Portland has a NEW Community Chaplain!

RABBI SARAH RENSIN

Contact Rabbi Rensin: Email or at 971.307.9479

The Jewish Community Chaplain:

-Establishes close working relationships with hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, independent living facilities, funeral homes and prisons.

- Develops groups for bereavement, caregiver support, and people living with chronic illness in collaboration with other community programs.

-Visits unaffiliated Jewish people throughout the community when they request spiritual care or when they experience a significant loss.

-Officiates at lifecycle events for the unaffiliated. Provides immediate bereavement support, and follow up on the bereaved.

- Works closely with the staff of local hospitals to help ensure that the spiritual and religious needs of Jewish patients are met. Provides consultation on Jewish medical ethics as appropriate.

- Ensures that hospitals and other institutions have necessary ritual items such as prayer books, matzah for Pesach, Hannukiot, etc.

- Establishes close working relationships with communal agencies.

- Encourages individuals and families to affiliate with community institutions, including synagogues, and participate in the organized Jewish community.

-Provides pastoral visits to unaffiliated Jews incarcerated in correctional facilities when there is need for interaction with a Jewish Community Chaplain.

Get to Know Rabbi Sarah Rensin 

Rabbi Sarah Rensin will be serving as the Portland Jewish Community Chaplain. Rabbi Rensin brings with her a wealth of experience and a compassionate heart, having been ordained in 2015 at the Academy for Jewish Religion California.

Rabbi Rensin's background includes working as a Rabbi and Chaplain at Evergreen Hospice in Washington, where she played a pivotal role in providing spiritual care and support during the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her dedication to serving those in need and creating programs for spiritual-care support make her a valuable asset to our community.

In her role as the Portland Jewish Community Chaplain, Rabbi Rensin will be focusing on providing spiritual care and wellness support to individuals in our community who are ill, at end-of-life, experiencing life crises, or just in need of spiritual care outside of a traditional synagogue setting. Her vision aligns with our community's commitment to meeting the spiritual care needs of the most vulnerable and providing education in non-traditional settings.

Please join us in welcoming Rabbi Sarah Rensin to our community. We look forward to the positive impact she will make in the lives of those she serves.