Rabba
Rachel Kohl Finegold
Personal
Born1980 (age 43–44)[1]
Brooklyn, New York
ReligionJudaism
SpouseAvi Finegold[2]
DenominationOrthodox Judaism
Alma materBoston University
Yeshiva Maharat
SynagogueCongregation Shaar Hashomayim

Rachel Kohl Finegold (born 1980) is a Montreal-based Open Orthodox Rabba at Congregation Shaar Haashomayim, and the first Orthodox woman to serve as synagogue clergy in Canada.[3][4]

Biography

Kohl Finegold grew up in Brooklyn, New York, before attending Boston University, where in 2003 she earned a B.A. in Religion with a minor in Psychology. In 2007, she received a certificate from the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education in New York.[5][1] She interned at the Ohev Sholom Synagogue in Washington, D.C., before spending six years as Education and Ritual Director at Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel in Chicago.[5][6] In June 2013, she was one of the first three women to graduate from Yeshiva Maharat, a four-year program in The Bronx that ordains Orthodox women as spiritual leaders.[3]

In August 2013, Kohl Finegold became the Director of Education and Spiritual Enrichment at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal, the largest and oldest traditional Ashkenazi synagogue in Canada.[7] In doing so, she also became the first Orthodox woman to serve as synagogue clergy in Canada.[4] In 2019, she changed her title from Maharat to Rabba.[8] Since 2019 she has been the president of the Montreal Board of Rabbis, and since 2020 she has served as Vice President of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. In 2022, Kohl Finegold created the podcast Verses, which draws links between Broadway and Torah.[9]

Kohl Finegold lives in Westmount with her husband Rabbi Avi Finegold and their three children.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Profiles: Rachel Kohl Finegold". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Rachel Kohl Finegold". 2012 Double Chai in the Chi. Oy!Chicago. 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Bronis, Leeor (December 24, 2013). "The Orthodox Madame Rabbi". Women in the World. The Daily Beast.
  4. 1 2 "Rabba Rachel Kohl Finegold - Congregation Shaar Hashomayim". www.shaarhashomayim.org. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  5. 1 2 Breger, Sarah (22 May 2013). "Meet the Maharats: Questions for Rachel Kohl Finegold". Moment. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. ↑ Arnold, Janice (April 12, 2013). "Montreal Orthodox shul hires first female clergy". The Canadian Jewish News.
  7. ↑ "24 Jews who are changing the world". The Canadian Jewish News. April 1, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ "I Am An Orthodox Clergywoman, And I Am Changing My Title". forward.com. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  9. ↑ Kustanowitz, Esther D. (2022-02-09). "'Verses,' a new podcast, connects the Bible and Broadway". eJewish Philanthropy. Retrieved 2022-02-13.


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