Culture, Education, Heritage

Qesher

About this project

There are Jewish communities all around the globe with their own unique history, culture, places, people, and stories. The aim of Qesher is to connect these different Jewish traditions. Qesher invites local experts, researchers, and tour guides, who are also active members of their communities, to give an online presentation offering an overview of the history, culture, and their own present-day activities. The audience is generally Jewish people from North America, Europe, and Israel, but Qesher is open to anyone who wishes to join, and part of the money collected is donated to a local community or project.

Why is it important?

Jewish communities are often isolated and know little about each other’s history and culture. Due to the extent of Jewish migration in the last century, people usually don’t even know the culture and background of their own families. Thanks to Qesher, communities can start getting to know other Jewish groups around the world, often find answers about their own identity and heritage and connect to those who can help them with further questions. Qesher has given a platform for these connections and for people to experience their heritage is just as unique and important as the more well-known ones.

Why is it special?

Qesher aims to create interactive sessions, longer than usual, thus creating a space for conversations, sharing stories, and asking questions. Qesher offers three different participation fees, so people can decide how much they can afford. Those who would like to donate to the institution and help in making Qesher sustainable can choose to contribute a higher amount. Qesher also offers free events to introduce the supported projects and a lot of extra content like articles and magazines, so people can learn besides the paid events. The magazine also creates a platform to tell some of the stories of the participants.