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“Thrilling, creative, accessible, queer. Would you believe us if we told you we were describing the Talmud, the foundational work of rabbinic Judaism?”

– Julie Batz and Noah Westreich, SVARA Teaching Fellows

For two decades SVARA has offered immersive, joyful, and radical learning that centers queer and trans folks.

No matter who you are or how you identify, we invite you to dive into our offerings.

SVARA 101

Explore what we learn and how we learn it

Upcoming Events

Our calendar of virtual gatherings

Summer 2023

Join our season of growth and abundance

SVARA 101

No matter where you are in your learning journey, we want you to feel at home at SVARA.

Scroll through the sidebar to identify the starting point that most resonates with you. We’ll help you find a good place to dive in.

I’m new!

We’re so glad you’re here! All learning at SVARA starts with the CRASH Talk. You’re also invited to check out these “I’m new” resources:

I want to find community.

One of the best ways to build community at SVARA is by attending our daily 30-minute learning space Mishnah Collective. We also offer a collection of affinity spaces with spiritual frameworks and recurring community events. Check out the Trans Halakha Project, the Disability Justice Torah Circle, and the Communal Loss Adaptation Project.

I want to go deeper with my Talmud practice.

We can relate! Nurture an independent Talmud practice, or consider entering one of our teacher training programs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SVARA events are community-centered spaces to learn with and from each other. Check back here to know what’s coming!

COMMUNITY-LED LEARNING

Check out these offerings led by folks who have found a home in the SVARA bet midrash.

The Jewish Fabulous Research Parties | Mondays, July 10th, 17th and 24th at 6 – 8 PM ET
Offered collaboratively by Toby King and Cliel Shdaimah

The Jewish Fabulous is an artistic and educational resource dedicated to providing Queer-Jews pathways to their textual ancestors. We are celebrating and expanding on their stories through continuing the centuries-long tradition of radically interpreting Jewish sacred texts by joyously and purposefully reading Queerness into them.

We are calling on our SVARA community to help bolster this project by joining us for three intensive sessions of collaborative learning and deep-dive text study. We are looking for folks who want to stretch and expand their research skills, and go searching for midrash and commentaries in text and online. Each session, we’ll provide a few figures of interest and potential Queer readings of them as a jumping off point for solo and chevrutah-ed resource gathering. Sign up to attend any or all sessions, and learn more here!

Revolutionary Reading Group | Every other Wednesday beginning May 3, 2023
Offered collaboratively by The New Synagogue Project, Shel Maala, the Torah Studio, and Synagogues Rising

Last month, the Trans Halakha Project released eleven glittering gems of brand-new knowledge into the world: ten teshuvot, practical papers on applying Jewish law to our lives, each written on a different facet of the trans experience, and Tefillat Trans, a pocket-sized prayerbook of Jewish blessings and rituals for moments of trans experience. Their authors create “euphoric halakha”—not dysphoric halakha—by bringing their own experiences of transness to questions of transness as has never been done before in Jewish history. Join the Revolutionary Reading Group as they hold one another accountable in learning from and bearing witness to these euphoric halakha resources.

QueerCoreTalmud | Sundays, July 16-August 20, 2023
Offered by SVARA Fellows Maggid Jhos Singer and Julie Batz

Check out this uplifting, queer-normative, and inclusive 6-week combination of Original Ink and QueerCore Talmud, through the Beit Midrash of the JCC of San Francisco. Class information and registration available starting June 5.

SUMMER AT SVARA

We’ve designed some offerings that support deepening in all directions for learners of all backgrounds.

SVARA-nik Gallery

A brand new digital space to share and discover artistic expressions of queer Talmud. Whether you create pottery, noise-music, poetry, leather, experimental art, or something in between, your work is welcome!

DIY Chevruta

New and improved resources for you and your chevruta to learn together outside of the SVARA bet midrash! This is for folks who have participated in SVARA-style learning before and are interested in cultivating an ongoing Talmud practice.

Community Connections

Throughout the summer, we’ll be scheduling casual meet-ups hosted by SVARA teachers, fairies, and staff to connect! There are also microgrants available to folks who want to host their own gatherings.