National Leadership Program, Fall 2023
Hannah Roussel
Hannah Roussel was a Faith Inclusion and Belonging Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2023. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Roussel is a neurodiverse, immunosuppressed person who is passionate about religion, community, and inclusivity. She recently finished her doctoral studies in History with a focus on late ancient Jewish literature. Her dissertation, “Mad Rabbis: The Intersection of Bodyminds with Personal, Communal, and Non-Human Relationships in the Babylonian Talmud,” uses theories and methodologies from both disability and mad studies to better understand how Babylonian rabbis thought about and portrayed madness in the stories they told.
Roussel is excited to begin to take a more active role in increasing the accessibility of faith-based communities. In addition to her doctorate from the University of Michigan, Roussel has a M.A. in Talmud and Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and a B.A. in Judaic Studies from the University of Michigan.
Roussel is an active member in her ADHD community and her religious community. She has two cats who she loves bunches. She also enjoys embroidery, boardgames, and sci-fi and fantasy stories.
