Rabbi Jessica Shafrin always knew she wanted to help people and that she loved Judaism.
So she picked a career path that fit both: Becoming a rabbi.
But while studying at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, the Los Angeles-based Conservative rabbinical school, Shafrin wasn’t sure exactly what to do as a rabbi. A pulpit role wasn’t in the cards, and she considered working with students or being a nonprofit professional.
Instead, she found her path with chaplaincy, providing spiritual and religious care to people in a medical setting.
“I see people at the most vulnerable parts of their lives,” Shafrin said. It’s meaningful to be “with them in those moments — reflecting to them that they matter in life, that they have a story to tell, that they’re made in God’s image, and that they’re worthy of having somebody sit with them.”
Shafrin’s chaplaincy journey has now brought her to Cincinnati to serve in a unique role: She is the new director of mission at The Jewish Hospital, stepping into shoes previously filled by Toni Kanter.
Founded in 1850, the institution was the first Jewish community-owned hospital in the United States, and is now part of Mercy Health, a Catholic hospital system.
The director of mission guides the religious values of Catholic hospitals while overseeing chaplaincy work and supporting hospital staff.
At The Jewish Hospital, that means keeping a foot in both Jewish and Catholic traditions to maintain the hospital’s Jewish identity in the context of Mercy Health. Shafrin will also be working with Rabbi Julie Schwartz, who runs the clinical pastoral education program at the hospital.
“Director of mission is something that’s unique to Catholic healthcare, and the doors are not open to rabbis being director of mission in other places,” Shafrin said. “This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Shafrin’s first taste of chaplaincy came when serving as a spiritual advisor at Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish institution in L.A. helping people who struggle with addiction.
After a year of that role, she decided to learn more about serving in a medical setting. She began training in clinical pastoral education, and completed her studies at a hospital in the Atlanta area.
But it was in St. Louis that Shafrin started on the path that would bring her to The Jewish Hospital. There, Shafrin worked as a chaplain at SSM Health, a Catholic healthcare system, eventually working her way into a managerial role.
“Being at that level and being engaged in what it meant to work in Catholic healthcare, I went through a formation program there, learning all about Catholic social teaching,” Shafrin said.
“So coming here to Jewish Hospital, I’m really grateful to have had the background that I did, so that I can walk in both worlds: to be a rabbi who knows and can walk in the ancient teachings and the current modern teaching of our rabbis — as well as walk in the world of Catholic healthcare, Catholic ethics.”
As a result, Shafrin’s work is a kind of interfaith project, as she helps non-Jewish leadership and staff understand Jewish traditions and medical needs. Sometimes that happens in a formal way, like when Shafrin teaches during administrative meetings, and other times informally, as hospital employees chat with her about Judaism.
“Somebody said to me — she’s been working at [The Jewish Hospital] for a few years now — ‘Honestly, I don’t know much about Judaism or our heritage of the hospital,’” Shafrin recalled. “And I said, ‘Great, that’s why I’m here.’”
Another informal way Shafrin served staff in St. Louis, and a practice she is bringing to The Jewish Hospital, is a program called “tea for the soul.” Many hospitals have some version of the program, where tea is provided as a way for staff to destress and connect.
When Shafrin first picked up “tea for the soul” while studying at a hospital in the Atlanta area, there was a staff space for tea made on each floor. But in St. Louis, there was a different culture — so she revamped the program by making it portable. With a tea cart, Shafrin did rounds to meet staff where they were.
It’s “one of my favorite parts of chaplaincy…if people know me as the tea lady, they know me,” she said. “You teach everyone that a cup of tea is about being present. Present with your senses, present with one another. You can get to know people.”
Supporting hospital staff is a major priority for Shafrin. Especially in recent years, there are skyrocketing rates of stress and burnout for healthcare workers,
“We know that healthcare is really hard right now — if you look on the news, working in a hospital is not exactly all unicorns and rainbows and butterflies,” Shafrin said. “We want to make sure that everyone has the practice of taking care of themselves.”
Shafrin is still getting settled in Cincinnati, having started at The Jewish Hospital only a few weeks ago. She looks forward to connecting with other Jewish clergy and the broader community, and bringing more partnerships to the hospital.
And while she hasn’t (yet?) had skyline chili, Shafrin and her family — including her husband, who is the next senior rabbi at Adath Israel, and two young kids — have found a home in Graeter’s Ice Cream.
“Finding a way into their hearts was definitely through ice cream,” Shafrin joked. “So we have definitely gotten on that bandwagon really fast.”
