Rakefet was born and raised in Herzliya and served as an officer in the Israeli Air Force. She has a B.A. in International Relations and Middle East Studies, and a M.A. in Geography and Environmental Management from the Hebrew University. In addition to her academic studies, Rakefet has studied Jewish texts with different groups and organizations for many years. After working for four years with an environmental management company in Jerusalem, Rakefet moved to Tel Aviv to work for BINA – the Jewish Movement for Social Change - where she oversees a range of different programs, as Deputy Director of BINA’s International Department.