Rabbi Emerita Raachel Jurovics

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Rabbi Raachel Jurovics grew up in L.A. and earned B.A. (1967), M.A. (1969) and Ph.D. (1976) degrees in English Medieval Literature from UCLA.  Her pre-rabbinic professional experience includes freelance writing and editing; communication skills training and consulting; and software design. She relocated to North Carolina in 1983.

​Raachel has long been involved in congregational and community service in the areas of human rights and interfaith encounter, including board and committee chair responsibilities at Leo Baeck Temple (L.A.) and at Temple Beth Or (Raleigh); the San Fernando Valley Fair Housing Council; the Los Angeles County Human Relations Council; the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights; the Triangle AIDS Interfaith Network; the  North Carolina Council of Churches; the Vigils Against Violence Committee of the Wake County Interfaith Alliance; LimiTV; Rex Hospital and WakeMed Ethics Committees; B'yachad, an inter-congregational community service organization; the Raleigh-Cary Jewish Federation Jewish Family Services Board; as well as Board Member, Secretary, Membership Chair, and Board President of OHALAH, the Association of Rabbis and Cantors for Jewish Renewal; and, as a member of the Spiritual Direction faculty of the Jewish Renewal Seminary.

In 2003, Raachel received smicha (ordination) as a mashpia ruchani (spiritual director) from Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and rabbinic smicha from the Jewish Renewal Rabbinic Training Program.   Raachel served as Program Director, Assistant Rabbi, and Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth Or, a Reform congregation in Raleigh, from 1997 - 2010, in addition to conducting a private practice in spiritual direction.  2010 through 2019, Raachel served as founding spiritual leader at Yavneh: A Jewish Renewal Community.  In semi-retirement, she maintains her multi-faith spiritual direction practice, while also serving as Rabbi-in-Residence to the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, as well as continuing her involvement in social justice advocacy.