Ruth F. Brin, esteemed Jewish author, poet, and scholar, died Wednesday September 30th, 2009, at age 88.

Ruth F. Brin was a literary pioneer famous for her authentic Jewish poetry, prayer services, scholarly articles, children’s books, librettos, a memoir, and most recently, at the age of 86, her first novel.

She was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and lived in Minneapolis until her death, at the age of 88, on Wednesday, September 30th. However, her poetry and teachings have moved beyond the Twin Cities, filling the pages of Reconstructionist, Reform and Conservative prayer books used in synagogues around the country.

Her Jewish Women’s Archive encyclopedia entry states that “In the 1950s, when most Jewish women still seemed content with their traditional subordinate role in public worship, Ruth Brin was already at work modernizing traditional Jewish prayers and texts, and offering new interpretive readings and original poetry reflecting her own religious experience. . . . Brin has described her own work as “a personal search for the ultimate reality, the wonder, the mystery, the meaning that most of us call God.” She has been called “one of the few truly authentic Jewish poets” writing today, and her work has been described as 'a spiritual feast' and 'a resource for people seeking faith or engaged in helping others understand and make sense out of their traditions.'”

Read more at Twin Cities Jewfolk.

May her memory be a blessing.