RACHEL BLUMSTEIN POSNER
snukv ofj uvzht ' rnut tnuz ic ost kfn
Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? One who learns from every person.
~ Mishnah Avot 4:1
As a small girl, I felt God in a ray of sunlight on my face, when dancing in a circle on Yom Ha ' atzmaut, or at my parents’ Shabbat table. I am here today because of questions about God that refused to go away.
I grew up in a home where Judaism found natural and proud expression. From my parents I inherited a love of Jewish history and tradition, as well as an attitude of openness and curiosity. At the University of Rochester I studied Religion, and discovered the joy of being part of a passionate community of learners. Living in Rochester, I was fortunate to be near another important Jewish role model, my Aunt Athene Goldstein. Studying at Hebrew University during Junior Year deepened my religious practice. In Jerusalem I met my husband Jonathan, and we began our journey towards creating a life together. the closet, and at age 40 I delved into intensive study and prayer. I trained to become a Jewish Spiritual Director at Hebrew Union College, and connected with Rabbi Jonathan Slater, who has been my guide for the past 10 years.
I am grateful to my husband Jonathan Posner, for his steadfast commitment and love, and to our daughters, Hannah and Talia, for inspiring me to be the person I am meant to be. AJR has been my wellspring and change-agent these past seven transformative years. I am thankful to Rabbi Daniel Greyber and the community of Beth El Synagogue for embracing me. I am grateful to my generous teachers, and my incredible friends and family who have supported me in every conceivable way. Now and always, I am grateful to the Holy Blessed One, who set me on my path, and continues to keep it interesting.
Immediately after graduation, I enrolled at the Jewish Theological Seminary, determined to become a rabbi. But six months later, feeling disillusioned and confused, I dropped out, and found a job at a non-profit serving people with disabilities. My favorite part of this job was talking to people who wandered in looking for guidance; in fact, this inspired me to return to school and study psychology. Immediately after the birth of our first daughter, Hannah, I received my Ph. D. in psychology at New York University.
In my psychotherapy office, I kept my daughter’ s preschool drawing of a smiling stick figure standing in a grassy meadow tacked to the inside of my closet door. On the bottom of the picture Hannah wrote:“ God is everywhere.” I began to feel a desire to bring my religious self out of
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