Rabbi Scott Shafrin

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping basket is already at capacity.

Add to cart failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Rabbi Scott Shafrin

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

Rabbi Scott Schaffrin didn’t set out to become a rabbi. Growing up in Milwaukee, he was drawn to music and thought his future might be at a piano, not a pulpit. But over time—through college, community organizing work, and a formative summer back home—his path shifted. What started as an interest in helping people eventually became a calling. Now, after stops in Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and St. Louis, Schaffrin has landed in Cincinnati as the senior rabbi at Adath Israel Synagogue. Along the way, he’s built a career shaped as much by relationship-building and organizing as by traditional rabbinic work. A lot has changed since he started, but his approach has remained fairly consistent. Whether he’s leading services, teaching, or working across communities, the focus is on connection—on helping people find meaning with each other, even when they don’t always agree. We sat down with Rabbi Schaffrin to talk about his journey to the rabbinate, the role music plays in his life and work, and why he sees Judaism less as a unison and more as a harmony.

No reviews yet