CHANA STEIN rut hvhu rut hvh ohvk-t rnthu
God said,“ Let there be light”; and there was light. ~ Genesis 1:3
Family, Art, Story, Teaching, and Torah are central to my adult life. I love to learn and that passion comes through when I teach. I actually began my journey as a teacher and I have taught every age group from 2 years old( not where my best skill lies) to older adults.
I firmly believe that HaShem has an active role in guiding my life and my journey. When I married and moved to CT, I was asked to teach at Beth El Congregation of Norwalk. One of the Education directors there, Rabbi Liz Rolle, introduced me to CAJE, The Conference for Alternatives in Jewish Education. At CAJE I met luminaries in the world of Jewish education, such as Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox, Dr. Everett Fox, Rabbi Goldie Milgram, Maggida Phyllis Thomas, Batya Podos, Peninnah Schram, and Cherie Caro Schwartz. When Rabbi Goldie formed the Jewish Spiritual Education( JSE) project, I was privileged to join that cohort and to earn Maggida-Omanit semikhut.
I continued to teach, this time at the Jewish High School of Connecticut. When that school merged with Bi-Cultural School, I sought a new path. Some JSE friends introduced me to the Academy for Jewish Religion( AJR), where, Baruch HaShem, I began the odyssey of studying with an extraordinary group of teachers, both instructors and peers. I had no real goal as a rabbi, no ambitions to lead a congregation, no desire to return to the classroom. I knew I did not fit into most of the scenarios of the work of“ rabbi”. One of the requirements at AJR is a class in chaplaincy, a course that encompasses an experiential component. I was accepted as an intern at White Plains Hospital. I felt that I had found my calling with my first encounter with a patient.
With gratitude to G * d, I am currently a member of the White Plains Hospital Pastoral care unit. Becoming a hospital chaplain is among the greatest gifts in my life. I spend days meeting with people, one at a time. I listen to the stories they want to share, make space for them, I look at them and try to truly see them. Sometimes I have the honor of sharing my stories and often, we pray together. Each of these people walks a unique path and I am privileged to walk a few steps, a path, with them. I hope to grow and flourish in this very special task
The greatest blessings in my life are my family, my husband and two miracles who are my children. I am immensely grateful for the people who have escorted me into the adult I am becoming.
AJR 2026 21