Chaplain Judy received her BS in Psychology from UCLA, followed by a Master’s from USC in Special Education, with honors.  She worked as an early intervention specialist at USC’s John Tracy Clinic, serving hearing-impaired infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents.  She also served as an adjunct associate professor at USC’s Graduate Program in Special Education.  Judy founded the Los Angeles Chapter of The American Association of Kidney Patients, where she worked to educate and empower people living, as she has, with kidney disease.  Judy has taught seminars, published articles, spoken and presented at various conferences on a variety of topics promoting wellness.  Based on her life story, Judy screened her self-directed documentary short, Life On The Bridge, in 2015 at the Big Apple Film Festival in New York City.

As a chaplaincy candidate, Judy interned at Ahavat Torah Congregation, where she provided individualized spiritual care, led Torah study groups and regularly Divrei Torah.  She also completed a two-year internship at OPICA, a day center for people with dementia.  It is her work there that inspired Judy’s thesis: Spiritual Care and Dementia as Informed by a Jewish Perspective.

Chaplaincy combines two of Judy’s greatest passions – Jewish learning and working with people – and she is excited for all that the future holds. Judy continues her work at OPICA, providing spiritual care for people living with dementia. She plans to expand her efforts to offer spiritual care to those living with chronic health issues, in both individual and group settings.

Email: judyweintraub@me.com