‘We won’t ever leave’: Keshet Europe’s fight for Jewish LGBT+ inclusion

Earlier this month, Jewish LGBT+ organisation Dayenu welcomed the news that members of the anti-Zionist group Pride in Protest had been voted off the board of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. For the last three years, Pride in Protest had targeted Dayenu online and protested its participation in the parade, accusing the organisation of being “pro-genocide.”

The situation is not unique to Australia. Across Europe, Jewish people and organisations have also experienced increasing hostility within LGBT+ spaces, prompting Jewish groups to strengthen ties and build new communities of support.

Launched in June 2025, Keshet Europe is a pan-European network that connects Jewish LGBT+ organisations and raises awareness of the experiences of LGBT+ Jews across the continent. It works to address the intersecting forms of discrimination faced by LGBT+ Jews, including homophobia and transphobia in Jewish communities and antisemitism in LGBT+ spaces.

This week, Keshet will host its second Annual Network Summit at Berlin Pride. Over four days, LGBT+ Jews from across Europe will march in the Berlin Pride parade, attend panel discussions, enjoy picnics and theatre shows, and come together for an inclusive Shabbat dinner. 

“This is really about the lived experience of an intersectional community,” says Ariel Heller, an Italian Jewish LGBT+ activist and chair of Keshet Europe. “It’s us wanting to be fully ourselves, not to choose parts of our identities to make others feel comfortable. That will never happen.”

While the summit is a celebration of community and resilience, it comes against a backdrop of growing tensions within LGBT+ spaces.