National Leadership Program, Spring 2023
Rebecca Woolfe
Rebecca Woolfe was a Faith Inclusion and Belonging Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Spring 2023. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigma and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
As a person of Jewish background who also has strong interest in other religions and spiritual traditions, Woolfe hopes to help to increase inclusion, awareness, and advocacy in all types of faith-based settings. She has lived overseas in Korea, China, and Hong Kong, and was active in various types of diverse Jewish communities, eventually co-founding a community based on principles of inclusion. This community later became part of the global Jewish intentional communities network, sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. She also has lived in Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Baha’i communities and would like to focus on developing multifaith/interfaith inclusion coalitions and programs.
Woolfe attended Mount Holyoke College and graduated with a major in psychology and a minor in religion. She is currently participating in several Jewish fellowship programs: one through the Pardes Institute and one through JLeaders. Rebecca joined a diversity/inclusion advisory committee to learn more about DEI issues and how to address them in educational and other settings. While she is passionate about inclusive practices generally, she is hoping to be able to focus on a few specific areas through her Fellowship such as expanding inclusion in faith environments for youth (schools, camps, etc.), developing mental health advocacy and resources, and creating faith inclusion community/support groups (including interfaith community building).
Rebecca particularly enjoys film and dance. She has studied many types of dance including ballet, jazz, Israeli, and Korean traditional. During her time living in Korea she got the chance to do some acting and voice acting for TV and film and also to assist with voice coaching and entertainment casting. She had assisted with a film that was part of the Busan International Film Festival and loves independent, foreign, and documentary films.
