The Talmud tells us that in order to shape Jewish tradition, one needs both gemirna (rigorous learning) and sevirna (deep moral intuition). At SVARA, we believe that people who have navigated the world from the margins often carry an essential kind of sevirna: a deeper capacity to sense injustice, imagine alternatives, and hold complexity. As Judaism — and the world — continues its ongoing crash, we are responding not only with more learning, but with learning for those whose insights are critical to the future of our tradition, and have too often been excluded. By pairing deep immersion in Talmud with the wisdom unique to marginalized people, we cultivate leaders equipped to build a more just, compassionate, and liberatory Jewish tradition.
The Gemirna Kollel will meet twice a week, Monday and Thursday, 2:00-4:00 PM ET, October 19, 2025–May 20, 2026. Students are expected to attend every shiur and meet independently with their chevruta for 4-hours each week.
Applications for the Gemirna Kollel must be submitted by Monday, May 25. After reviewing applications, our faculty admissions team will invite select applicants to a brief learning session. If you haven’t learned with SVARA previously, we highly encourage you to connect with one of our faculty members for a discovery call before applying.