Pathways Hospice and Palliative Care is celebrating the one-year anniversary of hospice chaplain, Rabbi Larry Glestein. 

Glestein provides spiritual guidance and support to families through Pathways’ accredited Jewish hospice program. 

A native of Philadelphia, Glestein was ordained from Shaarei Torah Rabbinical School in 1986. He quickly began serving the community as rabbi/chaplain of Beth Sholom Lifecare Community in Richmond, Va. In 2006, he graduated from St. Luke’s Center of Clinical Pastoral Education. Glestein also currently serves as the rabbi and senior oncology chaplain at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Glestein was invited by the Jewish Federation of St. Louis in 1996 to start a new initiative called Jewish Community Chaplaincy. As one of the original founders, he became the first rabbinic chaplain with Jewish Family & Children’s Service (now Jewish Family Services), working to connect with and provide a supportive presence to Jewish residents of long-term care communities in the St. Louis area.

In 2006, Glestein, along with Rabbi Mark Fasman of Shaare Zedek Synagogue in University City, was invited to meet with Yvonne Schwandt, founder of Pathways Hospice to lay the groundwork for a Jewish Hospice Specialty Program. The group assembled an advisory committee with members from the broader Jewish community and established Pathways as the first Jewish Hospice program in St. Louis accredited by the National Institute for Jewish Hospice.

In 2019, Pathways, which is part of the Delmar Gardens family, invited Glestein back to join their team as rabbinic chaplain for the Jewish hospice program. He works to assist patients and their families while honoring sacred religious customs and beliefs. 

“I feel very grateful and honored to have Rabbi Larry Glestein return to Pathways. His calm and supportive presence, with his unique expertise, make him a true gift to our patients, their families, and our hospice team,” said Yvonne Schwandt, Director of Pathways Hospice and Palliative Care.

Glestein is married to Shari, and the couple has two daughters, Malka and Tamara, and five grandchildren.