I developed my Jewish identity as a child growing up in the Reform movement and was ordained as a cantor from HUC-JIR in 2018. As a lesbian, I bring firsthand, personal experience of navigating faith and identity, and I’m a vocal advocate for LGBTQIA+ inclusion within Jewish communities. I was also a Union for Reform Judaism JewV’Nation Fellow for the LGBTQIA+ 2018-2019 cohort, where I gained leadership skills in Jewish queer advancing queer representation and belonging in Jewish life. I earned my Master of Social Work (also in ’18) from NYU with additional certificates in advanced clinical practice, trauma, CBT, and spiritually-focused psychotherapy. I developed and now use an approach that combines the clinical with the pastoral, helping people from all backgrounds craft a narrative and live a life that best reflects who they are and what matters most to them. I build meaningful relationships with people seeking growth around joy, loss, and life’s transitions, tending to their unique lived experience (and love it!). I gained my pastoral experience in congregational and nursing home/hospice settings, and through clinical pastoral education (Level 1 Trauma Hospital in Dallas). I have also had the great fortune of guiding unaffiliated couples & families through holy moments in their lives, officiating a range of ceremonies for people at various junctures in their Jewish journey. I earned my clinical social work license (LCSW) at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery (2018-2024) and as a facilitator of support groups around bereavement, divorce, and caregiving for a loved one. No matter the setting, I harness my unique combination of skills to help the whole person integrate their values, goals, and what’s sacred to them, and support them in building strong & healthy relationships to self, others, and community. My philosophy is embedded in affirming and inclusive methods, and I feel privileged to serve others on their spiritual and mental health journeys. In addition to the applied aspects of my work, I am currently pursuing a PhD in Practical Theology at Boston University, where I work as a research assistant at the Albert & Jessie Danielsen Institute. My doctoral research is in the area of the psychology of religion, with special inquiry into clergy spiritual formation & virtue development, trauma, and spiritual abuse. My work explores the role of Jewish virtues in clergy’s everyday social behavior, aligning DEI & justice beliefs with lived experience, and seeks ways of turning religious trauma into healing and thriving. I hope that this research will address inequities and discrimination in Jewish seminaries and other Jewish systems, and help in preventing trauma and promoting human flourishing. Visit my websites to learn more about each aspect of my work: • www.cantorlaurastein.com • www.bu.edu/sth/profile/laura-stein • www.laurasteintherapy.com

In addition to my cantorial, mental health, and doctoral work, I also have hobbies! I have been part of a Top Chef fantasy league since 2016 (I’m a terrible cook but I LOVE watching others do it!). And, despite two back surgeries, I am also an avid skier. I have lived in Israel (3 years), Chile (1 year), Peru (3 summers), Iceland (1 summer), and Tanzania (1 month) and hope to one day rescue a cat whom I hope to name after a cheese (current contenders are Parmesan, String, and some nickname of Mozzarella).