Shafir's path to smicha (ordination) with ALEPH culminates a journey that started many years ago at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she first pursued studying for the rabbinate. Her studies at RRC, under whose auspices she lived for one year in Jerusalem (in Kiryat HaYovel) while she attended the Hebrew University, were interrupted by life events. In the interim between RRC and ALEPH, Shafir did a variety of things. As a Judaic educator in Pittsburgh, PA, she taught ten adult women through an intensive yearlong program to their Bat Mitzvah in the 70's.Currently, Shafir is the rabbi of Congregation Ner Tamid in Tucson, AZ and also works as a Life and Spiritual Coach. Her previous position was as a chaplain to the Akron General Medical Center and rabbi of Congregation Hadar Israel in New Castle, PA. Shafir conducts distance learning classes through the ALEPH Bet Midrash. She also teaches a number of courses in Tucson, AZ and has taught classes in Canton, Akron and Cleveland, OH, including an interfaith workshop on sacred texts. Shafir lectured for two years as part of the interfaith panel for the annual Children of Abraham Journey Together conference in Lakeside, OH.Prior to her current activities, Shafir was a Tire Engineer at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio for seventeen years. She was awarded eleven patents for inventions she made while working at Goodyear. Before that, Shafir worked as a Chief Flight Instructor in Akron and even did a stint as the 'Traffic Pilot and Announcer' in Pittsburgh, PA. She was also a Captain in the PA Air National Guard.Shafir's father, Rabbi Sholom Silver (z"l), was born in Wacz, Hungary, the 22nd generation of rabbis in his family. Shafir is the 23rd generation. Shafir's father met her mother, Marion (z"l), who was from a very liberal family in Vienna, Austria when they were both in New York. They raised her to love her Jewishness. Shafir started saying that she was going to be a rabbi when she was only three years old and they never discouraged her, although they did say it would take a lot of study and hard work. Shafir learned to lead services and to leyn Torah as a young girl, and she has loved doing so ever since.Along with her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Akron, Shafir has a Bachelors of Art in Religion from Ursinus College and a Masters in Judaic Thought from Siegal College of Judaic Studies in Cleveland. When not working at one of her many activities or studying, Shafir and her husband, Bill, enjoy playing with their Poodles and Chinese Cresteds, many of which are 'rescues'.Shafir is grateful to her many mentors and teachers in the ALEPH Rabbinical Program with whom she has worked closely: Rabbi Daniel Siegel, Rabbi Shaya Isenberg, Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg, Rabbi Shimon Brand, Rabbi Shefa Gold, Rabbi Rachel Levine and Rabbi Judy Abrams. Shafir would also like to thank the many teachers who are not directly a part of ALEPH, and who also contributed to her Rabbinic studies, including: Rabbi John Spitzer, Dr Ron Brauner, Rabbi Moshe Berger, Dr Brian Amkraut, Dr David Ariel, Rabbi Yakov Travis, Nili Adler. She is also very deeply grateful to Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Rabbi Marcia Prager. 
