NeshamaCast

NAJC and NeshamaCast are pleased to share this edition of the Exit Strategy podcast in which host, Stephanie Garry leads a conversation with Dr. Diane Meier — Founder and Director Emerita of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) — and Rabbi Dr. Edith Meyerson, BCC — Director of Pastoral Counseling and Bereavement Services at the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC — to demystify palliative care and explain its place on the healthcare and end-of-life spectrums.

Useful websites:

www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org

www.capc.org

www.mountsinai.org/care/palliative-care/about/institute

www.getpalliativecare.org

Contact Exit Strategy:

[email protected]

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Fredda Cohen recently retired after a distinguished tenure as Director of Pastoral Care & Education at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. She managed a staff of six chaplains and numerous volunteers. She has rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary and is a board certified chaplain under the auspices of NAJC. Rabbi Cohen received the prestigious Chaplain of the Year Award conferred by the New York Board of Rabbis in 2015. Prior to her career as a chaplain/rabbi, Rabbi Cohen earned a law degree from Fordham University and worked as a trusts and estate attorney. Here is Rabbi Cohen appearing on a White Plains Hospital podcast. Rabbi Cohen moderates this discussion. 

Rabbi Simcha Silverman, serves as director of Chaplaincy Services at Northwell Health, Lenox Hill Hospital.  In his capacity as director, he oversees the department of multiple chaplains, provides pastoral care to patients, their family members and hospital staff. He also serves as Rabbi of the hospital, creating an infrastructure and setting for Jewish people of all types to feel most welcomed and have their cultural and religious needs met. Prior to coming to Lenox Hill in 2012, Rabbi Silverman worked in hospice. He completed his chaplain internship and residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Downtown Miami and received his board certification through the NAJC. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Bellevue University and Semicha from the Mirrer Yeshiva.  In addition to his hospital responsibilities, Rabbi Silverman serves as the rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim of Flatbush, a synagogue in Brooklyn NY that has just marked its centennial anniversary. Rabbi Silverman co-authored this piece on the Northwell website regarding his facility's new chapel. 

Chaplain Mark Daniels serves as the Manager of Spiritual Services at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New Hyde Park, NY, which is also part of the Northwell Health system. Chaplain Daniels has had a rich, multi-faceted career that included a decade in education during which he was headmaster of a school. He then led his own home decor business for over 25 years. Having endured a serious health crisis, Chaplain Daniels was inspired to train as a chaplain, first at Mount Sinai West (formerly Roosevelt Hospital) after which he completed his training at North Shore University Hospital before doing advanced work in a fellowship at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. He has been at CCMC for nearly a decade. Chaplain Daniels has been an active Reform Jew his whole life. He is a Board Certified Chaplain and serves on the NAJC Board. Here is an article profiling Chaplain Daniels during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Mia Simring was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, in her native New York City. She also holds a certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling and has focused her rabbinic work on chaplaincy in hospitals, long term care facilities, and now, correctional facilities. She is currently serving as a Jewish Chaplain for the New York City Department of Correction, working with both pre- and post-trial detainees. Prior to her rabbinical studies, she received an undergraduate degree in East Asian Studies from Brown University, worked in Japan, and then in the Japanese Art Department at Christie’s NY. Read more about her here. 

Rabbi Gabe Kretzmer Seed serves as a Jewish chaplain in the New York City Department of Correction where he provides religious services and spiritual support primarily for Jewish inmates. He also teaches and tutors for children and adults in the community, and provides research support for a number of Jewish Studies scholars, including as a research assistant to Rabbi Irving Greenberg for his acclaimed book "The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism."  Rabbi Kretzmer Seed has Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and also received BA and MA degrees from The Jewish Theological Seminary – JTS—where he focused on Talmud and Midrash. Following ordination, Rabbi Kretzmer Seed completed a CPE residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan, where he worked in the hospital’s palliative care, oncology and psychiatric units.

To learn more about "The Very Narrow Bridge: A Rikers Island Siddur," click here. To support the project, click here.

Warm wishes for Shanah Tovah, a sweet and peaceful New Year to our community of NeshamaCast listeners!

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Myrna Matsa, BCC, D. Min., was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and served as a congregational rabbi both as senior rabbi in a small southern congregation and as an assistant in a large mid-western synagogue.  She has earned a Doctor of Ministry degree which brings together psychology and theology, and she is also a Board Certified Chaplain.  She has worked in a variety of medical settings:  hospice, psychiatric hospital, cancer hospital, and nursing homes. As the world remembers Hurricane Katrina on its twentieth anniversary,   Rabbi Matsa comes on NeshamaCast to discuss her experience as Rabbinic Pastoral/Trauma Counselor for Hurricane Katrina Support in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the Biloxi/Gulfport Region.  She worked closely with leaders of the various faith communities, both Jewish and non-Jewish, and also lay people within the Gulf area providing them with direct pastoral services during reconstruction, serving as a Jewish referral resource, and interfacing with various mental health associations.  She was sent by the New York Board of Rabbis in partnership with The Jewish Federations of North America. Rabbi Matsa is now retired and resides in Los Angeles. She is a member of NAJC.

Articles featuring Myrna Matsa during her community chaplaincy in the Gulf Region:

Congregation Beth Israel Moves Into Synagogue, WLOX, May 29, 2009

Oil Gushes, Trust Evaporates, Lilith Magazine, Sept. 3, 2010

Rabbi Helps Other Clergy to Weather Their Storms, New Jersey Jewish News, Nov. 24, 2010

Rabbi Theodore M. Lichtenfeld is a hospice chaplain with the Visiting Nurse Association of New Jersey. He previously served as rabbi at Congregation Agudat Achim in Schenectady, NY, and at pulpits in New Orleans and New Jersey. Rabbi Lichtenfeld completed a residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with New York Presbyterian Hospital during the coronavirus pandemic in New York City. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2001, and also holds ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion. Rabbi Lichtenfeld, a Philadelphia native, lives in Rockland County, NY, with his wife and three children.

Articles about Rabbi Lichtenfeld's Hurricane Katrina experience:

Katrina-depleted Jewish Community Begins High Holy Days with Heavy Heart, Religion News Service, Sept. 23, 2006

Hurricane Katrina Oral History of Rabbi Ted Lichtenfeld in Jewish Women's Archive, August 21, 2007

Editor's Note: In order to enhance the listening experience, some of the host's questions to Rabbi Matsa were not asked in the live conversation and were added into the recording during the post-production process. ECB

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

NeshamaCast is off for the summer, gearing up for an engaging Season 3. But in the meantime, we’re pleased to bring you this special bonus episode featuring NAJC’s Vice President Rebecca Kamil, BCC. Rabbi Kamil serves as a chaplain for the CLL Society in the Minneapolis area. The CLL Society supports and advocates for cancer patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma. Rabbi Kamil recently appeared on CareCast, the podcast of the CLL Society. Rabbi Kamil has rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and is a Board Certified Chaplain through NAJC. Neshamacast is grateful to Doreen Zetterlund and CareCast for allowing us to share this interview on the NeshamaCast feed. 

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Dr. Shira Stern, BCC, serves as Disaster Spiritual Care Manager for the American Red Cross and as ARC Division Advisor for the Northeast and Lead for Massachusetts and Northern New England.  Her ARC deployment to the 2025 LA Fires was featured in the Berkshire Eagle.  She previously appeared on NeshamaCast in Episode 2 . She served as Consulting Editor for Mishkan Refuah: Where Healing Resides. Rabbi Stern is a Past President of NAJC. 

Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC, serves as the senior rabbi and director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-SInai in Los Angeles and as Rabbi of Knesset Israel Synagogue of Beverlywood. Among his many publications are: A Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision Making, Care and Covenant: A Jewish Bioethic of Responsibility, and a Guide to Observance of Jewish Law in a Hospital.  

Special thanks to Henry Bernstein, Allison Atterberry and Gabe Sniman for on site technical production.

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Gabe Kretzmer Seed serves as a Jewish chaplain in the New York City Department of Correction where he provides religious services and spiritual support primarily for Jewish inmates. He also teaches and tutors for children and adults in the community, and provides research support for a number of Jewish Studies scholars, including as a research assistant to Rabbi Irving Greenberg for his acclaimed book "The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism."  Rabbi Kretzmer Seed has Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and also received BA and MA degrees from The Jewish Theological Seminary – JTS—where he focused on Talmud and Midrash. Following ordination, Rabbi Kretzmer Seed completed a CPE residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan, where he worked in the hospital’s palliative care, oncology and psychiatric units.

Rabbi Mia Simring was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, in her native New York City. She also holds a certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling and has focused her rabbinic work on chaplaincy in hospitals, long term care facilities, and now, correctional facilities. She is currently serving as a Jewish Chaplain for the New York City Department of Correction, working with both pre- and post-trial detainees. Prior to her rabbinical studies, she received an undergraduate degree in East Asian Studies from Brown University, worked in Japan, and then in the Japanese Art Department at Christie’s NY. Read more about her here. 

In the discussion, Rabbi Gabe mentions "To Walk in God's Ways," by Rabbi Joe Ozarowski, who appears on NeshamaCast, Episode 1. Rabbi Gabe also mentions his mentor, Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, BCC, who is the co-author, with Rabbi Nancy Wiener, of "Maps and Meaning: Levitical Models for Contemporary Care." This book was discussed with Rabbi Nancy Wiener on NeshamaCast, Episode 8.

The story Rabbi Gabe shares in this interview of being physically assaulted appears in the book "Rikers: An Oral History," by Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau. 

Talmudic text discussed in interview: Ein havush matir atzmo mibeit ha'asurim--"A person in prison cannot free himself," From Tractate Berakhot 5b. 

Hebrew and Technical Terms: 

Ashrei, literally, "Happy are those," from Psalms 84:5; this verse recurs frequently in Jewish liturgy as a prelude to Psalm 145. 

Eliyahu HaNavi—Elijah the Prophet, regarded in Jewish tradition as the one who will herald the coming of the Messiah

Get--Jewish writ of divorce, traditionally given from the husband to the wife to end the marriage. An ongoing struggle in traditional Jewish communities is the plight of Agunot (literally, "chained"), women whose marriages have ended for all practical reasons but have not received a Get from the husband to formally end the marriage, the receipt of which is necessary in order to marry someone else. Reference is made in the interview to: ORA--Organization for the Resolution of Agunot. 

Ha Lachma Anya--From the Passover Haggadah: "This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in Egypt..."

Had Gadya—literally, “One Little Goat,” the final hymn in the traditional Seder.

Halakhah--Jewish law, as derived from Rabbinic Jewish tradition in the Talmud and later Jewish codes. 

Halakhically--a Hebrew-English adverb referring to actions done according to Halakhah, or Jewish law. 

Hashgacha-Kosher supervision

HIPAA--the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects patient privacy in the American heath care system. It generally does not apply to the prison and jail systems.

Humash--A volume comprising the five books of the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy

Kehillah--Community, usually referring to a synagogue community. 

Midrash (plural: Midrashim)--a homiletical interpretation of Biblical scripture, usually referring to the Rabbinic body of literature known as THE Midrash, compiled by Rabbis over the first millennium of the common era, often reflecting ancient oral interpretations of Biblical text.

Moshiach-the Messiah

Motzi—The blessing over bread, traditionally said whenever eating bread but most commonly said over full loaf of bread or matzah at a Sabbath or holiday meal. 

Parashah--The weekly portion of the Torah/Pentateuch that is read aloud in synagogue. 

Sh'ma--The Jewish declaration of faith from Deuteronomy 6:4, recited morning and evening in daily liturgy. 

Shul--A common term for synagogue

Siddur--Jewish prayer book
Teshuvah--Repentance.

Tfillot--plural for T'fillah, Jewish prayer

Jewish Chaplains: Register for the NAJC 2025 Conference in Skokie, IL, May 11-14, 2025.  Watch this video to learn more. 

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Aaron Lever serves as Director of Spiritual Care at Menorah Life in St. Petersburg, FL. He received rabbinical ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary and became a Board-Certified Chaplain through NAJC. He is a Reiki Master Teacher, a musician and a puppeteer.

Rabbi Lever is a co-author, along with Rabbi Simcha Weintraub, of "Guide Me Along the Way: A Spiritual Guide to Surgery," Jewish Healing Center, 1998. 

He also wrote this article in which he references the story about Itzhak Perlman playing on three strings. 

Here is the same story as told by Rabbi Jack Riemer, who appears on the previous edition of NeshamaCast in this feed. 

There is debate as to whether the story about Itzhak Perlman and the three strings is true or apocryphal, as discussed in Snopes.com. 

For NAJC members and Jewish chaplains considering joining NAJC, registration is now open for the NAJC Conference, May 11-14, 2025, Skokie Illinois, at the Doubletree Hotel. Click here for more information or watch this video. 

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Rabbi Jack Riemer is a master story teller and preacher and one of the most frequently quoted rabbis in the U.S. who artfully describes the relevance of timeless Jewish wisdom in our modern world. He is often referred to as the “rabbi’s rabbi” among Jewish clergy, because he has taught and mentored so many of his colleagues.  The late Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel wrote: "Jack Riemer’s words are songs of hope and faith. Listen to them as I do." 

Rabbi Riemer is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Tikvah (now Shaarei Kodesh) in Boca Raton, Florida. He is co-author, with Rabbi Elie Spitz, of Duets on Psalms: Drawing New Meaning From Ancient Words. To inquire about an autographed copy, contact Ben Yehuda Press. Rabbi Riemer is also the author of Jewish Insights on Death and Mourning Finding God in Unexpected Places: Wisdom for Everyone from the Jewish Tradition and coeditor of So That Your Values Live On: Ethical Wills and How to Prepare Them.

Rabbi Riemer's retelling of a story about Rabbi Paul Plotkin is found in Rabbi Paul Plotkin's book, The Lord Is My Shepherd: Why Do I Still Want?

Here is an excerpt in which Rabbi Paul Plotkin shares in his own words the story that Rabbi Riemer refers to in the podcast.  Thank you to Rabbi Paul Plotkin for granting permission to share this excerpt. 

For more about Natan Sharansky, see his memoir Fear No Evil. 

Check out the other podcast hosted by Rabbi Ed Bernstein: My Teacher Podcast. 

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center  in Washington, D.C., the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland's maximum security prison.  He and his wife Naomi are actively involved in bikur cholim (care for the sick) with Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington and are co-sponsors of the annual National Bikur Cholim Conference.  David is also a volunteer for Ruach and a student in Aleph's program for spiritual direction.

Rabbi Lynn Liberman, BCC, is Acting Co-President of NAJC. She works as the Jewish Community Chaplain of the Twin Cities.   Ordained in 1993 from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Lynn worked over 20 years in congregations before moving into full-time chaplaincy.   In addition to her Community Chaplain position, Lynn also works as a Per Diem Chaplain at two area Hospitals, including a Trauma One Center, and has been a volunteer Police/Fire Chaplain for 25 years.   Lynn has proudly served on the NAJC board for four years.  She and her spouse live in St. Paul, MInnesota.

Click here for information on the National Bikur Cholim Conference, including links to recordings of past programs. 

About our host:

Rabbi Scott Klein, Ed.D., is the host of NeshamaCast. He serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain, assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC. A champion of communication, education, and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership and received rabbinical ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY.

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the creator of NeshamaCast and hosted its first three seasons. He continues as a contributor and consultant to the program. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives.

NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference.

Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected]

Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode.

Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs.

Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine.

Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers.

Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC.

We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.