New 6-week class: Cripping the Torah

Written By Elliot Kukla

with new SVARA faculty Rabbi Elliot Kukla

Thursdays, Feb. 17 - March 31, 2022 (skip Purim, March 17)
4:00-5:30 PM EST | 3:00-4:30 PM CST | 12:00-1:30 PM PST | 6 sessions

Photo: a page of Talmud surrounded by green, growing plants, and the tubing and mask of my CPAP machine vines around the margins as well as a blue and yellow pill case.

Photo description: A page of Talmud surrounded by green, growing plants. The tubing and mask of my CPAP machine vines around the margins.

In this 6-week class, we will examine a number of core concepts in oral and written Torah through a disabled lens. Topics will include creation in the Divine image, shabbat, mourning and remembrance, and more.

We will explore classical Jewish texts in dialogue with the writing of contemporary (mostly BIPOC) Disability Justice thinkers like Patricia Berne, Alice Wong, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Talila Lewis. “Cripping” refers to looking at a subject through a disabled lens, similar to the concept of “queering” a text. You don’t have to be disabled to “crip” the Torah; you just have to be open to the idea of upending dominant narratives of the body/mind.

All are welcome. No background knowledge or beliefs are required for this class. Texts will be in English translation. Closed captioning and frequent breaks are provided; other access needs will be accommodated as needed.

For more information or to register, go to https://svara.org/learning/spring-zman-2022/#crip


Elliot Kukla
Next

Communal Loss and Adaptation Project (CLAP) awarded seed funding