Rachel Ferrier, who is currently serving on a temporary appointment as a judge in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, is a serial trailblazer and this week added to her resume as a Hasidic woman the position of judge of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Ferrier, whose friends call her “Ruhi”, was interviewed by the CBS network while showing her office, which includes, along with the judge’s robe, an arrangement that is permanently on her desk.
“I am careful and try to pray three times a day,” Freire says. According to her, her path is paved with many prayers. “The prayers, the support from the family, the community including many rabbis and the hard work are what eventually led to his election as a judge in the Federal Civil Court seven years ago.”
“My story is full of bumps at every stage of the road that every Hasidic woman faces. Whether it was going to college and then to law school, opening a law firm, running for the position of judge,” adds Ferrier, “so why wouldn’t I try? If G-d created To me as a woman in a Hasidic community with these ambitions and these dreams, it means that he probably thinks I can achieve everything.”
Although the 57-year-old Ferrier has already been appointed to the position of acting Supreme Court judge, this is a temporary appointment. In the summer, she will have to go through a competition to get the permanent appointment. At the age of 30 she began her academic studies, at the age of 40 she opened a law firm and at the age of 50 she became a judge. In addition to all this, she always maintained regular volunteering and even today she works as a medic in the “Ezerat Nasim” organization.
“All the values I have learned over the years, from the community, from studies, and from the environment, I bring with me to the court,” she notes.
When asked what is the secret of her success in such a senior position and with six children and many grandchildren, she answered with a smile: “The first big secret is that I live one block from my mother and she was always there to help me. The second thing is that my mother always taught us that time is like money – and it is not How much you have, but how you spend it. I knew how to divide the time correctly.”