Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Congregation Beth Israel (North Adams, MA) has been selected for the Rabbis Without Borders national fellowship program. More than 90 applicants competed for the 18 spots.

Barenblat, ordained in 2011 by ALEPH, has lived in Northern Berkshire for 20 years. She serves on the board of directors of OHALAH.

Before becoming a rabbi, she was co-founder and executive director of literary arts nonprofit Inkberry; she also served as editor of The Women’s Times. She is the creator of award-winning blog “Velveteen Rabbi,” and author of 70 faces (Phoenicia, 2011) a collection of Torah poems.

The program, now in its fourth year, encourages rabbis to think creatively about their work and the new American religious landscape. Building a network of religious leaders from all streams, RWB helps rabbis make Jewish insights readily available, adding to the well of American spiritual resources.

Rabbinic Fellows will gather in NYC four times over the academic year, 2012 to 2013. The first session, on December 17 and 18, will feature Lisa Miller, religion editor at Newsweek magazine and The Daily Beast, who will discuss religion in America today.