Ren Finkel

( they/them )
Emergent Programs Coordinator

Ren Finkel is a multimedia artist, community organizer, and student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. They’re in a long distance relationship with Pittsburgh, where they majored in Photojournalism, first learned about anti-capitalism, and were brought back to Jewish practice. They are deeply committed to healing work and restorative justice.

After a summer at Queer Talmud Camp, studying ancestral Jewish text has become the heart of their spiritual practice. They tend to study Talmud with a 2:1 ratio of respect to irreverence. In their spare time they like to make Sefaria source sheets, specifically about how gay certain Talmudic Rabbis are, specifically Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish—and all they need is one line of Berakhot to prove that Rabbi Gamliel was a twink who believed in disability justice.

Blog posts by Ren Finkel

Letting Go of Our Lizard

This Elul, SVARA’s Mishnah Collective is taking some time to dive into Rambam’s Hilkhot Teshuva. In true Rambam fashion, his…

Not a Rabbi, Not Yet a Rav

After years of working in the service industry, making ends meet as best I could in the gig economy, I…

A Love Letter to Mishnah Collective

This time next week, SVARA’s daily drop-in Mishnah Collective will be completing its exploration of Pirkei Avot. I began coordinating…

Hadran Alakh, Indeed!

Mishnah Collective will be making a triumphant return to Mishnah Avot Chapter 6 in just a couple of weeks. This…