Rachelle Weiss Crane

A woman with shoulder length blond hair and dark square frames, wearing a white long sleeve top, and a circular metal necklace smiles against a black background.
WRJ North American Board Member
Women of Reform Judaism

Rachelle and her husband Paul Crane live in Dallas, Texas, where they are members of Temple Emanu-El (TEE). Rachelle serves on the executive board of TEE, is past president of the TEE WRJ Sisterhood and VP of Communications for the Southwest District of WRJ. Rachelle also serves on the Advisory Board for ADL Texoma and is Director of Israel Engagement and Jewish Living at JCC Dallas. Their son, Ben Crane is a rabbinical student at HUC in Cincinnati. In April of 2022, Ben married Megan Simons, a WRJ individual member. 

A pink and yellow background with Rachelle Weiss Crane standing against a wall

Why WRJ? My Leadership Journey

Rachelle Weiss Crane

My journey with Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) began in 1999 in Chicago, Illinois. The sisterhood at my congregation had been floundering and then disbanded. The senior rabbi asked me to help re-establish the women’s group. I was honored, excited, and

This Week's Torah Portion
D'varim

Parashat D'varim

Rachelle Weiss Crane
This week's Torah portion, D'varim, is the first parashah in the book of Deuteronomy. It begins with a series of speeches given by Moses to the Israelites. In Hebrew, the word d'varim is defined as 'words,' yet it means not just 'words' but also 'things' or 'matters.' D'varim can be weighty or significant. D'varim shows that words matter.
Rachelle Weiss Crane headshot
20s and 30s

Engaging Young Women with WRJ

Rachelle Weiss Crane

A tapestry of generations—that’s one of the taglines our Temple Emanu-El WRJ Sisterhood has used to reflect the importance of including women* at every age and stage in our sisterhood. Our members range from recent college graduates to mothers with school-aged

Torah scroll
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ - Mishpatim

Rachelle Weiss Crane

 

Mishpatim is filled with detailed rules and regulations. It would be naïve to read the interpersonal laws about the treatment of animals, slaves, and property and how to offer kindness to strangers as mundane. This is far from true. A close look shows us