SVARA’s mission is to empower queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study. We envision a future in which liberatory expressions of Judaism equip individuals and communities to realize a just and healed world.
We understand the Jewish tradition not as a static inheritance but rather a flexible, adaptive legacy committed to change. By studying the ways the Rabbis overturned and upgraded their laws to create a more just society for their time, our students uncover pathways to make similar change in our own time.
SVARA is strengthening individuals, communities, and the tradition to animate a more liberatory future. And as our learners bring their insights, their experiments, and the manifestations of their learning to bear, we know the future will be brighter for all of us.
Together with our stakeholders, staff, faculty, and board members, throughout 2023 we explored several models for SVARA’s future. Manifesting the Jewish Future, the outcome of that collective dreaming and building, charts a beautiful and strong path forward for our yeshiva.
