Don’t call them ‘fringe’: Innovative Jewish groups seek respect from the mainstream February 18, 2021 12:56 pm Keshira haLev Fife, a kohenet (Hebrew priestess), is the founder and leader of Kesher Pittsburgh, an independent, post-denominational Jewish community. (Courtesy of Fife) Advertisement (New York Jewish Week via JTA) — Keshira haLev Fife is well known in the Jewish community of her native Pittsburgh, where she conducts Shabbat services and Hebrew school classes. But she’s not your average prayer leader or educator. As a self-described “proud Jewish woman of color,” she said she “sprinkles sparkles, disrupts expectations and offers blessings in the service of the Divine.”