40 Under 40: Rachel Rothstein

Rachel Rothstein is the incoming dean of social studies at The Weber School, where she also teaches modern Jewish history, and is the director of the Senior Israel Poland Experience, a program she is redesigning to align with the Weber School’s Jewish history curriculum.

In addition to teaching, she is an active scholar and is currently working on a book about the relationship between American Jews, Polish Jews, and American and Polish government officials since 1968.

An alumna of Weber, Rothstein’s own experience studying abroad informed her pursuit of a doctorate in history at the University of Florida, where she completed her doctorate in 2015. She also holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Georgia in political science and sociology and an Master of Arts in Jewish studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

“After being away from Atlanta for 15 years, I was amazed at how much the Jewish community here had changed in such a short period of time,” Rothstein said. “There are so many new programs, organizations and events that cater to Jews of all ages and ways of identifying Jewishly.” With the continued growth of Jewish Atlanta on her mind, Rothstein hopes there will be more innovative and exciting Jewish initiatives, programs, activities and organizations in the future.

“As I teach my students in our modern Jewish history course, the Jewish world is ever-changing, and Atlanta is no exception,” she said.