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Team SVARA

There are so many incredible folks behind the bet midrash! Get to know more about our staff and faculty below.

Amir Starr Weg

he/him
Learning Manager
Amir Weg moved to Chicago in 2009 after a brief stint hanging out in the Kosher Halal Co-op at Oberlin College. In Summer 2011 he participated in The Adamah Fellowship, a three-month Jewish ecology and leadership program, which nurtured his love of…

Ari Lev Fornari

he/him
Faculty
Ari Lev Fornari is the Rabbi at Kol Tzedek Synagogue, a Voice for Justice in West Philadelphia. He is a White, queer, trans person, of Ashkenazi and Italian descent. He does not take for granted those who came before him who made…

Ayana Morse

she/her
Executive Director
Ayana Morse is a community builder and change agent, with over 15 years of experience in non-profit management, Jewish education and community building. Her work focuses on sustainable organizational growth, designing authentic community experiences, and developing meaningful access points to Jewish culture and tradition. Ayana is a national thought…
Rabbi Becky is visible from the shoulders up. He is wearing a pink v-neck t-shirt, and is smiling with his head tilted slightly to the right. He is standing in front of a blurred bushy background, with some flowers visible.

Becky Silverstein

he/him
SVARA Faculty
Rabbi Becky Silverstein believes in the power of community, Torah, and silliness in transforming the world. He strives to build a Jewish community and world that encourages and allows everyone to live a life that reflects their inherent divinity / dignity. Becky…

Benay Lappe

she/her
President and Rosh Yeshiva
Watch Rabbi Lappe’s ELI Talk or TEDx Talk, or read some of her essays. Ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary in 1997, Benay Lappe founded SVARA in 2003. An award-winning educator specializing in the application of queer theory to Talmud study, Benay has…

Deborah Newbrun

she/her
Director of Queer Talmud Camps
Deborah Newbrun is the founder of Get Set Go Community Adventures. Her career as a preeminent Jewish environmental leader spans 30 years, including serving 25 years as the Director of Camp Tawonga and four years as Hazon’s Director in the Bay Area.…

Bronwen Mullin

she/her
Faculty
Rabbi Bronwen Mullin (ord. 2017, MA Midrash JTS, BA in Theater and Religious Studies, Sarah Lawrence College) is the rabbi of Carov, an independent mishkan with a mission in Jersey City, and was the first-ever appointed Rabbinic Artist-in-Residence of the Jewish Theological…
Elli Krandel is standing against a brick wall on a sunny day. She is wearing glasses and a blue dress and is smiling.

Elli Krandel

she/her
Development Director
A lifelong Illinois resident, Elli grew up on a farm in Woodstock before attending the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign to study macroeconomics. After moving to Chicago for a year of service with Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, Elli began honing her craft…

Ellie Spitz

they/them
Operations Director
Best described as an enthusiastic camp counselor, Ellie Spitz is a queer community builder with a passion for creating inclusive space. They are a social worker who believes in deeply interrogating inequities in the system. Prior to coming to SVARA, they spent seven years…

James Evans

he/him
Admissions & Student Engagement Manager
James Evans has been a Chicago resident since the fall of 2012 and has been an active SVARA learner since 2016.  He attended Florida State University, where he studied Political Science and French. As an Eagle Scout, his personal motto is “Always…
Jess is outside and looks at the camera. They have short hair, glasses, and a dark blue shirt. There are a few trees and shrubs in the background of the image.

Jess Belasco

they/them
Director of Disability Justice Torah Circle
Jess Belasco is a radical torah teacher, organizer, and community convener primarily focused on disabled and queer Jewish communities. They were ordained as a rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where they focused on midrash, TaNaKh, and pastoral care, and were a…
Kendra stands in front of an orange wall and smiles at the camera. They are wearing a gray sweater and blue denim jacket.

Kendra Saperstein

they/them
Rabbinic Intern
Kendra Saperstein is a connector of people and seeks to be a truth-teller and generous human. Through their love of our people, Kendra works to strengthen the relationships of Jews of Color across the Midwest and beyond, by weaving the past, present…

Elliot Kukla

he/they
Faculty
Elliot Kukla is a rabbi, chaplain, author, artist, and activist. His writing appears in many places including Them, the Los Angeles Times, and regularly in The New York Times and Sunday Review. He was the first openly transgender rabbi ordained by a denomination in Judaism, Hebrew Union…

Julie Batz

she/her
Faculty
Julie Batz is passionate about delving into Judaism’s texts and traditions in accessible and meaningful ways with all who are curious to explore! This has been the throughline of her more than two decades of work as a Jewish educator, congregational leader,…

Laynie Soloman

they/them
Associate Rosh Yeshiva
Laynie Soloman is a passionate teacher of Jewish text and thought, and they believe deeply in the power of Talmud study as a healing and liberatory spiritual practice. They love facilitating Jewish learning that uplifts the piously irreverent, queer, and subversive spirit…

Maggie Kraus

they/them
Communications Director
Maggie Kraus was born on the sixth day of Sukkot and has been in love with the fall ever since. They are trained as a landscape architect and spent many years working in the realm of affordable housing and urban / rural planning. Over…

Mónica Gomery

she/her
Faculty
Mónica Gomery grew up in a Venezuelan Ashkenazi household both in Boston and Caracas, and now lives on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia. She received ordination from the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in 2017. Mónica is passionate about supporting people who…
Nat is smiling and looking at the camera. They are wearing an orange plaid shirt and brown glasses.

Nat Cohen

they/them
Program Coordinator
Nat Cohen took their first SVARA class, Queer Talmud for Beginner’s Mind, in the spring of 2022. They were bowled over by the joy they felt studying Talmud in this community, and they’re so excited to support fellow SVARA-niks and keep learning.…

Olivia Devorah Tucker

they/them
Program Coordinator
Olivia Devorah Tucker fell in love with Talmud when the local Moishe House asked them to lead a Unicorn themed Shabbat. They couldn’t resist the deep dive into Judaism’s supernatural creatures and have never resurfaced – the books on Jewish myth, magic,…
Ren is a white butch with glasses, a large green scarf, and a denim jacket. They are jauntily standing in front of a field of corn stocks.

Ren Finkel

they/them
Emergent Programs Coordinator
Ren Finkel is a chronically ill multimedia artist, community organizer, and rabbinical school drop-out in Philadelphia. They’re in a long-distance relationship with Pittsburgh, where they first learned about anti-capitalism and were brought back to Jewish practice. They are deeply committed to healing…