Rachel Sieradzki

Rachel Sonia Sieradzki, of Rockville, MD, was born on April 3, 1995, in Washington, DC. She lived from ages 0 to 4 in Silver Spring , MD, with her parents and two sisters, then in Bethesda, MD until high school graduation. She attended the Jewish Day School (JDS), Hebrew Day Institute, Westbrook Elementary School, Pyle Middle School, and Whitman High School. After high school, Rachel attended Montgomery College and two other colleges, and graduated with her A.A. in Liberal Studies from MC.

Rachel loved Judaism and Jewish learning; she became bat mitzvah at Tifereth Israel Congregation in D.C. and continued her Jewish studies post-bat mitzvah with a private tutor, at Congregation Beth El’s Hebrew School, and at Shoresh, a high school Jewish education program. During high school, Rachel was active in B’nai Brith Girls (BBG) and enjoyed many wonderful times with her Ahava chapter sisters. She worked at Adat Shalom’s Torah school for several months and was devoted to feminism and Reconstructionist Judaism.

Rachel was amazingly creative. As a young child, she assembled elaborate dollhouses and doll neighborhoods, and she wrote illustrated short stories. She was adept at sewing, embroidery, and especially crochet; she created beautiful and complex quilts and crocheted blankets; and in the past few years she was learning computer coding online.

Rachel was also a passionate speaker and performer. At Whitman High School, she participated in the Shakespeare Club, and was given the honor of “poet laureate” at graduation. She shared some of her childhood experiences on the “Mortified” program on stage before live audiences at the Studio Theater in D.C., at venues in Baltimore and Brooklyn, and online.

During the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, she stood before a rally at the plaza in downtown Silver Spring and spoke passionately about the need to remove police officers from schools and to cut down on traffic stops. She participated in many activities of the Young People for Progress organization in Montgomery County, where – in addition to speaking and participating in rallies - she lobbied Montgomery County council members and testified before the County Council and the ACLU of Maryland.

Rachel had a wonderful, impish sense of humor. She enjoyed writing, movies, and Zumba; she loved Broadway shows and learned all the lyrics to numerous musicals; and she adored swimming in the ocean with her family. She loved the Sims and other interactive online experiences, and was a longtime fan of Nightvale, Harry Potter and Dr. Who. She was a fiercely loyal friend who maintained contact with the special people in her life. She was a loving daughter and sister who loved to give and receive bear hugs. Her loss leaves a large hole in her family’s hearts.

Rachel bravely faced many challenges including bipolar disorder, autism, and an eating disorder. She refused to stigmatize herself; she was a powerful self-advocate and taught her family and friends how to be supportive allies.

Rachel is survived by her parents, Emily and David; her sisters, Lily and Mimi; as well as her aunts Linda Novick (Seth Clark) and Martha (James) Kelley, uncle Michael Sarid (Alan Schwartz), and cousins Diana and Sarah Kelley (Clayton Geipel).

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: Young People for Progress, an advocacy organization where Rachel volunteered; and Cornerstone Montgomery, a social service organization that provided caring mental health support for her in the past few years.

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Funeral will be held at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation

7727 Persimmon Tree Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817

on Tuesday, September 13 at 11 AM

and streamed on Zoom

Followed by Interment at Gan Zikaron, Clarksburg, Maryland

Shiva information

Tuesday evening, September 13, private

Wednesday evening, September 14, 7:00 PM

Via Zoom