Chaya Lerner

Rabbinic Chaplain Chaya Lerner, LCSW was born and raised in New Orleans. She attended Louisiana State University and received her bachelors in Psychology. She moved to Miami Florida and received her Masters degree in Social Work almost 40 yrs ago. Since then she has become Licensed in Clinical Social Work. She has worked with AIDS/HIV patients and their families, Holocaust survivors, and adults in mental health counseling with an emphasis on mindfulness. She was a first responder for the Surfside Condo collapse four years ago. She receive ordination from the Alliance for Jewish Renewal as a Rabbinic chaplain. She lives in Miami with her long time partner and their cat- Sweetie. She has been working on a book- Torah of Trauma that explains trauma and grief through ancient Jewish Text. 

I grew up as a Reform Jew. As an adult I attended LGBT synagogues. For a time I didn’t have a spiritual practice except for holidays. My best friend was an alcoholic and would take his anger out on me. I attended Alanon meetings working the 12 steps. I moved to Miami and went to an LGBT synagogue. When they moved far away, I stopped attending. Then my mother died and I needed a place to say memorial prayers. I attended a Reform synagogue. I met Rabbi Zalman Shaecter-Shlomi’s student and was hooked on Jewish Renewal. I attended a seminary based on his teachings and received ordination in 2021.