Mission & Vision

SVARA’s mission is to empower queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study.

We believe that the spiritual practice of Talmud study, particularly as it’s done at SVARA, shapes learners into the kind of people who are moved to, equipped to, and courageous enough to bring about a more just and equitable world.

SVARA envisions a future in which liberatory expressions of Judaism equip individuals and communities to realize a just and healed world.

Through our strategic focus areas, we support a growing base of people for whom Talmud study is a transformative spiritual practice: a roadmap for making radical change rooted in tradition, led by leaders of the Jewish future.

We developed our first formal strategic plan through a process supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation and guided by TCC Group. We believe this plan identifies a clear path toward realizing the just and liberatory Jewish future that we know is possible.