Bronwen Mullin

( she/her )
Faculty

Rabbi Bronwen Mullin (ord. 2017, MA Midrash JTS, BA in Theater and Religious Studies, Sarah Lawrence College) is a graduate of the very first Teaching Kollel of SVARA and has been honored to serve on the faculty ever since. When not at SVARA she serves as the Cantor of Congregation Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware. Rabbi Bronwen has also held teaching positions at JTS, The Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, The Academy of Jewish Religion in New York, Art Kibbutz New York (where she also served as Artistic Director), the Romemu Yeshiva, the JCC of Manhattan, and the 14th Street Y. When not doing any of that she is making original, strange works of Jewish theater and installation.

Selected works include: “Chalom: A Dream Opera” (Hebrew/Aramaic, International Fringe Festival/FringeNYC 2012); “Bat Yiftach: A Tragic Punk Opera” (English/Hebrew, The Kreischer Mansion 2016) and “Ca’asi Revaya: Nigunim For A Raging Heart” (album release Winter 2022), and “The Oven of Aknai” (The Rabbinic Arts Company at The Fallser Club, 2024). But SVARA is where she gets to practice fully her most beloved art form—radical Judaism.

Blog posts by Bronwen Mullin

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 4 Mishnah 1 Pt. 4

נְתָנוֹ עַל שְׁנֵי הַשְּׂעִירִים וְאוֹמֵר לַיי חַטָּאת Then [the High Priest] placed [the two lots] upon the two goats and…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 4 Mishnah 1 Pt. 2

 הַסְּגָן בִּימִינוֹ וְרֹאשׁ בֵּית אָב מִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ The deputy [was] to [the High Priest’s] right, and the head of the patrilineal…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 11 Pt. 3

הֻגְרַס בֶּן לֵוִי הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ פֶּרֶק בַּשִּׁיר וְלֹא רָצָה לְלַמֵּד Hugras ben Levi knew a chapter of music and he…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 10 Pt. 6

וְאַף הִיא עָשְׂתָה טַבְלָא שֶׁל זָהָב שֶׁפָּרָשַׁת סוֹטָה כְתוּבָה עָלֶיהָ [Queen Hilni] also made a golden tablet on which the…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 9 Pt. 2

הַסְּגָן מִימִינוֹ וְרֹאשׁ בֵּית אָב מִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ The deputy was to [The High Priest’s] right, and the head of the patrilineal…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 8 Pt. 8

כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת משֶׁה עַבְדֶּךָ (ויקרא טז) כִּי בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם As it is written in the Torah of Moses,…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 7 Pt. 4

 וּבֵין הָעַרְבַּיִם שֶׁל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מָנֶה And in the afternoon he would wear garments worth twelve maneh. Over the last…

That Moment of Joyful Discovery

We’re coming toward the end of a zman זמן (inside translation: time, outside translation: semester of learning) here at SVARA.…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 5 Pt. 1

קְטֹרֶת שֶׁל שַׁחַר הָיְתָה קְרֵבָה בֵּין דָּם לָאֵבָרִים The morning incense was burned between the [receiving and sprinkling of] blood…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 4 Pt. 3

הֵבִיאוּ לוֹ בִגְדֵי זָהָב וְלָבַשׁ וְקִדֵּשׁ יָדָיו וְרַגְלָיו Then they brought him the golden garments, and he dressed in the…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 3 Mishnah 1 Pt. 1

אָמַר לָהֶם הַמְמֻנֶּה צְאוּ וּרְאוּ אִם הִגִּיעַ זְמַן הַשְּׁחִיטָה The appointed [priest] said to [the other priests], “Go out and…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 2 Mishnah 7 Pt. 5

בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים בְּקָרְבְּנוֹת צִבּוּר אֲבָל בְּקָרְבַּן יָחִיד אִם רָצָה לְהַקְרִיב מַקְרִיב In what [case] is this statement said, [that…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 2 Mishnah 6 Pt. 1

אַיִל קָרֵב בְּאַחַד עָשָׂר הַבָּשָׂר בַּחֲמִשָּׁה הַקְּרָבַיִם וְהַסֹּלֶת וְהַיַּיִן בִּשְׁנַיִם שְׁנָיִם A ram is sacrificed by eleven [priests]. The flesh…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 2 Mishnah 3 Pt. 3

וּהָרֹאשׁ וְהָרֶגֶל וּשְׁתֵּי הַיָּדַיִם הָעֹקֶץ וְהָרֶגֶל הֶחָזֶה וְהַגֵּרָה וּשְׁתֵּי הַדְּפָנוֹת וְהַקְּרָבַיִם The head and the [right] leg [were carried by…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 2 Mishnah 3 Pt. 1

הַפַּיִס הַשֵּׁנִי מִי שׁוֹחֵט מִי זוֹרֵק וּמִי מְדַשֵּׁן מִזְבֵּחַ הַפְּנִימִי The second lottery was regarding who slaughters [the daily morning…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 2 Mishnah 2 Pt. 2

וְדָחַף אֶחָד מֵהֶן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ וְנָפַל וְנִשְׁבְּרָה רַגְלוֹ …and one of them pushed the other and he fell and his…

When We Gather in Wonder

Something pretty darn exciting is happening next month. For the first time in what feels like a long time, our…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 1 Mishnah 5 Pt. 7

הוּא פוֹרֵשׁ וּבוֹכֶה וְהֵן פּוֹרְשִׁין וּבוֹכִין [The High Priest] would leave and weep, and they would leave and weep. We…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 1 Mishnah 4 Pt. 3

מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַמַּאֲכָל מֵבִיא אֶת הַשֵּׁנָה…because food induces sleep. As I was enjoying my yogurt and mango while y’all were in…

Mishnah Yoma Chapter 1 Mishnah 3 Pt. 4

עֶרֶב יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שַׁחֲרִית מַעֲמִידִין אוֹתוֹ בְּשַׁעַר מִזְרָח On the morning of Yom Kippur eve, the Elders stand [The High…

As Our Learning Leads to Action

In preparation for the start of this zman (semester) of learning at SVARA, which many of us began this week,…

A Season of So Many Questions

As a member of SVARA’s teaching team, I get asked a lot of questions. Being in conversation with our learning…

To Know and Be Known

A few weeks back, it fell on me to give a benediction at a breakfast for the Boy Scouts of…

She Shall Inscribe Her Hand to God

For the last thirteen years, I’ve been an advisor to my Jewish friends, congregants, students and colleagues about their tattoos.…

A Strange Dance With Mourning

This Saturday night, Jews around the world will observe the holiday of Tisha B’Av, which is a strange holiday for…

A World of More Chevruta

I would have never made it through rabbinical school without my chevruta, Rabbi Emily Barton. Emily always knew how to…

How We Question

I like to think that our fairy-Rabbi-ancestors would have been proud to watch their descendants witness the nomination of the…

Call Me By Your Baraita

Who knew that reciting a baraita—one of the bits of text in the Talmud from the Tannaim, the Rabbis of…