"I feel genuinely privileged to work with so many wonderful people--the staff,patients and their families--who are associated with this outstanding Hospice of Palm Beach County. It is my earnest hope to be able to reach out even more to our local Jewish community."
- Rabbi Dr. Chaim Joseph Wender
The newest member of our spiritual care team, Rabbi Dr. Chaim Joseph Wender joined Hospice of Palm Beach County in April 2008.
Rabbi Dr. Chaim Joseph Wender was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. After graduating with a major in Theology from Georgetown University (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude) he earned a Masters degree in Rabbinics and Hellenistics from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio (Scheuer Foundation Fellow for academic merit). He went on to rabbinic studies at the Leo Baeck College, receiving ordination in 1979. During the course of his years as Rabbi of Congregation Children of Israel in Augusta, Georgia (1981 - 1990), he completed his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Columbia Theological Seminary, specializing in Judaism and Gerontology. Returning to London, he served as Rabbi of the Woodford Progressive Synagogue from 1990-1995. During that time, he also authored the pamphlet, on Aging, for the Union of Liberal Progressive Synagogues (ULPS) of Great Britain Where We Stand series and spearheaded their national project, Doroteinu, "The ULPS Task Force on the Older Generations." From 1996-2007 he served as Rabbi of Temple Sinai of Palm Beach County, Florida. He was recently appointed as the first Rabbinical Coordinator of the Hospice of Palm Beach County and is also Co-President of the Delray Beach Clergy Association. Last month, he was awarded the title of Fellow of Leo Baeck College (F.L.B.C.), in recognition of more than twenty-five years in the rabbinate. He is currently writing a book with Sheikh Imam Radwan Kouatli on ameliorating Jewish-Muslim relations. He has been married to Lorraine for thirty years and they are the parents of three offspring, Sharon, Michael, and Shira.
