18 Tower Lane • New Haven, Connecticut
18 Tower Lane • New Haven, Connecticut
I am so delighted that through special funding I will be on site at The Towers two days a week. I very much look forward to meeting all of you, learning your names and stories, and, hopefully, finding ways to be helpful to you at this moment in your life.
Some people do not identify as religious and imagine that they have no need for a chaplain. Some people think a chaplain is someone who only visits people to administer last rites. Others might think that, since I am a rabbi, I only serve Jews. None of these statements is true.
Anyone might benefit from talking to a chaplain at any point in life. I view my role as accompanying you on your journey, wherever you are right now. I hope to have conversations with people about matters of the soul, and I believe that, if you are alive, you have a soul. It is the part of you that is most essential—the part that gives you life and makes you who you are.
Are you worried about your health or death? Are you new to The Towers and concerned about adjusting? Is there a family relationship that is troubling you? Are you feeling lonely? Has there been a change in your health or abilities that is affecting you? Have you lost a close friend or family member? Is there something that happened to you in your life that is troubling you—something you just can’t stop thinking about? All of these are good reasons to talk with a chaplain, besides, of course, simply getting to know one another.
I recently retired from my position as the rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge after thirteen years. I was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary thirty-six years ago, and I have had a varied rabbinic career—nineteen years in the pulpit, ten years on a university campus, and seven years with a Jewish Women’s Project. I am also a wife, the mother of two grown daughters, and a new grandmother to a five-month-old baby girl.
In addition to accompanying many people through both challenging and joyful times in their lives, I have completed two units of Clinical Pastoral Education, which provides specialized training in pastoral care. Although I am a rabbi, I am trained—and delighted—to serve people of all faiths and of no faith. If there are particular religious rites or practices that you need, I can help connect you with the right person.
Mostly, I will talk with you, get to know you, and be present with you. This might happen when we bump into one another downstairs at The Towers or during an activity or gathering. I also plan to teach a weekly class called Timely Topics. I can visit you in your apartment, meet with you in my office, have lunch with you, or even take a walk. I am here to support you in whatever way is most helpful.
It is my hope to make myself as available as possible during the two days each week that I am at The Towers. I hope we will run into one another somewhere in the building. I also have an office on the first floor of Tower One, just to the left as you come off the elevator. You can call me at (475) 441-0140 and leave a message, or email me at chaplain@towerlane.org.
I also work closely with the other Towers staff, so if you would like to speak with me, you can let any staff member know, and they will be happy to reach out to me on your behalf.
I am delighted that Sarah Moskowitz, who also serves as a chaplain at The Towers, will be staying on in her current role. I look forward to working closely with her and with the rest of the Towers staff.
I look forward to meeting you and talking with you soon!
