Please note: The terms “chaplaincy,” “pastoral care,” and “spiritual care” are often used interchangeably. Where a book is listed as (available through booksellers), this is for informational purposes only. NAJC posts this citation as a potentially helpful resource. NAJC neither endorses the book nor any particular bookseller.
(Added 04/12/2024): “Celebrating Passover in a time of Upheaval: Trauma and the Possibility of Healing” by Rabbi Judith Kummer, BCC
The holiday of Passover offers us the opportunity to look back at a particularly poignant moment in our Jewish people’s history and trace the passage from oppression to redemption, from suffering to exultation. We gather with family and friends for festive Passover seders replete with good food and traditional rituals, discussion and music and enjoyment. Our Passover celebrations are generally marked by great joy.
But this year, in 2024, as we approach Passover, things feel qualitatively different. Many of us are still reeling from the brutality of the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. The bombing of Gaza rages, and the world is raging in response as Israel tries to bring back the many remaining hostages still in captivity and drive out the leaders of Hamas. In this turbulent era, we are contending with anti-Semitic acts by the thousands in the US and around the world in places where Jews had previously felt safe. As a result, for many Jews, this is a time of feeling traumatized; with the passage of time and with each new report in the news, it feels in some ways like the trauma is increasing rather than subsiding. When will we experience the cresting of this wave? When will we feel some sense of safety, some sense of stability? When can we hope that healing will begin?
Embedded in our Passover holiday rituals, we find many resources that offer a possibility for healing. I am grateful to Rabbi Stephanie Dickstein for her teachings on the power of Jewish rituals in healing from trauma; her work as a chaplain and educator inspires me.
First on the list of items that help heal trauma is telling our story. We go to great lengths in the Passover Seder to tell the story of the Exodus from slavery, and we tell it in many different ways: we tell the story outright, and we encourage children and adults to ask questions, both those on the pages of the Haggadah and those in their minds as well. We eat special ritual foods and we enact age-old rituals that evoke experiential aspects of the storytelling.
For survivors of trauma, telling one’s story, reclaiming the narrative in one’s own voice and with one’s own slant, can be very powerful. While some survivors experience a reliving of the trauma as they tell of a traumatic event, there is also something powerful that happens when we feel heard and also feel accompanied in the telling. Knowing that others are holding in their hearts the story of our trauma, we might feel less alone in the experience. We may also find different vantage points from which we can tell it, and sometimes as we tell a tale of pain we have experienced, the trauma itself can begin to lose its sting.
Those who work in the field of bereavement counseling will often turn to an image from Passover of acknowledging a loved one who is not present by setting an empty place at the table. In the months since the October 7 attacks, there have been communal Jewish gatherings with tables set with empty chairs, each holding the name and image of a person taken hostage on October 7 as we prayed for their safe release. This year, as we set our seder tables, we too may leave one place setting empty, to remember our own deceased loved ones and also to note both our grief for those who were slaughtered in that horrific attack in Israel and our hope for those whose safe return we still pray for.
One of the hallmarks of a post-traumatic experience is feeling immobilized, both in remembering a sense of helplessness during the traumatic event and in feeling stuck in a repeating loop of the memory afterwards. So when we are able to take some action and do something – – almost anything – – it can give us a feeling of agency; we may gain a sense that we have some power in a situation where we otherwise feel, and may in fact be, powerless.
With our Passover rituals, one important action we can take is in helping others. Some will host a seder and undertake the important task of telling the Passover story and feeding and nurturing loved ones and friends; others will assist with the various aspects of someone else’s Passover seder, in bringing food or flowers or teachings or in helping with set-up or with cleanup. Our Jewish tradition offers another lovely opportunity to help: we give ma’ot chittim, special charitable gifts that will allow even those of diminished financial means to be able to celebrate the holiday with great joy. As we find ourselves back in the driver’s seat, so to speak, and able to take some action, even if small, we counter the terrible post-traumatic narrative of feeling helpless and stuck.
There are also the many different aspects of the Passover symbols and ritual foods which offer hope for post-trauma healing. Many hold dual symbolisms.
The egg on our seder plate is a representation of life, of rebirth and spring and the cycle of the seasons. At the same time, it is an image prevalent in our Jewish mourning rituals, where eggs are central to the meal following a Jewish funeral; here the roundness of an egg stands as a symbol of the cycle of birth and death and the power of memory. After a death, at a time when mourners may be feeling profoundly powerless, our tradition reminds us that we do have power: we have the ability to hold the memory of a deceased loved one alive, among the living — which is one way some Jews conceive of life after death. Imagine having the power of life after death in one’s own human hands!
We can reflect too on the many ways in which an egg is remarkable. When cooked, an egg offers us nourishment. Fertilized and kept warm, it offers the basis of new life. And remarkably, an egg is able to withstand the forces of boiling water. In fact, when placed in hot water, an egg will grow stronger. It offers us an object lesson: when we find ourselves in trouble, in “hot water” in life, may we too grow strong, may we too know the power of our own resilience.
We find on our Seder table other symbols that have meanings, often multiple in nature. Matzah is the bread of our affliction, the poor people’s food that our slave ancestors ate as they were rushed out to the fields to work, and it is at the same time the bread our Israelite ancestors ate as they left Egypt and fled for freedom, with no time to let their bread dough rise. Traditionally Jews eat matzah for the 8 days of Passover and then we go back to savoring yeasty soft bread. The image of leaving the hardness, the harshness of matzah behind and returning to soft and pillow-y breads holds hope for a trauma survivor that the difficulty and pain will not last forever; there is a possibility for healing and a sense of comfort ahead.
On our seder table we find charoset, symbol of our Israelite slave ancestors’ backbreaking work as they built store cities for the cruel Pharaoh – – but wherever Jews have lived around the world since that time, we have generally made this particular holiday dish out of the sweetest of the fruits we knew of, the most delectable nuts and the sweetest wine. We mix these ingredients together, saying as we eat them that this represents cruel harsh labor — but the taste that lingers on our tongues is sweet. It may inspire us to remember that we can, after much time and distance from a traumatic event, transform what had been terrible and make of it a memory devoid of pain. In some far-off time, we may even reach a point of focusing less on the paralyzing pain of the past and more on the fact of our having survived, lending sweetness to our experience in the present moment.
When we tell the Exodus story at the seder and arrive at the recitation of the ten plagues, we enact a powerful ritual: we remove a drop of wine for each plague from our wine cups. We do this to remember that while we may legitimately feel anger at our adversaries and those who make us suffer, we are able to rise above the baseness of that anger and can find a way to bring some compassion into our world. As any trauma survivor can relate, compassion may be a difficult emotion to access, especially in the immediate aftermath of the traumatic event; it is a legitimate human response to feel anger and be spurred toward revenge. But our tradition holds hope for us that after some time has passed, we may arrive at a point of not being consumed by our anger, and we might find a way to feel some compassion for others who suffered as well.
And as we near the end of our Seder, we come to our counting songs, seemingly simple songs in numeric or alphabetical order, or songs telling a cumulative story. From a spiritual perspective, these songs emphasize order and the reassurance of the expected. In their position at the end of the seder, these songs serve as a closing bracket to our recitation of the order of rituals at the start of the seder. For many trauma survivors, what is left in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event is chaos. Perhaps these counting songs help us hold hope that our lives will one day be in order once again.
And when we arrive at the beloved Chad Gadya story, where so many successive verses end in death, we find in the last verse a portrayal of a Godly power so great that it has overcome death itself. What a wishful image this is, that death itself would not hold the ultimate power in life! How very protective and comforting an image, and how powerful an image this might be for those who are contending with the aftereffects of trauma.
As we reenact our Passover rituals this year, may we do so with an awareness of the power that our Jewish traditions offer in healing our wounded spirits. May we reach for that which can provide safety and comfort, and may we be blessed with a sense of healing and wholeness, of celebration and of peace.
Wishing you a zissen Pesach, a sweet and happy holiday!
Rabbi Judith Kummer is a Board Certified Chaplain. She works in a spiritual care private practice in Boston, MA.
(Added 03/18/24): ematai.org is a website dedicated “To enable Jewish families to navigate an increasingly complex healthcare journey, particularly in the dilemmas of aging and end-of-life treatment.” Ematai describes its purpose as, “Our name, Ematai, “If not now, when?”, is a call to action. We seek to upstream the necessary conversations that will facilitate meaningful choices later. Ematai helps individuals and their families anticipate the questions they’ll need to answer as they continue on their healthcare journey.” Its goal is to enable users to “navigate healthcare choices with wisdom.” Its educational videos over DNR, DNI, extubation, halachiic living wills, etc. Some of ematai’s educational videos can be found on the ematai website, https://www.ematai.org/blog/popular-videos/
A more extensive set of ematai’s videos can be found at its YouTube Page, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFepBn8vJzZoSKmlSMTfo4w
(Added 03/07/23) “Caring for Jewish Patients and Families at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Illinois,” by Rabbi Leonard J. Lewy, BCC, as presented at the 2018 NAJC Conference. Please Click HERE to read the brochure.
(Added 07/15/22) Jewish Sacred Aging is a forum for the Jewish Community with resources and texts that feature discussions on the implications of the revolution in longevity for Baby Boomers and their families. We encourage you to participate in the conversation! Click HERE to reach JewishSacredAging.com.
(Added 06/03/22, Submitted by Chaplain Laurie Dinerstein-Kurs), Modern Viddui
(added 22 May 2022) NAJC’s 2022 Tribute Journal honoring 2022 Ner Tamid Award Recipient: Rabbi Frederick Klein; and 2022 Anita and Barry Kinzbrunner Award recipients: Mr. James Cohen and Mr. Ted Flaum. Click HERE to enjoy the NAJC 2022 Tribute Journal.
Resources from JewishClarity.com (received with gratitude from its Director, Rabbi Asher Resnick, March 2021)
(verified 01/07/22) “The Meaning of a Life Tragically Cut Short – Part 1”
(verified 01/07/22) “The Meaning of a Life Tragically Cut Short – Part 2”
(verified 01/07/22) “Dealing with Painful Emotions & Anger at G-D — Part 1”
(verified 01/07/22) “Dealing with Painful Emotions & Anger at G-D — Part 2”
(verified 01/07/22) “Dealing with Painful Emotions & Anger at G-D — Part 3”
(01/07/22) “Understanding Messages within our Difficulties and Challenges – Part 1”
(verified 01/07/22) “Understanding Messages within our Difficulties and Challenges – Part 2”
(verified 01/07/22) “Understanding Messages within our Difficulties and Challenges – Part 3”
(verified 01/16/22) NPR “Fresh Air”: Terry Gross interview with hospice chaplain Kerry Egan (Oct. 31, 3016)
(verified 01/16/22) What is a Chaplain?
Jewish Chaplaincy
(verified 01/16/22) “Jewish Chaplaincy: Into the 21st Century” by Rabbi Robert Tabak
Appeared in the Journal of Jewish Communal Service in 1997
(verified 01/16/22) A Chaplain’s calling: ‘It drew me in’
from The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
(verified 01/16/22) The American Jewish Chaplaincy Boom. Practitioners are reinventing the role of spiritual counselor at a moment when the American family is fractured, long-standing institutions are crumbling, the environment is imperiled, racism and hatred are rampant, the nation is divided, and life often feels broken beyond repair.
(verified 01/16/22) Heal Us O Lord: A Chaplain’s Interface with Pain, by Rabbi Sidney Goldstein. (Available by retail purchase.)
Pastoral Care and Education Organizations (North America)
(Verified 1/28/22) Association For Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)
(Verified 1/28/22) ACPE Research Network
(Verified 1/28/22) Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)
(Verified 1/28/22) Canadian Association of Spiritual Care (CASC)
(Verified 1/28/22) College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP)
(Verified 01/28/22) National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC)
Spiritual Care Organizations (Israel) [Most sites provide a choice of Hebrew or English]
(Verified 02/13/2) Israel Spiritual Care Association – העמותה לליווי רוחני בישראל: The professional association of spiritual caregivers in Israel (Web site in Hebrew or English)
(Verified 02/13/22) Haverut – חברות: supports spiritual care projects in a number of parts of Israel Web site in Hebrew or English)
(Verified 02/13/22) Kashouvot – קשובות: Organization supporting spiritual care and education in Israel
(Verified 02/13/22) Life’s Door – גישה לחיים: (formerly Tishkofet) Programs of support for patients and families
(Verified 02/27/22) Marpeh – מרפא: (Schechter Institute, Jerusalem) Spiritual care training program in academic setting; articles and publications in Hebrew and English.
(Verified 02/27/22) Schwartz Center – מרכז שוורץ: Jerusalem. Havli program for Clinical Pastoral Education in Israel. (Web site in English and Hebrew )
For Jewish Patients, Families, Friends, and Chaplains
(verified 02/27/22) RitualWell: Ritualwell is a unique resource where you can find, create, and share Jewish rituals of all kinds. It is housed at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Penn. and was originally a project of Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies of RRC, created in partnership with Ma’ayan, the Jewish Women’s Project.
(Verified 02/27/22) Myjewishlearning.com: Multi-faceted website with many Jewish perspectives. See a section on Judaism, health, and healing, for example.
(Verified 02/27/22) The National Center for Jewish Healing (The Jewish Board) : NCJH was established in 1994 in response to a national upsurge of interest in reclaiming ancient Jewish spiritual wisdom and resources that foster wholeness, hope, comfort and connection in the face of illness and loss.
(Verified 03/06/22) Connect to Care, UJA-Federation of New York
(Verified 03/06/22) Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health
(Verified 03/06/22) Guide to Traditional Jewish Observance in a Hospital by Rabbi Jason Weiner
Educational Resources for Chaplains and others
(Verified 03/06/22) Professional Spiritual and Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain’s Handbook SkyLight Paths Publishing, edited by Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts, DD, M BA, BCC (available through booksellers)
(Verified 03/06/22) Disaster Spiritual Care: Practical Clergy Responses to Community, Regional and National Tragedy SkyLight Paths Publishing, co- edited by Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts, DD, M BA, BCC (available through booksellers)
An Invitation to Chaplaincy Research: Entering the Process HealthCare Chaplaincy, Associate Editor is Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts, DD, M BA, BCC (available through booksellers)
Jewish Lights Publishing: Numerous books and publications touching on Judaism, spirituality, and health, especially featuring: Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook from Traditional and Contemporary Sources, edited by Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, MAJCS, MSW, BCC, (2nd edition, Jewish Lights Publishing, 2005). Other publications include
Midrash and Medicine: Healing Body and Soul in the Jewish Interpretive Tradition, edited by Rabbi William Cutler, PhD
Healing and the Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health, edited by Rabbi William Cutler, PhD
Flourishing in the Later Years: Jewish Pastoral Insights on Senior Residential Care, edited by Rabbi Cary Kozberg and Rabbi James Michaels (2011)
Maps and Meaning: Levitical Models for Contemporary Care, by Rabbi Nancy H. Wiener and Rabbi Jo Hirschmann
On One Foot, Jewish texts for Social Justice (site created by American Jewish World Service and numerous other organizations). Note especially section on “Health” for דברי תורה (Torah comments) and study/discussion sheets.
Sefaria, This source offers primary Jewish texts in Hebrew and English, now including the JPS Tanakh translation (1985). Among the topics of interest are: “Health, שמירת הגוף, medical ethics, childbirth, life, birth, medicine, body, LGBTQA issues, transgender issues, and more.”
Worksheets prepared by other users are available for many topics. (It is good to check for alternative translations, singular and plural, etc.) Themes in the worksheet section include: disability/disabilities, death, end of life, medical ethics, medicine, as well as many general topics such as חסד, תיקון עולם, צדקה.
These journals charge for subscriptions, but most post some articles on line for free access.
PlainViews: PlainViews, an e-newsletter for chaplains and other spiritual care providers, strives to bring as much news as briefly as possible. Articles are grouped into four areas: Professional Practice, Advocacy, Education & Research, and Spiritual Development.
Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy
Journal of Jewish Communal Service (full texts of articles available free)
Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Journal of Religion and Health
Journal of Religion, Spirituality, and Aging
Life Cycle: End-of-Life Issues: Death, Funerals, Burials
Halachic Organ Donor Society
National Association of Chevra Kadisha (Orthodox perspective)
Prayers & Meditations, Jewish Funeral Directors of America (Orthodox perspective)
Kavod v’Nichum: Pluralistic approaches on chevra kadisha (burial societies), funerals, mourning, and Jewish cemeteries. Also sponsors an annual conference.
Gamliel Institute: Training institute for lay volunteers and Jewish professionals on issues of illness, death, and mourning. Sponsored by Kavod v’Nichum.
At the End of Life, a Way to Go Gentle, by Susan Gubar
Appeared in The New York Times, April 13, 2017
The YU/RIETS End-of-Life Care Halachic Advisory Program (Orthodox perspective)
Jewish Holidays and Calendar
HIAS 2017 Passover Haggadah Supplement
HIAS Yom HaShoah Reading for Refugees
HIAS Yom HaShoah Program Ideas
Counting the Days of the Omer, Up or Down, by Benjamin W. Corn
Appeared in Tablet, April 9, 2012
Chaplains, Spirituality, and Health Care Settings
The YU/RIETS End-of-Life Care Halachic Advisory Program. A major impediment for observant families to seeking halakhically approved, excellent end-of-life medical care is a lack of knoweldge of the intricate laws that govern such care. A panel for rabbinic consulation is available on this site.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has a proud heritage of education and service, and pastoral care has always been an important part of its clinical healing mission. The main page contains general information on the Pastoral Care Department.
Joint Commission (JCAHO): References to Spirituality, Religion, Beliefs, and Cultural Diversity in the Joint Commission’s Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals, as of the January 9, 2017 Edition. Updated periodically by Chaplain John Ehman, Penn Presybeterian Medical Center, Philadelphia. National U.S. standards for accreditation of hospitals.
Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University
Bigger Roles for Chaplains on Patient Medical Team
Appeared in The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2011
Graduate Theological Foundation establishes Graduate Center for Pastoral Logotherapy
GWISH: The George Washington (University) Institute for Spirituality and Health
SOERCE: The Spirituality and Health Online Education and Resource Center. SOERCE gathers educational and clinical resources in the fields of spirituality, religion, and health. Access SOERCE online resources for more information. Administered by George Washington (University) Institute on Spirituality and Health. Wide range of topics related to health care. One specific Jewish resource is an article, “Bioethics for clinicians: Jewish bioethics,” Primary Author: Gary Goldsand, University of Toronto, CMAJ 2001. Users need to create an account to view some articles.
Chaplains, Spirituality, and Health Care Settings–Organizations and Research Centers:
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Association of Professional Chaplains
Baylor University’s Program on Religion and Population Health (Institute for Studies of Religion)
Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability (University of Aberdeen)
Columbia University Spirituality Mind-Body Institute http://spiritualitymindbody.tc.columbia.edu Academic program, wide variety of podcasts on topics such as compassion, gratitude, religion, spirituality, and self-care. http://spiritualitymindbody.tc.columbia.edu/smbi-podcasts/
Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health
Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life Christian institute, some publications for a variety of audiences, Jewish Ritual, Reality and Response at the End-of-Life: A Guide to Caring for Jewish Patients and Families (pdf) By Rabbi Mark Popovsky, 2007, 47 pages (much info for other situations – variety of types of Jews from non-relig to Orthodox; special circumstances such as holocaust survivors, differences in Ashkenazi and Sephardi practice. Free download
End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center
Finding Meaning in Medicine: Reclaiming the Heart and Soul of Medicine
GWISH (George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health)
Good Endings: Caring for the Dying Resident
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Institute for Spirituality and Health at Texas Medical Center Downloadable articles at http://ish-tmc.org/additional-articles/
International Parish Nurse Resource Center (Church Health Center)
The John Templeton Foundation
Library of Congress, David B. Larson Fellowship in Spirituality and Health
Medicine and Ministry Annual Conference
National Council on Aging
Religion & Public Health Collaborative at Emory University
Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group (200+ articles on spirituality and mental health available at this link.)
Spirit-Health Connections
Spirituality Diversity and Social Work Resource Center
Spiritual Competency Resource Center
Supportive Care Coalition
University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health Several annotated bibliographies, but not updated since the 1990s.
UCLA’s Spirituality in Higher Education Program (focus on college students)
University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing
Yale University Program on Medicine, Spirituality and Religion http://medicine.yale.edu/intmed/genmed/education/medspirel/ sponsors a listserv
Research on Pastoral Care
ACPE (Association for Clinical Pastoral Education) Research Network
Also of note is chaplain John Ehman’s annual bibliography of hundreds of articles in the medical literature on religion and spirituality.
Disaster and Crisis
Jewish Theology of Disaster Response and Recovery
Seder of Safe Return
Rabbinic Organizations
These groups can often provide insights from their perspective, or connect people in need with a local rabbi. Some have information on their websites as well.
Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) – Reform
The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) – Conservative
Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) – Orthodox
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) – Reconstructionist
National Council of Young Israel – Orthodox
Additional Resources
Resources from non-chaplaincy-related organizations (opens in new browser tab)
JewishJobs.com
To suggest additional links or to link a site to NAJC.org, contact resources@najc.org.