NeshamaCast

Rabbi Ed Bernstein delivered the talk "Beyond Cleaning Our Room: Responsibilities and Opportunities in Honoring Our Parents As They Age" to Valley Beit Midrash on May 16, 2024. Special thanks to Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz and Alix Cramer of Valley Beit Midrash for allowing the rebroadcast of this talk on the NeshamaCast feed. 

ABOUT THE EVENT:

The Fifth of the Ten Commandments is “Honor your father and mother.” It is one of the few commandments in the Torah that attaches a reward for its successful performance: “that your days may be long.” We might think that if we follow the command in our youth, clean our rooms and do other things that our parents ask, then we’ve checked that box. The reality is that honoring our parents is among the most difficult and grows in complexity as children—and their parents—age. Rabbi Bernstein explores Jewish perspectives on the responsibilities of adult children to their aging parents and the true rewards we gain in fulfilling this mitzvah.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Edward Bernstein is a Board Certified Chaplain and serves as Chaplain for Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida. He hosts NeshamaCast, a podcast exploring Jewish spiritual care, produced by Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also hosts My Teacher Podcast. Rabbi Bernstein edited  Love Finer Than Wine: The Writings of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker , a 2016 National Jewish Book Awards Finalist.  Rabbi Bernstein was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He served congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. Rabbi Bernstein has also served on the faculty of Camp Ramah Darom, Moishe House and the JTS Florida Office.

Here is Rabbi Bernstein's presentation on VBM's YouTube channel.

Here is Rabbi Bernstein's Sefaria Study Guide. 

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 host Rabbi Ed Bernstein travels to Israel and interviews Jewish chaplains from Israel and across North America  attending a rabbinic conference in Israel.  

Chaplains interviewed in this episode are, in order of appearance:  
Rabbi Mary Brett Koplen, BCC, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York

Rabbi Barbara Speyer, BCC, VA Medical Center, Los Angeles

Mati Halperin, CPE student, Ichilov Hospital, Tel Aviv, Kashouvot: The Center for Spiritual Care in Israel 

Rabbi Beth Naditch, BCC, ACPE, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston

Rabbi Naomi Kalish, PhD, BCC, ACPE, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York

Rabbi Yonatan Rudnick, Community Chaplain, Jewish Family Services, Kansas City

Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz, BCC, Congregation Kol Haneshamah, Jerusalem, Co-founder of Kashouvot.

During the interview with Moti Halperin, listeners can occasionally hear the voice of Rabbi Ilana Garber, Director of Global Rabbinic Development of the Rabbinical Assembly. She and Rabbi Bernstein were matched with Moti for a tour of Ichilov Hospital. 

Special acknowledgment to Rabbi Valerie Stessin, BCC, Director of Kashouvot and Rabbi Mira Rivera, BCC, JCC of Harlem. Rabbi Stessin planned the chaplain programming for the RA Convention, and Rabbi Rivera was a participant. See NeshamaCast feed for their full interviews with NeshamaCast. 

Reference was made multiple times to Natal Global Resilience. 

Rabbi Beth Naditch refers to the terror attack of February 25, 1996 in which JTS rabbinical student Matthew Eisenfeld and his girlfriend Sara Duker were murdered in a suicide bombing of the Number 18 Bus in Jerusalem. See the book edited by Rabbi Edward Bernstein: Love Finer Than Wine: The Writings of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker.

The Nova Exhibition that is touring the US, is currently in Miami. More information here. 

This video discusses the agriculture crisis in the Gaza Envelope post-October 7 and the efforts of local kibbutzim to restore agriculture. Oren Barnea, who is featured in the video, spoke to the rabbinic group in December that included Rabbi Ed Bernstein and Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz. 

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.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida hosted a symposium, "Caring for Jewish Patients and Families at End of Life," on December 4, 2024. The keynote speaker was Dr. Barry Kinzbrunner, with responses from Dr. Claudio Kogan, Dr. Jessica Eichler and Rabbi Ed Bernstein. 

Dr. Barry Kinzbrunner, MD, FACP, is Former Chief Medical Officer, VITAS Healthcare. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine and he was ordained as an orthodox rabbi in Jerusalem, Israel in 2002. Dr. Kinzbrunner’s publications include a textbook entitled “20 Common Problems in End of Life Care,” a second edition of which, under the title “End of Life Care: A Practical Guide” was published in January, 2011. As a pioneer in the development of the role of the Hospice Medical Director for Vitas, as well as for the hospice industry in general, Dr. Kinzbrunner had the opportunity to author and publish a monograph entitled “Medical Director Model” for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) in 2004. He also was an editor in a more recent AAHPM publication for Hospice Medical Directors entitled “The Hospice Medical Director Manual.” Dr. Kinzbrunner is a member of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. 

Dr. Claudio Kogan, MD, MBE, M.Ed.,  is Director of Bioethics for Baptist Health South Florida.  Dr. Kogan is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He attended the University of Buenos Aires Medical School where he received his M.D. Dr. Kogan received his Masters of Hebrew Letters and his rabbinical ordination at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and his Master of Education from Xavier University, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also received his Master of Medical Ethics from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Rabbi Kogan served on the Human Investigation Committee at Yale University.

Rabbi Kogan served 26 for years multiple Jewish congregations in Buenos Aires, Michigan, Ohio, South Dakota, Kentucky, Florida and Texas. He is also a Mohel (certified to perform circumcisions) and a firm believer that Medicine and Religion are two sides of the same coin. Dr. Kogan is a strong advocate to combine Science and Spirituality and an activist who has traveled around the world promoting interfaith dialogue.

Dr. Jessica Eichler, MD,  is Chief Hospice and Palliative Care Specialist for Boca Raton Regional Hospital. She also serves as the Associate Medical Director for Trustbridge Health and as an Assistant Professor for Florida Atlantic University, teaching all internal medicine residents on palliative care service at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Dr. Eichler earned her medical degree at Universidad Iberoamericana School of Medicine, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She completed her hospice and palliative care medicine fellowship at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She serves on the ethics committee of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. 

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, 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.

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 pleased to rebroadcast this edition of the Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast, hosted by Rabbi Richard Address. In this episode,  Chaplain Barry Pitegoff, BCC, of Neshama-The National Association of Jewish Chaplains, and Missy Stolfi from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention join Rabbi Address to discuss their upcoming virtual webinar, “Through a Jewish Lens,” for survivors of suicide victims. The webinar takes place Sunday, November 24 from noon to 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

This conversation focuses on the critical issue of suicide awareness and prevention within the Jewish community, featuring insights from experts on the statistics, the impact of loneliness, the role of faith leaders, and the introduction of the 988 crisis lifeline. The discussion also highlights the upcoming program, ‘Through a Jewish Lens: Hope and Healing for Suicide Loss Survivors,’ aimed at providing support and resources for those affected by suicide loss.

This year’s program will feature recorded remarks from suicide loss survivor and mental health advocate Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-8) and Ivan Maisel, a longtime ESPN writer and author, who is also a survivor of suicide loss. The program will include live reflections and storytelling from loss survivors across the country and small group discussions.

You can get more information and registration information here.

Takeaways

• Suicide is a multi-generational challenge affecting various demographics.
• Older adults face unique risks due to life transitions and isolation.
• Marriage can act as a protective factor against suicide.
• Faith leaders need more training to support those in crisis.
• The 988 crisis lifeline is a vital resource for mental health emergencies.
• Community support is essential for those grieving suicide loss.
• Shame and guilt often accompany suicide loss, hindering open conversations.
• Programs like ‘Through a Jewish Lens’ provide necessary support and healing.
• The pandemic has exacerbated feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism;  first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure,  served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.

Chaplain Barry E. Pitegoff, BCC, is Staff Chaplain at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, NY, serves as the NAJC Volunteer Webmaster (a/k/a “najcwebmaven”), and is certified by the Red Cross in Disaster Spiritual Care Services.   Chaplain Pitegoff transformed 25+ years of volunteer chaplaincy at hospices and hospitals into professional chaplaincy with a BCC from NAJC.  Chaplain Pitegoff holds a BBA in Statistics from Baruch College / CUNY, an MBA from Adelphi University, and graduate studies in Theology and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of South Florida. Chaplain Pitegoff is the Chair of the Planning Committee for “Through a Jewish Lens,” a day of virtual support for Jewish survivors of suicide loss, a project of AFSP, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 

Missy Stolfi, M.Ed., i is a dedicated nonprofit professional with a strong commitment to mental health advocacy. Currently serving as the Area Director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in the Capital and North Country regions of New York, she focuses on promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention initiatives.

With a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University at Buffalo, Missy is passionate about social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and community engagement. She is also an enthusiastic volunteer and a proud aunt, known for her love of animals and support for local sports teams, including the Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees.

In addition to her role at AFSP, Missy serves on the board of Compass House, an emergency shelter and resource center, further demonstrating her commitment to community service and support for vulnerable populations. 

Click here for more on Jewish Sacred Aging and here for Jewish Sacred Aging. 

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.

NAJC, as the Jewish chaplaincy organization, takes seriously our role in advocating for and supporting our membership, as well as in educating those in our field on how to identify and respond to antisemitism, particularly in light of its rise since October 7, 2023. Recently, NAJC hosted a panel discussion on "Defining and Combating Antisemitism in the Chaplaincy Workplace"  that was held on September 17, 2024.  Rabbi Rebecca Kamil, BCC, Vice President of NAJC, moderated the event that was held online before a live online audience. Panelists were: Scott Richman, ADL New York-New Jersey Region Director; Michelle Stravitz, CEO of American Jewish Medical Association;  and Steven Hunegs, Executive Director of Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.  

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 Valerie Stessin is the Director of Kashouvot: The Center for Spiritual Care in Israel. A native of France, Valerie earned a BA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, majoring in Special Education and Jewish Philosophy and received a teaching degree from the Kerem Institute. Valerie studied at the Schechter Institute, earned two M.A. degrees and had the honor to be the first woman ordained by the Masorti movement in Israel, in 1993. She has been involved in Spiritual Care in Israel since its beginnings and is dedicated to advancing this area.

Since 2008, Valerie studied Clinical Pastoral Education (C.P.E.) in Israel and in the United States at Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies with Rabbi Zahara Davidowiz-Farkas,  Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey with Rev. John DeVelder,  Jewish Theological Seminary in New York with Rabbi Mychal Springer and Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston with Rev. Mary Martha Thiel. Valerie was certified as a chaplain by NAJC – Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains and the Israeli Association for Spiritual Care. In 2020, she was certified as an educator in Spiritual Care after she studied at the Educator’s Course with Dr. Rabbi Alan Abrams at the Schwartz Center for Health and Spirituality.

During this period, Valerie worked as a chaplain at various hospitals and geriatric centers: Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in the hematology day care and the rehabilitation departments, Hadassah Ein Karem in the Bone Marrow transplant department, the French Hospital in Palliative care, Hod Yerushalayim nursing home, Yehud and Ness Ziona day-care for the elderly and more.

Valerie taught Spiritual Care in C.P.E. professional training programs and various courses for health-care and geriatric staff.

She served on the board of the Association for Spiritual Care in Israel and of Tmicha, the organization for palliative care in Israel and is a member of the N.A.J.C, the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. Valerie speaks Hebrew, French, English and some Russian.

Painting by Georges Stessin, Rabbi Stessin’s late father.

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 Mychal B. Springer is the manager of Clinical Pastoral Education at NY-Presbyterian Hospital. She founded the Center for Pastoral Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in Manhattan in 2009. Over a ten-year period she oversaw an intensive hospice chaplaincy training program in collaboration with Metropolitan Jewish Health System’s Hospice. She began her career as a hospital chaplain in New York City, and in the 1990s became the director of the Department of Pastoral Care and Education at Beth Israel Medical Center. Mychal was the first Conservative rabbi to be certified as an Educator by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education. Mychal served as The Rabbinical School at JTS’s associate dean and director of Field Education. Her publications include Sisters in Mourning: Daughters Reflecting on Care, Loss, and Meaning (Cascade Press, 2021) with Dr. Su Yon Pak and “Presence in a Time of Distancing: Spiritual Care in an Acute Care Setting” in Jewish End-of-Life Care in a Virtual Age: Our Traditions Reimagined, Friedman D, Levin D, Raphael SP ed. (Albion Andalus, 2021).

Mychal received her BA in Judaic Studies and Religious Studies from Yale College magna cum laude. She was ordained a Conservative rabbi and received her Master’s in Judaic Studies and Doctor of Divinity at JTS. Mychal is a certified Jewish chaplain in Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains.

In the interview, Rabbi Springer recalls her friend from childhood, Aaron Kushner, and how his tragic illness and death inspired his father, Rabbi Harold Kushner (who died in 2023) to write his best-selling book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Here is Rabbi Ed Bernstein interviewing Rabbi Harold Kushner in 2013.

Rabbi Springer makes cameo appearances in two memoirs:

”Choosing My Religion: A Memoir of a Family Beyond Belief,” by Stephen Dubner

”The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions,” by Jonathan Rosen (Rabbi Springer’s husband).

Here are links to other resources mentioned by Rabbi Springer: 

Palestine 1936 by Oren Kessler. 

Dr. David Senesh interviewed on the Invisible Wound podcast.

Haverut: The Healing Arts  led by Rachel Ettun.

The solemn prayer Un’tane Tokef that is recited on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur  was the inspiration for Leonard Cohen’s “Who By Fire.”

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.

Chaplain Hagar Ben-Eliezer, BCC, is a Chaplain and Wellness Therapist for Hillel at UC Berkeley. She previously worked in pediatric chaplaincy at both UCSF and Stanford hospitals. She teaches medical school students on Trauma Informed Care, Somatic Healing and has created workshops in veterinarian chaplaincy she leads for staff at animal hospitals. In  the summer of 2024 Hagar served as the Hillel Birthright International Grief and Trauma Specialist in Israel. Chaplain Hagar is active in NAJC and serves on the board as well as co-chairs the conference committee and leads the fundraising committee. She is also a mentor to chaplains preparing for their certification.

Rabbi Drew Kaplan currently serves as the campus rabbi for Cincinnati Hillel. Before that, he served as the rabbi and director working on behalf of institutions addressing the needs of young people such as the Jewish Student Services and Jewish Young Adult Enrichment as well as Long Beach Hillel, all in Southern California. He also served our most vulnerable population throughout the pandemic, when he was the rabbi/director of pastoral care for Cedar Village in Ohia. Rabbi Drew is a prolific content creator and has a special interest in the history of Jewish drinking that he discusses on the Jewish Drinking Show 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.

Rabbi Chaplain Stephen Roberts is a leading practitioner and teacher in the field of professional chaplaincy. He has written, edited and co-edited vital works that have become standard reading for CPE classes and chaplains in the field. These include his edited work Professional Spiritual and Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook, the first comprehensive resource for spiritual and pastoral care. He is also co-editor of Disaster Spiritual Care: Practical Clergy Responses to Community, Regional and National Tragedy.

Earlier in his career Rabbi Roberts served as Director of Pastoral Care for the Beth Israel Hospital System (NY). He has served as Associate Executive Vice President of the New York Board of Rabbis and oversaw pastoral care services to over fifty facilities in New York City, Long Island and Westchester. Rabbi Roberts has served on American Red Cross' National Spiritual Care Oversight Committee since 2000.   

Rabbi Roberts current focus as a chaplain is helping chaplains develop professionally through the organization ChaplainDL.ORG - Chaplain Distance Learning.

Rabbi Roberts has a Masters in Business from The Wharton School in Philadelphia, PA. He was ordained from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1995.

A Board Certified Chaplain, Rabbi Roberts is a past president of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains and was instrumental in helping create the joint chaplaincy national standards. He is editing a textbook on required competencies for chaplains pursuing board certification. 

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 Mira Rivera is the first Filipina-American woman to receive rabbinic ordination at The Jewish Theological Seminary. She is Rabbi-in-Residence nationally with The LUNAR Collective, a Gen-Z founded organization by and for Asian American Jews.  She also serves as Rabbi-In-Residence at JCC Harlem with a mission of growing an in-person Shabbat community of learners, daveners, and organizers that is truly welcoming to those who have been on the margins.  Among numerous accolades, Rabbi Rivera was named by the New York Jewish Week in 2023 as one of “36 to Watch” for contributions in the arts, religion, culture, business, politics, and philanthropy.  She was a recipient of the 2023 Rabbinic Human Rights Hero Award from T’ruah.

Rabbi Rivera is a Board Certified Chaplain and a member of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains.

Additional Resources: 

Chai Chats with Rabbi Mira Rivera 

"The Torah of Jews of Color"--Rabbi Mira Rivera and her daughter Arielle Korman on Judaism Unbound Podcast

The Jewish-Asian Film Project of The Lunar Collective

What Is a Microaggression?

Racism in the Jewish Community: The Uncomfortable Truth, Ilana Kaufman ELI Talk

The Largest Study Ever of Jews of Color. What Did It Find?

What Makes This Jew Different Than All Other Jews? Race, Difference and Safety in Jewish Spaces, MaNishtana ELI Talk

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.