15 Rabbis to Follow on Twitter Who Will Change the Way You Think About Rabbis

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Twitter can be a terrible place (for example, it has a Nazi problem and lots of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories). But it can also be delightful — full of stories about puppies, jokes about Jared Kushner and Cynthia Nixon’s bagel order, and Russian Doll tweets. But there’s one segment of Twitter that could actually make your scrolling experience meaningful: rabbis.

If you largely associate the term “rabbi” with an old, white, bearded dude, fair. But the Jewish community has come a long way in the past few decades to expand on who can be a rabbi, and we are now blessed with a plethora of female rabbis, rabbis of color, and young folks taking up the title. While not all rabbis are on Twitter, many who are have really embodied what it means to be a religious leader in modern times, using their platforms to speak out about political and social issues and share their deep Jewish knowledge in relatable ways. Bonus: Sometimes they’re really funny, too!

Here are 15 rabbis we strongly encourage you to follow on Twitter.

1. Rabbi Jill Jacobs (@RabbiJillJacobs)

Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the executive director of T’ruah, an organization whose tagline is “the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.”

Her Twitter is actually what inspired us to write this list – when Sebastian Gorka called her a “non-rabbi” (can you believe?!?), Twitter started spotlighting non-cis-male rabbis to follow. So here we are! Spotlighting rabbis for you!

Jacobs uses her platform to spotlight human rights abuses, like what is happening at the U.S. border right now.

2.Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) 

Arguably the most present and popular rabbi on Twitter, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg tweets about everything. She has a feminist, activist platform. She essentially gives you the Talmudic response to the news, writing threads on Judaism and abortion, gender-bending Torah, the history of the Magen David, trans-friendly Jewish legal rulings, and so much more. Whenever she tweets “THREAD,” you know it’s going to be good. (One of her threads even inspired an Alma article.)

She also talks about being queer, raising a non-binary kid, and she is fantastic at uplifting other folks.

3. Rabbi Sandra Lawson (@RabbiSandra)

Rabbi Lawson recently made another list of ours — 14 Jews who changed queer history forever — so obviously we’re going to encourage you to follow her on Twitter. Her tweets are (obviously) very Jewy — she often shares her thoughts on the week’s Torah portion.

She’s also open about her experiences as a Jewish woman of color, and the racism within the Jewish community.

4. Rabbi Ruti Regan (@RutiRegan)

The first line of Rabbi Ruti Regan’s Twitter bio reads, “Jewish feminist working for disabled equality,” and that is a perfect summation of her Twitter feed. As a disabilities activist, Regan speaks from a personal place.

https://twitter.com/RutiRegan/status/1114274785679355904

She uses her platform to ensure the wider Jewish community is as inclusive as possible to all:

https://twitter.com/RutiRegan/status/993972977585836037

Rabbi Regan also tweets often about American politics, particularly when it impacts Jewish Americans. Her tweets often ask thought-provoking questions.

5. Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder (@RabbiRuth)

Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder is the Education Director of Be’chol Lashon, an organization focused on diversity in Jewish spaces. Her Twitter is full of action items on making the Jewish community more diverse and uplifting diverse Jewish voices.

This is her pinned Tweet, which is a fantastic indication of what the rest of her feed is like:

https://twitter.com/RabbiRuth/status/1101178074039832576

She also tweets about being a mom, her family, and her amazing students.

https://twitter.com/RabbiRuth/status/1136657058395303938

6. Rabbi Sari Laufer (@RabbiLaufer)

Rabbi Sari Laufer’s Twitter bio is a list of things that identify her: rabbi, teacher, working mom, learner, wife, spin class connoisseur, friend, shoe-holic, daughter, thinker, wannabe wanderer, aspiring epicure, and seeker. And you’ll find all these things on her feed!

Our favorite part? Rabbi Laufer is open about being a female rabbi and working mom.

7. Rabbi Becky Silverstein (@rabbibecky)

Rabbi Becky Silverstein doesn’t tweet as often as the above rabbis on this list, but that doesn’t mean he is not worth following! Rabbi Silverstein is a genderqueer trans rabbi (pronouns he/him/his) who’s currently the rabbi-in-residence for Keshet LGBTQ+ Ally Teen Shabbatonim (and also on the board of Keshet, an organization fighting for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life). He often speaks on queer and trans communities, both in and outside the Jewish community.

8. Rabbi Sara Zober (@RebbeSMZ)

Rabbi Sara Zober is a millennial rabbi! Represent!!

She’s also open about her Jewish conversion; as she tweeted earlier this year, “As a rabbi who is herself a convert, I spend a lot of my time building people up. We’re all Jewish enough, no matter what anyone says.” And that’s what her Twitter feed is all about.

9. Rabbi Ruth Adar (@CoffeeShopRabbi)

“ rights, , rights: They’re all Torah,” writes Rabbi Ruth Adar in her Twitter bio. She then goes on to identify herself: “Lesbian, fat, disabled. She/her. TN transplant turned passionate Californian.”


Most of her tweets are links to her blog, also titled “Coffee Shop Rabbi,” which is “a place where people could talk and study Jewish topics without a lot of expensive overhead.” She writes about Hebrew name choices, interfaith families, book recommendations, and more.

10. Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr (@RebeccaSchorr)

Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr uses her platform to highlight other rabbis, speak about disability rights and inclusion, and, of course, talk about being Jewish.

One of the best skills of a tweeter is sharing great threads to read — it’s too hard to see them all! — and her feed is full of interesting reads.

11. Rabbi Marci Bellows (@moosh2)

Here’s Rabbi Bellows’s pinned Tweet:

https://twitter.com/moosh2/status/869553144853823488

Gives you a good sense of what her feed is like. Jewish, feminist, and activist. She tweets on reproductive rights, gun violence, and more.

https://twitter.com/moosh2/status/1125959142039064581

She’s also a mom, shares insights into parenting, and commentary on pop culture! (What we really wanna know is if she added Ben Platt’s Yom Kippur tune into services?!)

12. Rabbi Rachel Timoner (@rtimoner)

Are you more of a visual person? Because Rabbi Rachel Timoner shares wonderful photos on her Twitter feed, with very Jewish captions.

She also tweets about social justice issues, queer rights, American politics, and more.

13. Rabbi Amber Powers (@RabbiAmber)

Rabbi Powers is the Executive Vice President of Reconstructing Judaism, the main organization of the Reconstructionist movement. As she writes in her bio, she’s “passionate about #Jewish community, #feminism, #leadership, #autism, #progressive causes.”

14. Rabbi Andrea Myers (@RabbiAndrea & @OliverShallum)

Rabbi Andrea Myers tweets under two accounts (definitely more active on the @OliverShallum one). You’ll find tweets about being queer, Canadian, and Jewish, alongside tweets about cats and art. Plus, a bonus point for being a rabbi who shares memes:

15. Rabbi Megan Doherty (@RabbiMegan)

Rabbi Doherty’s feed is a healthy mix of Judaism, pop culture, being a mom, living with Type 1 diabetes, and building community. She’s currently the director of Hillel at Oberlin college and has very cool hair.

Bonus fun fact: She was just a contestant on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! where she won the grand prize.

Image via Lepusinensis/Getty Images

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