Who is Rabbi Gila?

Rabbi Gila served as a congregational rabbi for 27 years. She walked beside families through some of life’s hardest moments.

She sat with loved ones during long surgeries, prayed with people at the end of life in hospice, and helped families navigate the challenges of caring for an elder or someone with illness or disability.

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Tree of Life

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For 7 years, she served as the Jewish chaplain at Sheppard Pratt Hospital, one of the nation’s leading psychiatric hospitals, where she learned to focus not only on what is broken, but on what remains whole and strong. This philosophy—seeing light in the midst of struggle—guides her work with caregivers today.

Rabbi Gila lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Dr. Paul Ruskin. Her three adult children, their partners, and six grandchildren continue to open her heart to new experiences and insights, and stretch her capacity for compassion and joy. Being a Savta, (grandmother) brings her daily delight and gratitude.

Why I Started WalkWithYou Eldercare Coach

Rabbi Gila Personal Statement

Caregiving is not abstract for me—it is deeply personal.

In March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I brought my mother from Michigan—her lifelong home—to Philadelphia to ensure she could live with comfort, dignity, and joy. From age 98 to 102, my mother lived in an apartment down the hall, and we spent time together every day. I coordinated medical staff and family visits, handled the countless details caregiving demands, and most of all, gave my mother a life filled with love and meaning.

My mother’s passing in March 2025 inspired a new calling: to coach, consult, and support other family caregivers. Having guided so many through illness and loss, and having lived caregiving from the inside, I bring both compassion and practical wisdom to this sacred work.

Sermons, poems, and essays, gathered in a collection, lovingly compiled by my husband of nearly 50 years.

I also know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of care. Diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38 and later living with severe hip arthritis before undergoing double hip replacements in 2006, I understand the vulnerability, frustration, and courage required when illness changes daily life. These experiences deepened my empathy and my commitment to healing of body and spirit—for myself and for others.

I am also a mosaic artist. My art, displayed in synagogues, a museum, and a hospice center, reflects my belief that broken pieces can be reshaped into something beautiful and whole. I bring this same spirit to my coaching, helping caregivers transform exhaustion and overwhelm into resilience, purpose, and even holiness.

Through it all, one thing has never changed: my commitment to walking with people through their most difficult seasons, and helping them discover strength, hope, and meaning along the way.

I am honored to share that wisdom and expansive understanding with you.

Contact me to set up a free 30 minute Zoom consultation to assess challenges, obstacles, and goals you are facing on the caregiving path.