Rachel Utley

 

Rachel holds a Masters degree in Jewish Education from the William B. Davidson School at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a BA in Literature, Communications and Media from American Jewish University.

 

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Rachel attended both Jewish day school and Jewish summer camp. Rachel began her career in education as an assistant teacher at Gross Schechter Day School. She then went to Israel for a year, working in a Hebrew-speaking pre-school. Rachel moved to Los Angeles where she was one of the founding teachers of Brawerman Elementary School East out of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. During her 5 years at Brawerman, Rachel worked as a teacher, Hebrew educator and Judaics Coordinator. That is where Rachel found her passion for working with teachers and creating sacred spaces inside the classroom where learners could explore and grow, while cultivating their Jewish identities. Upon moving to Dallas with her husband, Rachel left the classroom, focusing on smaller projects such as consulting on Hebrew curriculum and setting up the teacher resource room and teen lounge at Temple Emanu-El of Dallas.   

 

Rachel Utley began working in the Teacher Center in July of 2023. She is thrilled to be back in Cleveland and is inspired by the thoughtful and innovative Jewish educators she works with. As a thought-partner, Rachel enjoys participating in meaningful conversations with teachers and strives to make visions for their classroom and teaching a reality. Rachel lives in Beachwood with her husband, Rabbi Dan Utley, and her three boys, Eitan, Judah and Benji.