Jewish Renewal
and Interfaith
Rabbi Rain Zohav has worked in the Jewish community for more than thirty years, and was ordained by the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She lives in Rockville, MD, and works in the DC area. She is currently the Executive Director of the environmental nonprofit Jews Of The Earth. Read more about her background, social activism, and scholarship here.
Looking for an officiant for your wedding, baby naming, memorial, or other life cycle event? Rabbi Rain believes in crafting personal and authentic celebrations that invite participants from all backgrounds to connect with themselves, each other, and the infinite source of life surrounding us all. She will work with you to blend traditional Jewish ritual with creative modern elements to make a ceremony that is unique and meaningful. She is happy to work in interfaith, LGBTQ, and other diverse settings. Read more about the services Rabbi Rain offers here.
When I was searching for Rabbis to do our interfaith ceremony, I was starting to get extremely disheartened. Luckily (or fate have you!) we were able to find and talk to Rabbi Rain, who is the most wonderful interfaith officiant to ever exist (if I do say so myself). She worked with us to make our ceremony hit the key facets of a Jewish wedding while also incorporating Christian sayings, poems, and prayers. It was the most beautiful, personalized ceremony we could ever have asked for. Rabbi Rain made sure everyone felt included. She even introduced our dog as the ring-bearer! I couldn't have asked for a better officiant, and I'm glad my path and journey led us to having Rabbi Rain as our officiant. She is a true Rabbi - a speaker, a confidant, a believer, a care-taker, and a person with integrity and spirit to share.
Stephanie
In the 3 years that she has been mentoring me I have realized over and over again what my spirit recognized the first moment I encountered her. In our first session I remarked on the fact that one of my spiritual complaints was the feeling that I was spiritually dry and brittle and that her name was appropriately, Rain. She has definitely been the rain to my drought!!! I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone seeking depth and fullness in their spiritual life.
Keren
Rain clearly saw the most important part of being married–that we love each other–and we deeply appreciated her spirit of acceptance and love.
Susan
Rain had a very cheerful and friendly way of working with us in planning the ceremony. She expertly handled the rehearsal and was very open to our inter-faith marriage. I had a Lutheran background, and she was inclusive and welcoming toward my family and friends.
Ross
Rain was the perfect officiant for us. She was a guide and a partner, and performed our wedding ceremony in a loving and deeply compassionate way. With Rain we always felt honored, heard and supported.
Peter and Lena
Many spiritual leaders who are committed to tikkun olam come with a burning passion to do the healing with all their energy, at once. But that burning can easily lead to burn-out. Rabbi Rain Zohav comes, rather, with a strong and perseverant simmer and a good-humored openness to a range of opinions and commitments -- yet a deep commitment to keep working to heal a troubled, wounded world.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow - https://theshalomcenter.org/