Rabbah Riqi Kosovske

Rabbah Raquel Shira “Riqi” Kosovske became our rabbi, spiritual leader and educator nearly sixteen years ago upon her ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 2007, moving with her partner and son to lead our congregation as our first full-time rabbi, in a match that felt “bashert.”  Since that time, we are thrilled for the joy, compassion and depth of connection she brings to our community in every step of our unfolding and meaningful journey together. 

Rabbah Riqi spent six years formally studying towards rabbinic ordination at the Jerusalem and Los Angeles campuses of the Reform movement’s Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and was a life-long Jewish learner before that.  She was also involved in the Jewish Renewal movement throughout her life, and attended the Ohalah Renewal Rabbis Association rabbinical conference in Boulder throughout her rabbinical studies and after HUC ordination.  While in rabbinical school, she held a chaplaincy internship at UCLA hospital, student pulpits in the Bay Area Shir Ami synagogue for two years and led High Holydays at UCLA and UC-Davis Hillel.  She taught led Lila Or high school and middle school while teaching at Santa Monica Synagogue, led B’nei Mitzvah students, and co-created a Jewish Renewal minyan at the Mishkan Tephilo Conservative synagogue adjacent to her dreamy apartment on Venice beach.  Long before rabbinical school, Rabbi Riqi led services, belonged to and started progressive, feminist, egalitarian and Renewal minyanim and chavurot, and worked in many synagogues, JCC’s, camps and institutions in Berkeley’s creative East Bay area, Jerusalem, Cambridge-Somerville and Boston area, Santa Monica and Los Angeles, as well as throughout college and high school.

She received Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Writing & Consciousness at San Francisco’s New College of California in 2000, a Master of Hebrew Letters and rabbinic ordination from HUC-LA, spent a semester abroad at the University of Haifa and Kibbutz Lotan as an adopted student, and holds a B.A. from Brandeis University in English and American literature and concentration in Women’s Studies.  She was born in Germany on the Frankfurt army base, grew up at the Tree of Life Congregation in Columbia, South Carolina, and spent time after college living and working in Cambridge, the San Francisco-Berkeley East Bay area, her beloved Jerusalem, and Los Angeles, before she moved her family back east to be near family and for the “match” made at Beit Ahavah, immediately after ordination in 2007. 

Rabbah Kosovske pursued rabbinical school with a thirst to learn the tools of Talmud, unearth the Divine feminine in Judaism, explore the streets of Jerusalem and bring many parts of herself together.  She brought her vast and passionate experience as a Jewish educator-artist, curriculum writer, JCC camps and after school programs director, teen and youth leader, teaching and directing in many programs and curriculum development.  She had worked for and directed programs in the Midrasha Bay Area Teen Program, the Olam Yeladim after-school arts-enrichment program at Jewish Community Services of Oakland/Piedmont, East Bay Jewish Federation summer camps (Camp Tzofim in Oakland and Camp Kadima in Fremont/Sunol), San Francisco’s Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, and many religious schools across all denominations of Judaism in Berkeley and Boston.  Rabbi Riqi’s Jewish roots go back to her family, and extensively to beautiful, life-shaping and passionate summers as a camper and counselor at URJ Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute camp in Oconomowoc, WI, as well as leadership and involvement in the Reform movemen’ts teen programs of NFTY (national), SEFTY (southern region) and EIE Heller High Semester in Israel.  She was a macrame enthusiast and mixer of purple bug juice as a JCC camp ‘Tween CIT in Columbia, SC.

Since August of 2024, Rabbah Riqi co-directs Friends of Women of Vision | Western MA/Southern VT, a group formed to amplify, support and work with a grassroots network of Israeli and Palestinian women who are expressive artists, musicians, healers, therapists, peace activists, spiritual leaders, educators and allies, to further radical pathways to peace “to meet beyond the field beyond right and wrong” (Rumi poem).  Throughout her 18+ years in the Valley and as our rabbi, Rabbah Riqi has brought dozens of issues, speakers, organizations and community-wide programs to support, learn about and be inspired by activists, artists, musicians. spiritual and political leaders of progressive movements and organizations to partner with and promote change and transformation for building a progressive Israel.

Rabbah Riqi serves on the Rabbinical Circle of the American Friends of Leket Israel, the National Food Bank of Israel, where she volunteered during the Israel-Hamas War.  She is active as a member in the Standing Together Western MA chapter, and proud to be part of Truah, the rabbinic call for human rights, and other organizations.  She serves on the board of Lander-Grinspoon Academy, the pluralistic Jewish day school of the Upper Valley.  She is active in the downtown interfaith clergy group, and many other groups working for social change.  She loves leading transformative and healing rituals, prayer and artistic expression, such as a class she led on making your own silk tallit (ritual shawl) and tying the tzitzit (ritual fringes).  Recently she officiated at the historic 4-Torahs installation service in Limerick, western Ireland, where her sister’s family lives, an incredible ritual and life changing moment!

In western MA, Rabbah Riqi’s passions have flourished as a Mariposista — a backyard milkweed and monarch butterfly doula and passionate activist for the species.  You will find her at all hours of day and night in her backyard inspecting the underside of every milkweed leaf and celebrating every stage of caterpillar development throughout the late summer and early fall, while contemplating sermons inspired by monarchs, transformation and Tikkun Olam – healing the world.  Plant milkweed!