Rakhel Silverman-Gitin (they/them)
New York Education & Training Manager for Keshet
About Speaker
Rakhel is a proud fat trans Disabled Jew who is passionate about social justice and radical inclusion. Rakhel double majored in Religious Studies and Sociology at Bryn Mawr College. While there, they worked for several nonprofits. They were trained in community organizing through the Religious Action Center’s Machon Kaplan fellowship in DC, where they interned at the Center for Responsible Lending and advocated for people of color, women, and low-income borrowers. They then served as an Advocacy intern and then Associate at Keshet, where they mobilized the Jewish community to defend transgender rights in Massachusetts. Rakhel also acted as a field organizer for IfNotNow, where they supported chapter development. Upon graduating, Rakhel served in the Avodah Jewish Service Corps in DC, working as a Community Organizer and Program Assistant at Jews United for Justice (JUFJ). At JUFJ, they worked on local racial and economic justice campaigns and supported leadership development. Rakhel has also served on the Board of Directors and acted as National Organizer of Judaism On Our Own Terms (JOOOT), where they supported the creation of radically inclusive campus communities. They were most recently a Chapter Engagement Coordinator for PFLAG National, where they supported PFLAG chapters in the Western region. Rakhel has written about their experiences and identities for several publications, including Medium, MyJewishLearning, the Jewish Women’s Archives, and HeyAlma.