December Update

Below is the information from our DECEMBER UPDATE> Please check the information that follows and notice the “Action Steps” identified below.

QUEER SHIUR

Our second Queer Shiur is THIS SUNDAY (12/20) from 2:00 PM-3:00 PM ET / 1:00-2:30 PM CT / 11:00 AM-12:30 PM PT! We’ll be learning with Dr. Julia Watts Belser about the intersection of queerness & disability justice in her life and in her Torah. It will be a stellar time, followed by some unpacking and informal cross-cohort community-building together in smaller groups. Y’all should have an invite to the event with a Zoom link in your calendars. I’ll send it again to each of you on Sunday morning so that no one gets lost!

WINTER WORKSHOPS

From January 11th – February 8th we’ll have our WINTER TERM. Next week I’ll add the schedule of our exciting workshops that we’ll be moving through during that time to deepen our learning on COMP, create space for reflection and learning together about what we’re noticing in our practica, and deepen our thinking about power and how it shows up in our selves and our batei midrash.
On February 15th, we’ll pick up with our self-facilitated weekly shiur, where we’ll be teaching each other the first sugya from Masechet Ta’anit. In January, I’ll add a breakdown of the text with a place for y’all to sign up for the date(s) you’d like to teach. For now, you and your chevruta should prep the first sugya (including the mishnah), through the word :פרנסה. You might need to schedule additional time to meet, or you might cover this material during your regularly scheduled chevruta. (Masechet Ta’anit should be arriving at your door any day now!)

SPRING PRACTICA & FAIRYING

I know that some of you are deep into your fall practica, some of you are still brainstorming, and some of you have wrapped up your teaching! Wherever you are is just perfect. We are now looking ahead to our Spring Practica, which will have the same structure as our Fall Practica, in that you’ll be able to fulfill it in one of three ways: (1) facilitating your own multi-week SVARA-method batei midrash, (2) incorporating SVARA’s method into your current teaching in some meaningful way, (3) fairying in a faculty-led SVARA shiur/bet midrash.
If you are interested in fairying either as your spring practicum or in addition to whatever you’re cooking up for this spring, please check out this form here, which has the information about the classes that SVARA is offering, along with some updated information about compensation for this upcoming round.

Join us here for Queer Shiur with Dr. Julia Watts Belser on Sunday, December 20th from 2:00-3:30 PM ET.
Please fill out the following survey about fairying in February/March batei midrash before December 21st.
Between now and February 15th, learn the first sugya of Masechet Ta’anit with your chevruta. (Start at the beginning, and finish on page 2b at the two dots with the final word :פרנסה.) Get ready to meet again starting on January 11th from 12:30-2:30 PM ET on Mondays for our Winter Workshops!