The ICP Jewish Studies Fellows

Sean Raman is part of the Jewish Reform Congregation in Fremont. He was brought up in a religious Hindu family in India and moved to the US in 1981. He converted to Judaism in 2015 and intends to become a practicing chaplain.

What drew me to GTU’s Interreligious Chaplaincy program: Though an observant Jew, I respect all religions. We are all equal and serve the same God, albeit, under different names. I chose GTU’s program as it will give me a horizontal perspective of chaplaincy and across different religions. I found the interaction with GTU personnel friendly and inviting and the fact that the program is all online and I can get education with some minor adjustments in my day job really helped me make the decision to join GTU.

Dorian Seamster is a graduate of Mills College in Oakland CA (BA) and University of Chicago at Illinois (Master of Public Health.)  As a healthcare administrator Dorian has worked for both local community health centers and at the state level ensuring access to health care for all residents of Santa Cruz County.  Currently she is a coach and mentor, and a community activist through her work on nonprofit boards and political organizing.

I was very pleased to find the ICP program because as a cultural Jew, and person of faith I can both learn about many religious traditions and develop skills as a chaplain.  Being a chaplain will allow me to bring together my desire to serve others and my community, and to be a conduit for others who are suffering to find a path to healing and find meaning in their struggles through their religious and spiritual beliefs.

Tracy Segal is an attorney, part-time teacher, and mom of two amazing college students.  She lives in Jupiter, Florida, having grown up in southern Illinois and attended Washington University in St. Louis for her B.A., M.A. in English and American Literature, M.A.Ed. and J.D.  Tracy is active in youth education in her local conservative synagogue, participates in meditation and spirituality programs through the Jewish renewal movement and a local Buddhist sangha, and sometimes attends mass with her Catholic fiancée.  

What drew me to the GTU’s Interreligious Chaplaincy Program: “Although I am deeply rooted in Jewish thought, ritual, and liturgy, my spirituality doesn’t fit neatly in the ‘Jewish’ box. I was drawn to the GTU Interreligious Chaplaincy Program as a way to broaden my heart-mind and learn to understand and support people of all backgrounds. I could not be more to excited for this journey.”  

Hashaw Elkins is a project manager in international development and a Jewish community lay leader.

“I was drawn to the GTU Interreligious Chaplaincy Program in order to deepen my capacity to serve those in need.”

Brandt Miller is a writer and filmmaker pursuing his MA at the GTU. His creative background is diverse: from a Fulbright Fellowship in Mongolia documenting the underground queer movement – to reporting for an English-language newspaper in Cambodia – to obtaining his MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University.  Most recently, he has been working as a creative producer in the documentary film world. Transformation, sacred narratives and storytelling are interweaving threads that will continue to guide his path. 

Brandt’s passion for interreligious exploration and service to societal transformation led him to the Interreligious Chaplaincy Program. In his life, spirituality, service and creativity are synergistic ingredients that chaplaincy will allow him to embody more deeply.  

Allan Shore is a native New Yorker, who now makes his home in Washington State with his beloved spouse, Kirsten. In 2016, Allan completed a PhD in Modern Jewish History and Culture at the GTU.

“The Interreligious Chaplaincy Program seems to me an excellent way to broaden my perspective regarding the multiplicity of world views and acquire training I hope to put to practical use. My goal is to serve as a hospice chaplain in my home city of Bellingham.”

Mia Trachtenberg is a Berkeley Native. She graduated from Berkeley High School and California College of the Arts with a BFA in art and writing.

“I was drawn to GTU's inclusive and open minded environment. I am not deeply religious but spiritually and culturally Jewish. The opportunity to learn pastoral care amongst people of all faiths is a very exciting opportunity and I am exceedingly grateful.”

Doria E. Charlson, PhD, is a research fellow at Mills College in Oakland. Her academic work centers on crises of labor and how theatre and performance intersect with labor history, and her activism and spirituality is greatly informed by her artistic practices in dance and performance and her commitment to creating just and sustainable futures. 

“Interreligious chaplaincy is an urgent need. The moment in which we are living requires moral clarity and ‘spiritual audacity.’  As a chaplain I can be agile: I can meet people where they are with their spiritual needs at different points in their lives and, importantly, I can provide avenues for ways in which to act in accordance with my traditions teachings of justice, compassion, and the holiness of connection.”

Yudit Kornberg Greenberg, PhD, is the George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Endowed Chair of Religion and Founding Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Her teaching and publications cover topics in modern Jewish thought, women in religion, cross-cultural perspectives on love and the body, and the comparative study of Hindu-Jewish Philosophy and Religion. 

“My interest in the GTU ICP stems from my commitment to students and other groups in need of spiritual care and mentorship. The theories and practices of spiritual care as taught in the ICP, combined with my personal and professional background promise to provide me with the skills for an effective leadership role in interreligious chaplaincy.”

Linda Oberstein, MD received her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Genetics, her MD from Albert Einstein University in NY, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University. After 22 years practicing in Internal Medicine in San Mateo and then Burlingame, she retired from her practice. She is looking forward to practicing a new form of caring for the community in providing spiritual guidance at people's time of greatest need. 

“I am drawn to the ICP at GTU to be able to return to providing spiritual care to people in the context of illness.  I retired from my 22 year internal medicine practice as the practice of medicine was no longer enabling me to make that spiritual connection which was a huge part of what drew me to primary care.”

Eliza Slavet, PhD received undergraduate and master's degrees from Yale University and a PhD in Literature from UC San Diego. She is the author of Racial Fever: Freud and the Jewish Question (Fordham UP: 2009) as well as many scholarly articles, creative liturgies, and beyond. Eliza feels called to serve in multi-faith and interfaith contexts including UC San Diego’s CPE program in Palliative Care (2020-2021). 

“I was thrilled to discover GTU’s new program in Interreligious Chaplaincy, a program that will widen my path, allowing me to deepen my service to others, with all their spiritual complexities, clothed in the languages of religion, tradition, culture, and beyond. I look forward to diving in and learning to partner with others to bring more healing and light to the world.”