Rachel Cowan
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Rachel Cowan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rachel Ann Brown May 29, 1941 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | August 31, 2018 (aged 77) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Bryn Mawr College Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion |
| Known for | Founder of Institute for Jewish Spirituality Creator of Jewish healing service |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Rachel Cowan (May 29, 1941 – August 31, 2018) was a rabbi, leader, and spiritual innovator who founded the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.[1][2] She helped interfaith families find more welcoming community in Jewish ritual life[3] and was the mother of the “Jewish Healing” movement.[4]
Early life, education, and roots of activism
Rachel Ann Brown was born May 29, 1941 in Princeton, NJ to Arthur A. Brown, a mathematician who could trace his ancestry to the Mayflower and Margaret Warren Brown, whose roots went back to Puritan days and who worked to create children’s school libraries in the Boston public schools.[3] She was the oldest of four children, grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts and was brought up in the Unitarian Church and Quaker tradition. She attended Bryn Mawr College majoring in sociology. After college she and her sister Connie joined the Freedom Riders, tutoring Black children in newly integrated schools. It was during this time that she met her future husband Paul Cowan, who was from an assimilated Jewish family and later became a writer and reporter for the Village Voice. They spent time in Mississippi registering Black voters and later after they married in 1965 served in the Peace Corps in Ecuador.[3]
Life's work
In 1968, the Cowans moved to Manhattan’s Upper West Side becoming involved in the 1970s Jewish revival in their neighborhood and were active in their synagogue Ansche Chesed.[2] During this time Ansche Chesed housed five small congregations but had no rabbi. Realizing rabbis could enhance lifecycle events and provide counseling some members pursued ordination including Cowan, who converted to Judaism in 1980.[1][4]
Rachel Cowan and her husband became advocates for interfaith couples, co-authoring the book Mixed Blessings: Overcoming the Stumbling Blocks in an Interfaith Marriage (1988).[5] Paul's battle with leukemia further motivated Rachel to address the inadequacies of Jewish tradition in responding to illness and grief. After his passing in 1988, she completed her rabbinic studies and was ordained in 1989 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.[1]
She served as the program director for the Jewish Life program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation from 1990-2003.[6] Pioneering efforts to integrate spiritual practices to support those who were suffering from illness or personal loss, she co-founded the Jewish Healing Center in 1990. Utilizing a combination of traditional texts, secular literature, mental health methodologies, and insights from other faith traditions, healing services were created which encompassed elements such as songs, psalms, chants, ritual immersions in a mikvah, and meditation sessions.[1][4] People who worked with her described her as a prophet, teacher, healer, and visionary who empowered individuals to effect change.[6]
Cowan founded and served as the Executive Director (2004-2011) for the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS), which offers retreats and programs for rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators, and lay leaders combining Jewish wisdom with contemplative practices like meditation and mindfulness.[3][6] Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, who succeeded Cowan at IJS from 2011-2019, noted “she was always a seeker, and things happened in her life to which the Jewish community had no adequate response.”[1] In 2015, Cowan co-wrote Wise Aging: Living with Joy, Resilience, & Spirit which focused on religious and spiritual approaches to aging.[4][7]
Personal life and passing
Rachel and Paul Cowan were married in 1965 and had two children.[1]
Rachel Cowan's final years were marked by her battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Friends and family spoke of her with deep admiration and respect during this time, highlighting her strength, courage, and resilience as she radiated love to those around her.[6] She passed away on August 31, 2018 leaving behind a legacy of compassionate leadership and spiritual innovation, inspiring others to carry on her work.[3][6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Berger, Joseph (September 1, 2018). "Rachel Cowan, Innovative Rabbi, Is Dead at 77". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Rabbi Rachel Cowan, pioneer in the Jewish healing movement, dies at 77". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. September 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Kelman, Naamah (21 August 2023). "Rachel Cowan". The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women's Archive.
- ^ a b c d Kestenbaum, Sam (September 2, 2018). "Rachel Cowan Was The Mother Of Jewish Healing". The Forward.
- ^ Cowan, Paul; Cowan, Rachel (1988). Mixed Blessings: Overcoming the Stumbling Blocks in an Interfaith Marriage. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140111897.
- ^ a b c d e "Remembering Rabbi Rachel Cowan". Nathan Cummings Foundation. February 11, 2019.
- ^ Cowan, Rabbi Rachel; Thal, Dr. Linda (2015). Wise Aging: Living with Joy, Resilience, & Spirit. Behrman House. ISBN 9780874419214.
External links
Category:Reform women rabbis
Category:Women rabbis
Category:20th-century American rabbis
Category:21st-century American rabbis
Category:People from Wellesley, Massachusetts
Category:People from the Upper West Side
Category:1941 births
Category:2018 deaths