Rachel Roth

Rachel Roth Headshot
WRJ Board Member
Women of Reform Judaism

Rachel Roth is a member of the Women of Temple Chai, Long Grove, Illinois. She sits on the WRJ North American Board and URJ North American Board. She serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the American Conference of Cantors. Rachel is also a proud member of NATA, the National Association for Temple Administration. 

 
Pay Equity

Parashat Ki Teitzei

Rachel Roth
In this parashah, we are simply and directly commanded to pay our workers. We are compelled to pay the people who work for us in a timely manner because they rely upon those wages to take care of themselves, their families, and even their communities. Nachmanides, the medieval sage known as Rambam explains, “For if you do not pay him immediately when he leaves work, he will starve and die that night.” While that may feel like an extreme example of what might happen in our 21st-century world, it is not so far-fetched when we look deeper into the inequalities of our employment systems, particularly in the United States. 
Torah scroll

Parashah Shof'tim

Rachel Roth

 

In this week’s Torah portion, Shof’tim, we find, as part of his final speech, Moses’ instructions to the People of Israel for setting up a justice system. He directs them to appoint judges and he cautions against showing favoritism or taking bribes.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Vayeria

Rachel Roth

Vayeira, (Genesis 18:1–22:24) There is a lot to unpack in this portion.

We are familiar with it. We read the Akeidah (Genesis 22:1), the binding of Isaac, on the High Holy Days every year.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Yitro

Rachel Roth

In this week’s Torah portion, Yitro[i], Moses’ father in law, Jethro figured something out that many organizational leaders—lay and professional—struggle with today.