About
Mission & Vision
Avra (they/them) is a white, queer, non-binary, Jewish mystic living on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia. They have over 15 years of experience in Jewish education and have taught in day schools, synagogues ranging from reform to modern Orthodox, college campuses, Moishe Houses, Jewish summer camps, and most recently, through Judaism Unbound’s UnYeshiva. They currently serve as the Music Director at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir.
As a trained Kohenet, Avra believes in the power of prayer and ritual to bring wholeness and healing into our lives. We undergo many transformations throughout our lives, many of which are often unrecognized by society, that could benefit from ritualized witness and support. As such, Avra especially values rituals for life transitions that exist outside of the normative Jewish life spiral.
Rooted in a queer, feminist, earth-honoring lens, Avra deeply believes that the awe-inspiring, complex body of Jewish wisdom has much to offer our tender hearts in today’s world, and loves making Jewish wisdom teachings accessible to all who yearn for them. They are committed to all Jews who seek it having access to femme/queer spiritualities as well as technologies for cultivating intimacy with the Divine.
Additional Work and Educational Background
Avra’s previous work includes serving as the Lead Trainer and Community Organizer at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, in which they helped develop the country’s most transformational, grassroots community oversight body over the Chicago Police Department, oversaw the expansion of the political education program, which included the creation of trainings on the intersection between antisemitism and white supremacy, and worked lovingly to steward the organization in a more abolitionist direction.
Avra deeply appreciates their conservative day school education for their K-12 years, as it gave them a breadth of knowledge in terms of Hebrew, text study, prayer leadership, and Jewish history. Most importantly, it helped show them where and how to look within their own tradition for spiritual meaning.
They received their Bachelor of Arts at Northwestern University where they graduated cum laude, and are currently enrolled in the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr.
“Learning from Kohenet Avra was an incredible, paradigm-shifting experience. They are a beam of light & warmth, a deep listener, and have such a wealth of knowledge to share. Their musical abilities and unique insights into the songs and prayers of Shabbat made me feel seen and welcomed into Judaism in a way I’d never felt before. I said my own prayers to G-d during the Amidah for the first time during one of their services, finally able to access that personal connection with the Divine that I’d always yearned for.”
-Eden Village Camp Staffer