Choveret chever v’kohelet b’midbar
Tier of Magical Knots, Gatherer of People at The Origin
Keshira haLev Fife (she/they series pronouns) is a Kohenet (Hebrew Priestess) and queer, bi-racial Jewish woman, who sprinkles sparkles, disrupts expectations, counters oppression and offers blessings wherever she goes.
In service to the Divine, to her ancestors, and to those who are coming up after her, she serves as a community weaver, reclaiming ancient practices in ways that are resonant and relevant in the modern day. She pours love and intention into her work as Founding Kohenet of Kesher Pittsburgh, Program Director of Beloved, and Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and she also enjoys working with Kirva, the Avodah Institute for Social Change, and the Jewish Learning Collaborative. She is also proud to be the former Oreget Kehilah (Executive Director) of Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute. Additionally, she enjoys serving (locally and internationally) as a davennatrix (shlichat tzibbur), life spiral ceremony/ritual creatrix, teacher, facilitator, liturgist and songstress.
Keshira finds inspiration as an avid traveler and has been humbled by her experience as a scholar of the Orphan Wisdom School. As a result, she is committed to making space for unlearning/learning as dual-pursuits, tending the community hearth, holding space for challenging conversations, learning to live with paradox and welcoming grief as her constant companion.
She enjoys reaching across timezones, generations, faiths and identities, inviting people to reflect, connect, and find their edges so that they can live more fully and connect more deeply. Whether guiding Kabbalat Shabbat or officiating life-spiral ceremonies, Keshira curates with cultural sensitivity and leads with joyful human-ness, creating a sense of warmth and welcome. She broadens prayer experiences so that each being can show up - as a participant, a witness, a seeker, or a skeptic, and be honoured as a pray-er, just as they are. As a ritual creatrix, she brings a sense of wholeness, fullness and blessing to each threshold, enhancing moments which are, at once, deeply personal and universal.
Whether teaching, holding gathering space or guiding ritual, Keshira is committed to augmenting the Jewish landscape by weaving community on the margins, braiding spirituality and activism, and bringing graceful fierceness to Jewish leadership. She believes that countering oppression is love in action and holds the promise of collective liberation at the heart of everything that she does.
Keshira was ordained as a Kohenet (Hebrew Priestess) in July 2017 and earned her BS (Social History) and MS (Public Policy and Management) at Carnegie Mellon University. A dual-citizen of the US and Australia, in August 2018, she and her beloved returned to Osage and Haudenosenee land, also called Pittsburgh, PA.