About Rabbi Rayzel

Rabbi Rayzel Raphael brings a rich background in spirituality and ritual, feminism, and music to Judaism. “My rabbinic goal is to bring as much joy to Judaism as I can muster,” she says. Read the articles about Rabbi Raphael in Kol Aleph and Jewish Exponent.

Wedding Officiant: Voted in the Top Ten in Philadelphia Area 2020
Rabbi: Four Congregations/Mentor/Teacher/Spiritual Guide
Programmer: Director of Spiritual Arts@ Aleph Jewish Renewal
Singer/Songwriter - Award winning/ 6 CDS
Author: Two children Books: Angels for Dreamtime and New Moon
Artist: Silk painting and Paper Cutting
Leader: Jewish Travel Adventures
Kohenet Shechinah Priestess
Ordained: Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Studied at Brandeis, Hebrew University, Pardes, Indiana University and student of LIFE

I am passionate about:

The mysteries of life: Dreams, the Soul, Oracles, Reincarnation, etc
Shechinah, the feminine Divine path
Networking and bringing people together
Holding the focus on Spiritual light and hope
Creative Judaism/rituals/prayer/song
Trying to read the Mind of God
Living in the unknown, Expecting the unexpected
Laughing at the Absurdity of Life
Staying wild and free

Judaica/Academics

Rabbinical Ordination, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, 1997.
Awarded Wexner Graduate Fellowship to attend Rabbinical School 1989-93
Awarded a scholarship in the Melton Senior Educator's Program at Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1988-89
Attended the Pardes Yeshiva in Israel from 1984-1985.
Graduated from Brandeis University with a Masters in Contemporary Jewish Studies.
Attended Indiana University as a religion major with a Jewish studies concentration.

Work in the Jewish community

Rabbinic Director, Interfaith Family Support Network JFCS, Philadelphia.
Rabbinic Director, Jewish Creativity Project of New Legends and JOI.
Former Director of Graduate Student Project at Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Former Director of the Jewish Student Federation of York University in Toronto. 1977-1988.

Music

Rabbi Raphael is a singer/ songwriter of over 60 new Jewish songs/prayers, including liturgy, whose themes include women of the Bible. With Rabbi Margot Stein and Juliet Irene Spitzer, she performs in a group called MiRaJ.

Spirituality and Jewish Rituals

Rabbi Raphael lectures on topics such as angels, Women of the Wall, Jewish magic, Jewish music, women in the bible, Rosh Hodesh, Shechinah. She is also a ritual consultant for life cycle moments such as weddings, baby namings, and other sacred time.

Personal Information and Interests

Rabbi Raphael is also mother of Yigdal and Hallel, and partner of Dr. Simcha Raphael, a psychotherapist who works at Mt. Airy Counseling Center, Adjunct Professor of Religion at LaSalle University, and a Spiritual Director at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He is ordained as a Rabbinic Pastor, and is author of Jewish Views of the Afterlife.