Rachel Barenblat
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Through the gift of her poetry and prose, as posted on her highly popular “Velveteen Rabbi” blog site, Rabbi Rachel Barenblat inspires thousands of followers all around the world in addition to her congregants at Congregation Beth Israel. I would never say that I have been a “poetry person,” but I find that Rachel’s gifts with words have the ability to reach right into the deepest longings of my soul. Whether it be a reflection on a specific Jewish practice or a poem on the changing of the seasons, Rachel always has the right words to make us all think a bit deeper and look at our lives through a different, more perceptive lens. In addition to her writing, Rachel is a highly gifted and sought-after teacher, mashpia (spiritual director) and national Jewish leader. She inspires me every day.
— Shoshanna Schechter-Shaffin
+ 1 other nomination
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
