Kerista
Encyclopedia
Kerista was a new religion that was started in New York City
in 1956 by John Peltz "Bro Jud" Presmont. Throughout much of its history, Kerista was centered on the ideals of polyfidelity
and creation of intentional communities
. Kerista underwent several incarnations that later became known as the "Old Tribe," which was associated with a fairly large, but fluid membership. What was called the "New Tribe," a period of more stable membership and ideology, began in 1971 based in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco.
. The Keristans maintained a very high profile which included publication of a popular free newspaper and several national media appearances.
Kerista also produced zine
s that included drawing
s and comics
. Some concerned day-to-day life. Others presented a lighthearted polytheistic
mythology
which revolved around a pantheon of benevolent and technologically adept goddesses and gods. Kerista adopted singer Joan Jett
as the "Matron Saint" of their community. Features presented in the zine included articles and essays concerning life within the community and their proposed World Plan to establish a functional Utopia
n society on a larger scale. The volume of publications and art work produced by Kerista Commune was quite a bit greater than other groups that were active in the Haight Ashbury during this period.
The Keristans shared income and could choose whether or not to have outside paying jobs or work within the community (which operated several businesses, a legally incorporated church and an educational non-profit organization). The most successful of the businesses was Abacus, Inc., an early Macintosh computer vendor in San Francisco, which eventually offered a variety of computer hardware, training and services. At its height, Abacus employed over 250 people and had offices in 5 major California cities. Voted the 33rd and 42nd fastest growing privately held company in America by INC 500 in 1990 & 1991 respectively, Abacus achieved revenues in excess of $25 million per year. Prior to Apple Computer Corporation abandoning the Value-Added Reseller in 1992, Abacus was the number one reseller of Apple Macintosh computers in the bay area in 1991.
The official website lists 33 people as having joined Kerista at various times during the community's history, though more than this number passed through for short time periods. The commune also maintained a very active program of social events and Gestalt-o-rama rap groups. The number of people that spent significant time interacting with the commune members was much larger. The commune functioned a lot like a religious order and was an important focal point for a larger community of people in San Francisco interested in alternative lifestyles. The event sponsored by Kerista were almost always free and non-commercial. In 1979 and 1980, two children were born in the community. In 1983, the adult male Keristans had vasectomies, officially as a means to deal with birth control in the group and address global population issues. All male applicants subsequently had the requirement of having a vasectomy within a set period of time after joining the community. This and many other rules or "standards" were in part responsible for keeping the size of the community small.
In 1991, the community experienced a major split, the founder going on to create The World Academy of Keristan Education. The residential commune dissolved. Several former members of the commune still live in the San Francisco Bay area-a number moved to Hawaii and purchased a block of adjoining parcels of land.
When it was active, Kerista was a major focal point for people interested in alternative and non-monogamous lifestyles. The terms polyfidelity
and compersion
were coined at the Kerista Commune. The commune developed an entire vocabulary around alternative lifestyles-for example their term polyintimacy in their literature was similar the term popularized as polyamory
years later. Entrance to the commune was extremely selective-and included a 6 month waiting period and a screening for STD's including HIV.
John (Bro Jud) Presmont died on December 13, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. In his last years, Jud had been seen regularly on 'The Bro Jud Show' on San Francisco public-access television
cable TV. One of the children raised in the commune graduated from medical school in 2010, and volunteered for the relief effort in Haiti. A former member of the commune was nominated for an Emmy in 2006-and is an active film producer. In 1998, Robert Furchgott, the father of Eve Furchgott(also known as Even Eve and Susan Furchgott) won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for a scientific breakthrough that was important in the creation of Viagra and several other drugs.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1956 by John Peltz "Bro Jud" Presmont. Throughout much of its history, Kerista was centered on the ideals of polyfidelity
Polyfidelity
Polyfidelity is a form of polyamory where all members are considered equal partners and agree to be sexually active only with other members of the group. The term originated in the Kerista Village commune in San Francisco which practiced polyfidelity from 1971 to 1991...
and creation of intentional communities
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
. Kerista underwent several incarnations that later became known as the "Old Tribe," which was associated with a fairly large, but fluid membership. What was called the "New Tribe," a period of more stable membership and ideology, began in 1971 based in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco.
History
From 1971 until 1991, the community was centered at the Kerista Commune (not a single physical building), founded in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The Keristans maintained a very high profile which included publication of a popular free newspaper and several national media appearances.
Kerista also produced zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
s that included drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
s and comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
. Some concerned day-to-day life. Others presented a lighthearted polytheistic
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
which revolved around a pantheon of benevolent and technologically adept goddesses and gods. Kerista adopted singer Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
as the "Matron Saint" of their community. Features presented in the zine included articles and essays concerning life within the community and their proposed World Plan to establish a functional Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n society on a larger scale. The volume of publications and art work produced by Kerista Commune was quite a bit greater than other groups that were active in the Haight Ashbury during this period.
The Keristans shared income and could choose whether or not to have outside paying jobs or work within the community (which operated several businesses, a legally incorporated church and an educational non-profit organization). The most successful of the businesses was Abacus, Inc., an early Macintosh computer vendor in San Francisco, which eventually offered a variety of computer hardware, training and services. At its height, Abacus employed over 250 people and had offices in 5 major California cities. Voted the 33rd and 42nd fastest growing privately held company in America by INC 500 in 1990 & 1991 respectively, Abacus achieved revenues in excess of $25 million per year. Prior to Apple Computer Corporation abandoning the Value-Added Reseller in 1992, Abacus was the number one reseller of Apple Macintosh computers in the bay area in 1991.
The official website lists 33 people as having joined Kerista at various times during the community's history, though more than this number passed through for short time periods. The commune also maintained a very active program of social events and Gestalt-o-rama rap groups. The number of people that spent significant time interacting with the commune members was much larger. The commune functioned a lot like a religious order and was an important focal point for a larger community of people in San Francisco interested in alternative lifestyles. The event sponsored by Kerista were almost always free and non-commercial. In 1979 and 1980, two children were born in the community. In 1983, the adult male Keristans had vasectomies, officially as a means to deal with birth control in the group and address global population issues. All male applicants subsequently had the requirement of having a vasectomy within a set period of time after joining the community. This and many other rules or "standards" were in part responsible for keeping the size of the community small.
In 1991, the community experienced a major split, the founder going on to create The World Academy of Keristan Education. The residential commune dissolved. Several former members of the commune still live in the San Francisco Bay area-a number moved to Hawaii and purchased a block of adjoining parcels of land.
When it was active, Kerista was a major focal point for people interested in alternative and non-monogamous lifestyles. The terms polyfidelity
Polyfidelity
Polyfidelity is a form of polyamory where all members are considered equal partners and agree to be sexually active only with other members of the group. The term originated in the Kerista Village commune in San Francisco which practiced polyfidelity from 1971 to 1991...
and compersion
Compersion
Compersion is a state of empathetic happiness and joy experienced when an individual's current or former romantic partner experiences happiness and joy through an outside source, including, but not limited to, another romantic interest...
were coined at the Kerista Commune. The commune developed an entire vocabulary around alternative lifestyles-for example their term polyintimacy in their literature was similar the term popularized as polyamory
Polyamory
Polyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
years later. Entrance to the commune was extremely selective-and included a 6 month waiting period and a screening for STD's including HIV.
John (Bro Jud) Presmont died on December 13, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. In his last years, Jud had been seen regularly on 'The Bro Jud Show' on San Francisco public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV. One of the children raised in the commune graduated from medical school in 2010, and volunteered for the relief effort in Haiti. A former member of the commune was nominated for an Emmy in 2006-and is an active film producer. In 1998, Robert Furchgott, the father of Eve Furchgott(also known as Even Eve and Susan Furchgott) won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for a scientific breakthrough that was important in the creation of Viagra and several other drugs.
External links
- Official website
- "Test Tube Lovers: Kerista's Ambiguous Utopia" by Annalee NewitzAnnalee NewitzAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. She received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 she was a policy analyst...
- "Free Love and Selling Macs" by Leander Kahney (ex-Keristan disputed account of "seduction squads" mentioned in article)