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CREATING A BEAUTIFUL JEWISH FUTURE R achel Rosenbluth’04 is at home on the road and feels most alive when she is in the Holy Land. “Bialik’s emphasis on the cultural experience of Judaism really allowed me to feel comfortable in Israeli society and that’s not something I take for granted,” she says. Rachel, or “Bluth’’ as she’s been known since the nickname stuck as a 9-year-old at Camp Shalom, makes her home between Toronto and Tel Aviv. Yet she lives a nomadic life, frequently traveling to explore different cultures, religious and spiritual communities. It’s the cultural and social connections from Bialik that she really values, calling two Bialik school friends her closest to this day. The many songs she learned are still part of her repertoire now as a Rabbi. “I got a good foundation of values and cultural education, a positive relationship with Israel that has led me to continue meaningful work there,” she says. As a teenager, Rachel spent summers in Israel working on farms, on a kibbutz or taking whatever volunteer trips she could. She studied both international development and religion at McGill University, combining her values of social justice with her desire to seek more spirituality. She always thought she’d be a doctor, veterinarian or even an architect. As she continued to question the root causes of world issues and furthered her spiritual studies, she found a place for her love of organizing groups, ritual and Jewish joy. “The issues of the world called me to address them through Jewish spiritual and communal work,” she says. “How we show up every day affects the world.”
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WE HAVE A STRONG COMMUNITY THAT CAN COME TOGETHER IN CREATION OF A BETTER WORLD.
So Rav Bluth calls upon her Jewish orthodox rabbinical training, in addition to Hasidic teachings and multiple sources from the Jewish spectrum and beyond, to empower people to live more meaningful lives. “I love the beauty and aesthetic of Judaism and offer a way to learn, have ownership and participate in Judaism with creativity, critical thinking and curiosity,” she explains. That includes working with the organization Living Jewishly to develop a curriculum to help people understand the vast spiritual toolbox available to them. “The way we teach Shabbat is to talk about it in the context of our lives, worklife balance and the value of rest as it relates to our hectic lives today,” she says, adding, “Prayer is a tool to ground ourselves.” Rachel brings this accessible and creative approach to her ongoing work supporting Israeli-Palestinian justice. She was the founder and program director for Achvat Amim’s Ruchani Track fivemonth volunteer program in Jerusalem, completed the Israeli-Palestinian Center for Regional Initiatives (IPCRI) program “Women Entrepreneurs Leading Change,” and was recently accepted to the International Dialogue Centre’s (KAICIID) fellowship, an interfaith program bringing together leaders committed to improving the world. Rachel sees that everything we do affects our world — both close to and far from home. “How do we respond? Judaism feels like a place of integrity for guidance,” she says of her continuing spiritual path. “We have a strong community that can come together in creation of a better world.”
Here the Soul of the People is Forged |
פה בית היוצר לנשמת האומה
