Allison A. Atterberry was born on a military base in Japan and grew up in South Korea and Germany before moving to the United States for university. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri and worked in family planning/reproductive health until 2012. Allison began working for NAJC as Administrative Assistant in 2018 and has been delighted to work her way up to Interim Executive Director. Allison is pleased to continue her work with NAJC and is always happy to hear from members and chaplaincy friends. She and her husband, Gabriel, live in Greater Miami. Please use the email envelope at the end of this paragraph to contact Allison.
Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn is a Board Certified Chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She specializes in Palliative Care, Critical Care, and Emergency Psychiatric Care. Rabbanit Alissa is the Rabbanit at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, NJ and for NNJ Moishe House Based-In. A prolific writer and speaker, she received her ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brandeis University with a degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Classical Studies Archaeology and Ancient History. She lives in Teaneck, NJ with her husband Akiva and daughter Ella.
Rabbi Kamil is a Staff Chaplain at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis, MN. Rebecca was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2016, and is a Board Certified member of NAJC. Rebecca lives in the suburbs of Minneapolis with her husband (also a rabbi), and their son.
Chaplain Pitegoff 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.
Rabbi Eliana Falk is the Rabbi-Chaplain at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Ct, ensuring the needs of Jewish patients are met, and as an attending oncology chaplain in the Yale Smilow Cancer Hospital. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion (NY) and is Board certified through NAJC. Before accepting her position at Yale, she worked as a per diem chaplain with Seasons Hospice. Earlier, she enjoyed a 17-year career serving congregations in Connecticut, and as Communications Director for the Connecticut ADL. She currently serves as the Visiting Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Putnam, CT. Her interests include care and equity for patients of minority religions in the US.
Cantor Rebecca Carl, BCC, is a staff chaplain at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Rebecca was invested/ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary in 2008 and is a member of the Cantor's Assembly (CA), Pediatric Chaplains Network (PCN) and a Board Certified member of NAJC. Rebecca lives in Center City Philadelphia and enjoys traveling, sourdough baking, swimming and spending time with her friends and family.
Rabbi Dr. Joseph S. Ozarowski is Rabbinic Counselor and Chaplain for JCFS Chicago where he manages the Jewish Community Chaplaincy program. A Board-Certified Chaplain, he received his undergraduate degree from Loyola University of Chicago, his rabbinic ordination from Skokie’s Hebrew Theological College and his doctorate from Lancaster (PA) Theological Seminary. He has served on the Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF) Board and on the North Shore University HealthCare System Institutional Ethics Committee. Ozarowski’s first book, To Walk in God’s Ways - Jewish Pastoral Perspectives on Illness and Bereavement is considered a standard in the field of Judaism and Pastoral Care. He is married to Ashira (nee Rapoport), lives in Skokie IL, and has four children and nineteen grandchildren.
Rabbi Charles P. Rabinowitz, BCC, provides home hospice and palliative care services for Caring Hospice Services of New York. Rabbi Rabinowitz holds ordinations as both Rabbi and Dayan from Tifereth Israel Rabbinical Seminary. He has written extensively on narrative psychology, clinical pastoral psychology and education, comfort fatigue/secondary stress, end-of-life cultural and communication issues for dementia patients and their families in a home hospice setting, Biblical and Judaic studies. He is the 100th generation of rabbis in his family (Hillel is at the bottom of the trunk.) Rabbi Rabinowitz is also certified in Palliative Care Chaplaincy.
Rabbi Edward Bernstein serves as Chaplain of Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly. He served as a pulpit rabbi in three Conservative congregations over an 18-year period prior to moving to chaplaincy. In addition to his hospital post, Ed serves as a per-diem hospice chaplain for Vitas Healthcare. He is the host of NeshamaCast, NAJC’s podcast on Jewish spiritual care. Ed is an NAJC Board Certified Chaplain (BCC). He resides in Boynton Beach, Florida, with his spouse Ariella and three children.
Rabbi Nancy H. Wiener, D.Min., BCC, serves as founding Director of the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Center for Pastoral Counseling and Dr. Paul and Trudy Steinberg Distinguished Professor in Human Relations at HUC-JIR/New York. Her publications include: “Insights into Moral Injury and Soul Repair from Classical Jewish Texts,” Journal of Pastoral Psychology, 2018 and in Military Moral Injury and Spiritual Care: A Resource for Religious Leaders and Professional Caregiver (Chalice 2019; Maps and Meaning: Levitical Models for Contemporary Care (Fortress 2014), “Pastoral Care in a Postmodern World: Promoting Spiritual Health Across the Life Cycle,” and “Seminary-Based Jewish Pastoral Education,” Judaism and Health (Jewish Lights, 2013).
Rabbi Benyamin Vineburg, BCC, serves as a hospice chaplain for AccentCare Hospice and Palliative Care in Detroit, Michigan. Rabbi Vineburg is an active blogger and podcaster; hosting semi-regular podcasts entitled “My View from the Hallway: Chaplaincy stories of grief, hope and faith”, as well as an upcoming podcast entitled “Be Wholly”, focusing on spirituality, religion, personal growth and navigating life’s challenges with guests from a myriad of interfaith backgrounds.
Rabbi Vineburg received rabbinic ordinations from Yeshiva Chonen Daas (R' Don Channen, shlit"a) in Beit Shemesh, Israel and the Milwaukee Kollel (R' Michel Twerski, shlit"a and R' Mendel Senderovic, shlit"a). Rabbi Vineburg holds a BA from Thomas Edison State University and resides in Oak Park, Michigan with his three children: Nesanel Leib, Elazar Aharon and Myriam Shulamis.
Rabbi Schloss, BCC, was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1996. She is a chaplain at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, as well as a certified celebrant. She has served synagogues in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in Texas. Currently, she enjoys serving as rabbi of the newly formed Conservative synagogue Shaarey Tzedek of Montgomery County (North Houston, Texas). Two of her prayers were featured in the recently published book, Prayers and Blessings for Healthcare Workers.
Chaplain Hagar Ben-Eliezer, BCC is the Chaplain/Wellness Therapist for Hillel at UC Berkeley. She has worked in pediatric chaplaincy at both UCSF and Stanford hospitals and has served as chaplain for her synagogue. Hagar maintains a small, private practice and is a passionate domestic violence advocate within her Jewish community serving as a consultant and expert witness. Hagar is a native of San Francisco, California and enjoys living within walking distance to the Golden Gate Bridge. Always looking for new ways to connect people to spirituality, Hagar lectures to medical school students on Trauma Informed Care, Somatic Healing and created workshops in veterinarian chaplaincy she leads for staff at animal hospitals. When not working Hagar loves to travel, head to the spa with friends or go on adventures with her dog, Theodore.
Chaplain Daniels is the Lead Chaplain and Manager of Spiritual Services at Cohen Children’s Medical Center (Northwell Health) in New Hyde Park, NY. He has been at CCMC for seven years and had been affiliated with other hospitals in the NYC area prior to coming here.
Mark is married to the love of his life and together they have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Rabbi Susan Landau Moss, BCC, is the palliative care chaplain at Yale New Haven Hospital's Saint Raphael Campus. Prior to serving in this role she was the first palliative care chaplain at Bridgeport Hospital, in the same system, and integrally involved in establishing their outpatient palliative care program. In addition to palliative care, she developed an interest and speciality in the growing field of telechaplaincy, an essential tool during and after the pandemic. She was involved in organizing the first international telechaplaincy conference in 2022. Susan graduated from Brandeis University and was ordained by Hebrew Union College in New York. She lives in an adorable small town in Connecticut with her husband, "the other Rabbi Moss," their son, and cat.
Chaplain Wuhrman is the Founder and CEO of SACRED WORK WITH CANDI, a Concierge Chaplaincy, Counseling, and Coaching Service where she helps individuals and families facing end-of-life and grief to navigate big emotions, resolve regret, and have sacred conversations.
Candi has over 18 years coaching, counseling, and serving as a chaplain within multiple diverse settings in hospice, hospital, and prison organizations. Candi is a Board-Certified Chaplain with NAJC (Neshama: Association for Jewish Chaplains) and CPSP (The College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy). Candi holds a Masters in Jewish Studies and Theology from the Academy for Jewish Religion, California.
Rabbi Loevinger is the Director of Spiritual Care and Ethics Coordinator at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, a Nuvance Health hospital in beautiful Poughkeepsie, NY, Queen City of the Hudson River. Prior to becoming Director at VBMC, he was the rabbi of Temple Beth-El, in Poughkeepsie, and served in congregations, chaplaincy and adult Jewish education roles in the US and Canada.