Rachel Timoner

Photo by Julie Markes.

Rabbi Rachel Timoner’s decision to become a rabbi was inspired by her commitment to social justice. While working with LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco, she got her “foundational ideas about our limitless potential to contribute our gifts to the world and to transform our societies to be characterized by justice, hope, freedom, and equality,” she tells GO. “I believe in us. And in the process of coming to believe in us, I started to believe in G-d, too. I started to tap into my spirituality and realize that spiritual practice in the context of community — in other words, religion — is necessary for my well-being.” Timoner is currently the Senior Rabbi at the Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where she carries out her commitment to effecting positive social change. She has initiated weekly classes, rabbinic conversations, and study series on issues such as antisemitism, systemic racism, and the refugee experience. She launched a Dismantling Racism Team as part of successful state-wide campaigns for criminal justice reform, including raising the age of criminal responsibility. She is also co-founder, along with City Councilmember Brad Lander, of #GetOrganizedBK, a grassroots coalition of groups that fight for positive social change around issues such as racial justice, climate change, and voter outreach. Reaching out speaks to what Timoner loves most about her job. “The most rewarding aspect of my work as a rabbi is that it gives me endless opportunities to love people,” she says. “I get to comfort and guide people through difficult times. I get to inspire people and help them believe in their ability to change the world. All of these are ways of loving people.” —RK

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