Breaking glass ceilings: This week, Judge Rachel Ferrier was appointed to the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The appointment would not have received so many echoes if the judge had not been a Hasidic woman, mother of six and grandmother to grandchildren, an extremely unusual thing in the Hasidic world. Ferrier, whose friends call her “Spiritual”, is a Hasidic in Oboe and this week, as mentioned, she became the first Hasidic woman in court in the United States.
The combination between the Hasidic home and work as a judge
In 2016, she became a judge for the first time when she announced a run in Kings County, where she replaced her uncle in the position after it moved to the Supreme Court, where Ferrier did the same years later, after receiving the prestigious appointment. On Rabbi Yamima’s Instagram account, the rabbi talked about the relationship with Ferrier’s daughters: “When I asked her: How do you take home the terrible stories from the court? She has a sweet Hasidic home full of Torah, and she answered me: You have an optical error Yamima. I take with me the My Hasidic home to the court, not the other way around.”
The court in New York, first Hasidic woman Photo: shutterstock
In an interview she gave to “Israel Today” several years ago, Ferrier said that “my family fully supported me. I attribute a large part of my success to my sons, who are so proud of me, and they encouraged me and helped me a lot throughout the campaign, which lasted several months . They worked very hard with me in the field and composed an election jingle in Yiddish, ‘Vote for Freier’. They rented vehicles, drove around Borough Park, played it loudly and got everyone involved, including the followers. Borough Park Rocked.”
Freire’s social activity
Even before she was appointed as a judge, Ferrier was engaged in social activities and in 2011, Ferrier was involved in the establishment of the “Ezerat Nasim” organization, a unique medical emergency organization operated by volunteer women only, with the aim of preserving the modesty of women in medical emergencies, especially in childbirth. The organization was established after the “Rescue” organization refused to add women volunteers to its ranks, which drew severe criticism in the media. At first Ferrier provided legal services to the organization, then she became the director of the organization. In February 2013, the organization was approved by the New York State Department of Health.