-hashanah-i-am-praying-with-my-feet-for-the-jews-of-ukraine

On September 10, 2026, Russian forces bombed the street next to our Ukrainian office. Our office is still standing and so are we.

Проект Кешер в Україні

On August 23, Project Kesher Israel hosted a special gathering at the Ramat Gan LGBTQ+ Center marking Ukrainian Independence Day, featuring Zorian Kis, First Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel and Ukraine’s first openly gay diplomat.

Zorian spoke openly about his journey, LGBTQ+ and civic activism, the war in Ukraine, and the experience of representing his country as an openly q***r person. The conversation also highlighted the longstanding partnership between Ukraine’s feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, an especially meaningful connection for PKI community members.

The evening created a warm space for participants to share experiences and memories of Ukraine, migration, identity, and activism, while opening the door to future collaborations, including a film discussion and an initiative to preserve and share Ukrainian-language q***r literature in Israel.

Project Kesher Israel continues to play a role in Israel’s Ministry of Health Advisory Committee on LGBTQ+ Health, which is developing recommendations for LGBTQ+ healthcare policy for 2026–2031. Anna Talisman, Head of PKI’s LGBTQ+ Programs, is serving as a committee member and professional advisor, bringing the perspectives of Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking LGBTQ+ immigrants to the national conversation.

Anna is advocating for greater health equity for this “double minority,” who can face linguistic, cultural, migration-related, and trust barriers while remaining overlooked by both mainstream LGBTQ+ and immigrant health services. PKI is also submitting findings from its needs assessment of post-Soviet LGBTQ+ immigrants and calling for targeted health-promotion strategies and greater immigrant representation in policy development.

Health equity means not only offering services to everyone, but making sure the people who are too often invisible can actually access them.

Project Kesher Israel’s Dimona women’s group recently hosted an engaging session with Margarita Slavkin, a Petah Tikva City Council member and PKI board member, exploring Israel’s political system, local government, and the importance of civic participation.

The conversation also focused on women’s representation in politics and how greater participation can help ensure women’s voices are heard in decisions affecting their families and communities. Participants discussed elections, voting, and practical ways to become more engaged in civic life.

As one participant put it: “How can you not be interested in politics when it is our very life?” The session reflected PKI’s commitment to giving women the knowledge, confidence, and tools to participate actively in shaping their communities.

On August 2, the Aviv Jewish Community in Chernivtsi welcomed a Torah scroll as part of Project Kesher Ukraine’s Torah Return initiative. Donated by Congregation Beit El in Helena, Arkansas.

During a moving ceremony, community members of all generations gathered to welcome the Torah, with prayers for peace in Ukraine and for the future of the Aviv community. The scroll will be read at Shabbat services and at the community’s upcoming summer camp, where 215 children from across Ukraine will gather.

“For Project Kesher Ukraine, every ceremony is unique because behind each one is a community that continues to live, grow, and pass Jewish tradition on to the next generation,” said Vlada Nedak, CEO of PKU. “Despite all the challenges, we are not only protecting our present—we are preserving memory and continuing to build the future.”

For more than two decades, PKU’s Torah Return initiative has helped restore access to Torah scrolls for Jewish communities across Ukraine. In Chernivtsi, this new Torah will become a lasting center of Jewish learning, prayer, and community life.

Ukrainian entrepreneur Alina Bulatova-Bilko has transformed a long-held dream of entrepreneurship into one of the largest lavender fields in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region. What began as a 0.7-hectare field planted in 2018 has grown into a vibrant destination for visitors, photographers, yoga groups, and women’s gatherings, alongside a growing business producing lavender products and experiences.

Through the FemAgro educational and grant program of the Women’s Opportunity Fund, Alina strengthened her business and financial planning skills and received funding to launch a new venture: a lavender seedling nursery. The grant helped her build a greenhouse and install drip irrigation, and she has already grown and sold her first seedlings.

The lavender field also has a meaningful community role, partnering with the Harmonia rehabilitation center to provide accessible outdoor experiences for children with disabilities and their families.

For Alina, FemAgro provided more than equipment and funding—it gave her the knowledge and confidence to take her business to its next stage and turn a beautiful field into a sustainable, growing enterprise.

This month, Israel’s LGBTQ+ community faced alarming news that government funding for municipal LGBTQ+ programs could be cut by as much as 90%, putting vital community services and activities at risk.

For Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ immigrants, the uncertainty is particularly painful. Many came to Israel after experiencing homophobia, repression, war, and political instability in their countries of origin. The possibility of losing community resources can revive fears of once again becoming invisible or excluded.

Project Kesher Israel responded immediately, sharing clear information across its LGBTQ+ groups and reassuring participants that PKI is here, our communities remain active, and no one is being left behind. Local groups are also holding in-person conversations where participants can share concerns and support one another.

As public resources for LGBTQ+ inclusion face growing pressure, PKI remains committed to sustaining the spaces where Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking LGBTQ+ immigrants can find community, celebrate Jewish life, and know that they are seen, valued, and welcome.

Project Kesher Ukraine has welcomed 23 women from across the country to the third cohort of Women Leaders: Next Generation, a ten-month leadership program supported by UJA-Federation of New York.

From August 2026 through June 2027, participants will explore Jewish identity, women’s leadership, community building, and informal Jewish education, while gaining the skills and confidence to become leaders in their local communities.

Learning through action is at the heart of the program. Participants will develop and lead Jewish educational and community initiatives, creating opportunities for women to connect with Jewish traditions, learn together, and strengthen their sense of belonging.

The program’s impact will extend far beyond the 23 participants. As they bring new knowledge, ideas, and connections back to their communities, these emerging leaders will help ensure that Jewish life in Ukraine remains vibrant, relevant, and rooted in strong networks of women supporting one another.