FAQS

  • A kohenet is a Hebrew priestess or priestexx– dedicated to serving as a connection between the human community and the realm of spirit. While traditions of Jewish spiritual leadership that are women-centered or otherwise outside patriarchal norms have often not been recognized, there have been such spiritual leaders from the biblical era up till the present day.

  • Beit Kohenet was founded in 2023 as a learning and prayer community for those who connect to a mystical, earth-based, feminist Jewish practice.

    The Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute existed from 2005 to 2023 and ordained women and non-binary people in an embodied, earth-based, feminist Jewish tradition, as well as convening other learning, prayer, and ritual opportunities. While the KHPI has now closed, Beit Kohenet honors many of the approaches and traditions that the KHPI celebrated.

    You can read about the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute at www.kohenet.org.

  • Currently, Beit Kohenet does not offer an ordination program for kohanot or other spiritual practitioners. However, we do hope we may offer such programs in the future as our resources and staffing allow.

  • Our Our programs are open to all genders except where noted.

  • Beit Kohenet circles can be accessed on a donation basis; for classes, we offer discounts for those in financial need, email liviah@beitkohenet.org. Shabbat prayer services and Torah study sessions are free of charge.

  • Right now, the 501-c3 status of Kohenet is pending, so we cannot offer tax-deductible donations. If you’d like to make a donation anyway, feel free to add your donation to a fee for one of our programs, or contact our Executive Director at liviah@beitkohenet.org.

  • Beit Kohenet has applied for a 501-c3 nonprofit status. Currently, the IRS is delayed in responding to applications from new non-profits. We look forward to letting the community know as soon as we hear from the IRS.

  • Go to our House of Study page and scroll down to the class you want, and pick from among the payment options. Click the button that represents your choice, and you’ll be able to register. We offer an option for paying with one payment or two.

  • Classes are focused on learning particular topics. Circles are opportunities for community connection and discussion. Classes usually meet once a week for a set number of sessions. Circles usually meet monthly. You can sign up for a single circle session; for classes, you must sign up for the whole series.

  • We do not charge for Shabbat services or Torah study. We do charge a fee for holiday programming.

  • Feel free to contact liviah@beitkohenet.org if you’d like to volunteer as a cyber gabbai or in any other way!

  • We do sometimes have in-person Shabbat and holiday experiences. Check our Sacred Gatherings page!

  • Beit Kohenet usually provides a captioner for services and Torah study. For classes, we mainly rely on Zoom’s captioning feature.

  • We do not currently offer one-on-one sessions for potential converts, but anyone is welcome to take our classes and attend our programming.

  • Our teachers and prayer/ritual leaders may be available to conduct programs in your community; reach out to liviah@beitkohenet.org to inquire.

POLICIES

  • Beit Kohenet is committed to maintaining an environment free from sexual misconduct in any form. All members of the Beit Kohenet community are required to work and study in an atmosphere free from sexual harassment. Sexual harassment and the creation of a sexually hostile work environment is against the lawand all employees, participants, and students have a legal right to a workplace and academic environment free from sexual harassment. Employees and students are urged to report sexual harassment by filing a complaint internally with the Beit Kohenet Executive Director. Employees and students can also file a complaint with a government agency or in court under federal, state or local anti-discrimination laws.

  • Beit Kohenet wishes to foster a positive, diverse, welcoming community and we encourage engagement with our posts, which are primarily designed to inform our community of our activities and opportunities to participate. We will remove comments and commenters that are threatening, targeting, shaming, or engaging in personal attacks based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disabilities, or diseases.