Rabbi Rachel Putterman joined the Temple Etz Chaim community as our spiritual leader in August 2024.
Rabbi Rachel, as she prefers to be called, brings a wealth of experience in Jewish leadership, education, and community building to her new role. She most recently served as the Director of Hillel and Associate Chaplain at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she oversaw religious, cultural, and educational programming.
Rabbi Rachel’s extensive experience includes serving as an adjunct faculty member in Hebrew College’s adult education program and two units of chaplaincy training at Boston area hospitals. She also created an innovative series of tefillin videos – “All Genders Wrap” – which is widely used in Jewish education programs around the country.
Rabbi Rachel received her rabbinic ordination and Master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College in 2020. She also holds a J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law and brings a unique perspective from her previous career as an attorney advocating for veterans and domestic violence survivors.