When Rabbi JudiAhavah DelBourgo was growing up in New York, she was not particularly spiritual or religious. She had a bat mitzvah, and her family was loosely Reform. One of her closest friends was a devout Christian.
“I didn’t understand her desire to be close with God,” DelBourgo said.
Now that she’s been on her own spirituality journey, the rabbi can understand it.
“It’s amazing today to share a sense of spirituality with my friend,” she said. “We have extremely different religions, but the connection is there.”
So, how did DelBourgo get to this point?
The rabbi was perfectly happy with her life — she had a wonderful career as a public school fourth grade teacher. But then she had a powerful life-changing experience.
“I had the opportunity to be with a dear friend as she took her last breath,” she said. “I sensed there was something more there than what we can see.”
DelBourgo became a hospice volunteer and trained in chaplaincy. She also started doing meditation and yoga.
“I was drawn to all things spiritual, never realizing that we have this incredible spirituality in our Jewish tradition,” she said.
She ended up going to a synagogue and heard the rabbi and visiting teachers talking about topics that she said, “truly spoke to my heart. I heard Hasidic interpretations of Torah, and I was mesmerized by the power of Hebrew. Years after my bat mitzvah I fell in love with Hebrew and Judaism. All of a sudden, what seemed like distant lines on a scroll came alive for me. I was sold. I found what I had been looking for.”
DelBourgo studied at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, a Jewish learning center in New York City, and then studied Hebrew and Torah at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She was ordained through the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University.
Today, DelBourgo works at Makom Ohr Shalom Jewish Renewal Community, a synagogue in Woodland Hills, and Skirball Hospice, a program of LA Jewish Health (formerly the LA Jewish Home). Through Skirball, she is a Spiritual Care Counselor for patients and families – a job that she finds to be meaningful and powerful.
“The power of human love, the power of the spirit and the power of God working through people are astounding.”
“When I’m with a family touched by hospice, there is anticipatory grief and pain,” she said. “It is awful to walk through impending loss, but the root of ‘awe’ has this other meaning: awesome and amazing. The power of human love, the power of the spirit and the power of God working through people are astounding.”
A family that DelBourgo has worked with found so much comfort in their gathering together with her around their loved one’s deathbed for prayer that after the passing, when she called to provide bereavement support, a family member said it brought them great comfort to replay the video.
“I sang with them the Mi Sheberach for healing,” she said. “It may seem like an illogical thing to pray for healing at end of life, but healing is a focus of the Vidui prayer, the final confessional prayer said for or by a dying person. When we pray for healing, there is always some kind of healing that’s possible. There can be a healing of spirit and the possibility of someone finding a sense of peace and fullness. God willing, healing also continues into the grief process, which is also included in the Vidui prayer.”
For DelBourgo, becoming more interested in Judaism brought her a sense of wholeness, which is why she hopes to help others find wholeness as well.
“Becoming more connected to Judaism perhaps was healing, in a way I didn’t know I wanted or needed,” she said. “It was a discovery and integration of a whole new layer of life I didn’t know existed. It opened up a new world for me.”
At Makom Ohr Shalom, she brings Jewish teachings and healing to her congregation through yoga, meditation, meaningful Torah conversations and inspiring services. One of the most important Jewish concepts she teaches to her community is gratitude.
“Our tradition is largely about gratitude, with blessings for so many moments, actions and events. We can often find something to be grateful for, even if it’s just that we are able to breathe,” she said. “The first thing we say in the morning is Modeh Ani, I give thanks. Our morning blessings are all about embodying gratitude. We bless the Source of Life for opening our eyes and being able to put our feet on the ground.”
In her work, whether it’s through Skirball or leading her congregation at Makom Ohr Shalom, she hopes to help connect people to their spirituality and lead fulfilling lives.
“I want to help people to find awe and enjoy life despite all its challenges and help them live together in a harmonious way,” she said. “It’s my goal to help people taste a sense of wonder and gratitude and build connections with one another and the Source of Life.“
Fast Takes with JudiAhavah DelBourgo
Jewish Journal: What’s your favorite Jewish food?
JudiAhavah DelBourgo: It’s got to be zucchini latkes, with chickpea flour. It’s not exactly a recipe that’s been given through many generations, but it sure is delicious.
JJ: What do you do on your day off?
JD: I like to hike, be at the ocean and spend time with friends. I also like taking the time to really do a yoga flow and not rushing it, like I sometimes end up doing.
JJ: What yoga position do you like the best?
JD: One of my favorites is Happy Baby. The Jewish connection is powerful. There is a midrash that when we are in the womb, an angel whispers the entire Torah to us. When we are about to be born, the angel strikes the groove above our lip and we forget everything. Our whole life, we get to remember and relearn the Torah’s wisdom.
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