5 minute read
Caring Visitors Program Lifts Hearts and Creates Vital Connections
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
Caring Visitors Program
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— ANNE FRANK [1929-1945]
Jewish Family Service is committed to serving the needs of our community — and reaching those who may be unable to reach us. We are also passionate about empowering compassionate volunteers who are willing to help lift the hearts of those who are lonely and isolated to feel a vital human connection to another. It is in that spirit in which we created the Caring Visitors Program,
Rabbi Debi Lewis officiating at a Santa Barbara wedding. pairing volunteer visitors with those who would benefit from a weekly visit — a chat, a game of cards, an exchange of stories or a laugh about the events of the week. This single hour in the week of an isolated senior, or an otherwise lonely individual who is unable to leave their home, can often make all the difference in a life in which minutes stretch into hours. And thus, this kind of mitzvah is undefinable, the impact, possibly immeasurable.
Heading up the Caring Visitors Program is the wonderful Rabbi Debi Lewis, an extraordinary human being and treasured member of the Jewish Family Service clinical team. We were extremely fortunate when Debi joined our team as a Chaplaincy Intern in 2018, taking over the leadership of Caring Visitors and professionalizing the program, adding crucial accountability, while increasing the number of matches and those served in the community. Having been a volunteer herself with the program starting in 2010, this has not only come full-circle for her, but it has allowed her to understand the experience and role of the visitor, with the additional professional pastoral knowledge that her years of rabbinic chaplaincy have given her. Now, after her rabbinic ordination at the end of May 2021, we are beyond blessed that she will stay on in this role as our full Rabbinical Chaplain for Jewish Family Service, one of the few JFS agencies in the country who are fortunate to have such an important asset on their professional staff. At JFS, we are open to serving all members of the community, but always want to be ready to address the spiritual needs of the Jewish community — an important priority. Dr. Stan Ostern (Left), Holocaust Survivor with students
Rabbi Lewis’ journey of becoming a rabbi is an inspiring one – and explains a great deal about who she is and the passion she has for her work. Soon after relocating to Santa Barbara from her native Los Angeles about 25 years ago, she felt the call to volunteer at Cottage Hospital in the area of Spiritual
Care as one of the department’s Jewish representatives. Although she had previously earned an undergraduate degree in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Philadelphia, she now had a successful career in the IT world. But after three intensive study experiences in Israel, she knew it was time to begin her journey to the Rabbinate. Six years ago, she began her studies at the Academy of Jewish Religion in Los Angeles (AJRCA) — a long and arduous journey. Throughout the process, Debi has had the support of a community behind her: Congregation B’nai B’rith, where she teaches Jewish Ethics for the Melton Program, and has been an active congregant, the Community Shul of Montecito and Santa Barbara, where she served as a Rabbinic Intern, and the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community, where she now serves as their spiritual leader, having become their Rabbinic voice last year. In addition, she has been married to her supportive wife, Traci Lewis since 2010, having been together for ten years prior to that. Perhaps the most compelling part of Debi’s story is that she chose Judaism for her own. While it isn’t something she often talks about, she chose this path for herself as a convert to Judaism, which created a very personal, double journey to becoming a spiritual leader for others, perhaps uniquely positioning her to be available to others in various stages of their own journeys. In Judaism, the role of the rabbi, is not an intermediary between ourselves and the Divine — instead, it is a teacher and a guide to maneuver life’s questions and transitions. Kind, humble, knowledgeable, and compassionate — when you are in conversation with her, there is no one else in that space, she is there fully for you. JFS and the Jewish Federation are tremendously honored to work with her – our organizations and community are enriched by her presence and work, helping us see how “a single candle,” Dr. Stan Ostern (Left),
or one visit from a volunteer, Holocaust Survivor with students
can light up the world.
Rabbi Debi Lewis speaking against anti-Semitism at Unity Rally in Solvang.
Jewish Family Service, a department of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, is dedicated to strengthening the quality of life for individuals and families throughout their lives. We are committed to offering a wide range of fully professional clinical counseling, therapeutic support services, and wellness programming, without regard to religion, race, ethnicity, or disability — open and available to the entire community. Particularly dedicated to the senior community, our Caring Visitors Program pairs volunteer visitors with isolated seniors — and others who are challenged in leaving their homes — for regular weekly visits, providing companionship and social interaction. We accept Medicare insurance, as well as Medicare/ MediCal and a number of other private insurance plans. Our policy is such that we never turn anyone away for inability to pay for our services. We are passionate about providing empathic social services and mental healthcare to those in need — whether it is a referral to a community resource or a more in-depth clinical intervention, JFS is here for you!
Jewish Family Service
524 Chapala Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.957.1116 jewishsantabarbara.org Ruth Dubin Steinberg, LCSW, MAJCS ,Director rsteinberg@sbjf.org
