NeshamaCast

Episode Dedication:This episode of NeshamaCast is sponsored by Dr. Shahrad and Ruth Mabourakh of Plantation, Florida, in loving memory of Ruth’s mother, Marilyn Gamse Potter, who passed away in August 2026. Zichrona livracha—may Marilyn’s memory be for a blessing.Spiritual Care Week:Observed annually during the fourth week of October, Spiritual Care Week (also celebrated as Pastoral Care Week) is an international observance sponsored by the COMISS Network (Congress on Ministries in Specialized Settings) to recognize and celebrate the vital contributions of professional chaplains, pastoral counselors, and spiritual caregivers. Longtime NAJC leader and past president Rabbi Joe Ozarowski represents NAJC on the COMISS Network Board. Learn more at spiritualcareweek.org.Related Listening:Hear how Rabbi Bruce Pfeffer’s colleagues at Indiana University Health—Dr. Alex Lion and Rev. Anastasia Holman—reflect on clinical team dynamics and utilizing the Jewish concept of hevruta at the bedside on the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) podcast:The Chaplain’s Compass: Spiritual Care in Healthcare | How Clinical Teams Use Spirituality to Improve Patient OutcomesIn this episode, we discuss:Passing the NeshamaCast mantle from founding host Rabbi Ed Bernstein to Rabbi Scott Klein.Rabbi Bruce Pfeffer’s journey from industrial engineering to the rabbinate and healthcare chaplaincy.Bringing hevruta (paired text study) to secular and interfaith healthcare professionals at the Conference on Medicine and Religion.Why clinical teams need structured tools for lament to address burnout, grief, and moral distress.Implementing Team-Based Spirituality (TBS) within the Neurology Movement Disorders Clinic at IU Health.PRN chaplaincy, building immediate trust with nursing staff and physicians, and serving as an interventionist in clinical research using the SCAI (Spiritual Care Assessment and Intervention) tool.Words of Torah and wisdom on holy listening, presence, and Pirkei Avot for Spiritual Care Week.About Our Guest:Rabbi Bruce J. Pfeffer, DD, BCC, has been a rabbi and chaplain since 2000, following an initial career as an industrial engineer. He serves as a chaplain at Indiana University Health, where his work has included the ALS Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, the Neurology Movement Disorders Clinic, hospice care, and research intervention. He collaborates with the Daniel F. Evans Center for Spiritual and Religious Values in Healthcare on projects including Team-Based Spirituality Care Training, and currently serves as a Congregational Care Network (CCN) chaplain in Fort Wayne, IN. Rabbi Pfeffer leads prayer at Temple Beth El in Muncie, IN, and DePauw University Hillel in Greencastle, IN, and has taught religious school for more than 18 years. At home, he is a baker of bread, yogurt maker, and student of bookbinding, crochet, origami, and haiku.  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.

What does a hospital chaplain actually do? What can you possibly say to a mother sitting beside her critically ill child? To a family facing an impossible medical decision? To someone who has just received devastating news? Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC is a board-certified Jewish chaplain who has been there for people during some of the most painful and frightening moments of their lives. And often, she says, her job isn't to have the right answer. It's to know how to be there when there isn't an answer. In this episode, Alissa takes us inside the world of hospital chaplaincy and shares what she has learned about suffering, grief, faith, hope, and simply being present. We talk about what families actually need when they're in crisis, why listening can sometimes be far more powerful than talking, and the things well-meaning people say that may hurt instead of help. Alissa also discusses the unique needs of Orthodox Jewish families in the hospital, the role of halacha and rabbanim in difficult medical decisions, and how a chaplain can help bridge the gap between families and medical teams. And perhaps most importantly: when someone you care about is going through something terrible and you have absolutely no idea what to say or do—what do they really need from you? NAJC thanks Mayrim for allowing this episode to be shared with the NeshamaCast audience. Check out other episodes of The Grief Journey 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 Scott Klein serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain with the rank of Captain and is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and as the Garrison Rabbi at Fort Bragg, NC - the largest military installation in the world by population.A champion of communication, education and leadership, Rabbi Klein holds a doctorate in educational leadership. His rabbinical ordination is from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY. Rabbi Klein was recently featured in The Forward.    Rabbi Yoni Warren, BCC joined the Navy following graduation from the Jewish Theological Seminary in May 2011. While in active service, he served first with the Marine Corps in Okinawa Japan where his duties took him across the Western Pacific and to Afghanistan. His next tour was at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. where he worked with Midshipmen from all faiths and no faiths while also serving as the rabbi for the Commodore Levy Chapel and Jewish Center.  In 2018, he was assigned as Command Chaplain aboard the USS Oak Hill, out of Norfolk VA with a deployment to the waters off Europe and the Middle East. Completing a residency in Clinical Pastoral Education, Rabbi Warren was next assigned to Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., Chaplain Warren where he was assigned to Labor and Delivery, NICU, and Pediatrics. Back to sea again, he deployed aboard the USS Harry S Truman for its 2024-5 Combat Deployment into the Red Sea. Selected to Commander Milestone, Rabbi Warren is now the Command Chaplain at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, the Navy’s only Boot Camp, where he leads the largest single religious ministry team in the Navy with 12 Chaplains, 7 Religious Program Specialists and 1 civilian in supporting 46,000 recruits each year as they transition from civilians to basically trained sailors.   Rabbi Benjamin Flax serves as the Battalion Chaplain for the 101st Engineer Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, part of one of the oldest unit lineages in the United States Army. In that role, he provides religious support, pastoral care, and command advisement to Soldiers and their families in training, in the field, and through the ordinary and extraordinary stresses of military life. In 2025, Rabbi Flax deployed to Kuwait in support of Passover, leading seders, Shabbat services, and Jewish holiday observances for service members downrange. In civilian life, he serves as the rabbi of Tifereth Israel of Winthrop, Massachusetts, where his work centers on pastoral care, Jewish teaching, lifecycle moments, and community leadership. Rabbi Flax earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama, a master’s degree from Harvard University, rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim, and a graduate certificate in Gerontology and Palliative Care from Yeshiva University. He lives in Revere, Massachusetts with his family. He is a former Executive Director of NAJC.  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 Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of Jewish Sacred Aging. 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. 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. A major part of Address’s work has been in the development and implementation of the project on Sacred Aging. This project has been responsible for creating awareness and resources for congregations on the implication of the emerging longevity revolution with growing emphasis on the aging of the baby boom generation. This aging revolution has begun to impact all aspects of Jewish communal and congregational life. Rabbi Address received a Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from the Post Graduate Center for Mental Health in 1998 and his Doctor of Ministry from HUC-JIR in 1999. He also received his honorary Doctorate from HUC-JIR in 1997. Rabbi Address has authored numerous articles, book chapters and books related to the issue of aging. He hosts the Seekers of Meaning podcast, produced by Jewish Sacred Aging.    Resources on Medical Aid in Dying Click here for information from Ematai (Orthodox) Responsum 2020 update by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, RA Committee of Jewish Law and Standards (Conservative) CCAR Responsum by Rabbi Lawrence A. Englander (Reform)     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 Lynn Liberman, BCC, is the 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 and her spouse live in St. Paul, MInnesota.   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.

"Raising Awareness of Intergenerational Trauma for Jewish Patients and Families" is a recording of a presentation that took place at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida on January 21, 2026. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, PhD., is the keynote speaker. Panelists:Keynote Speaker: Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, PhD.Psychotherapist & Author of Wounds Into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma Moderator: Rev. Misti Johnson-Arce, MDiv, ACPE, BCC, BRRH Director of Chaplaincy & Spiritual CarePanelists:Yankel Girshman, D.O, BRRH Medical Director, Psychiatry: Clinical Affiliate Asst Professor, FAU College of MedicineGrace Jimenez, LMFT, Manager, Community Health Program, BHSFRabbi Edward Bernstein, MA, BCC, BRRH Chaplain   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.

Reva Judas is the Founder and Director of NechamaComfort. For more information on the organization's work supporting Jewish families through pregnancy and infant loss, click here or go to www.nechamacomfort.org. Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC, is the Immediate Past President of NAJC. For information and resources related to Jewish spiritual care and chaplaincy, click here or go to www.najc.org. Watch this program on YouTube and see Reva Judas’s slide presentation.https://youtu.be/dPRb5zWoNO0?si=1U2Qe2xqt6fXkflQ 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.

This episode is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Chaplain Ilisia Kissner, BCC (1953- 2026)Chaplain Ilisia Kissner, of blessed memory, served the Jewish community as an educator for over 25 years, both as a teacher and principal in synagogue schools. Her B.A. is from Queens College in New York, M.A. from New York University and Principal’s Certification from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.After completing four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Overlook Hospital in 2011, Chaplain Kissner worked as a hospice chaplain and as a group home chaplain for Jewish Services for the Developmentally Disabled. In 2013 she became the Jewish Chaplain at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey, where she served until her death on February 6, 2026. She became a Board Certified Chaplain with NAJC in 2016. Chaplain Kissner also provided religious services and pastoral care at Village Apartments in South Orange, one of the facilities of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of the Federation of Greater Metrowest New Jersey.Chaplain Kissner, z"l, approached Rabbi Ed Bernstein, NeshamaCast producer and host, in May 2025, and proposed an episode on mental health. She then became an active member of the NAJC Social Media Committee and was intimately involved in the planning of this episode. This episode was in the final stages of production at the time of Chaplain Kissner's death on February 6, 2026. May the memory of Chaplain Ilisia Kissner be for a blessing.  Cantor Rabbi Rob Jury, PhD, BCC, CRADC, LCPC, NCC, is the Founder and Clinical Director of the Tikvah Center for Jewish Recovery & Healing, a state licensed and JCAHO accredited, Jewish addiction treatment program in Northbrook, Illinois. His Rabbinic ordination is from the Hebrew Seminary for the Deaf in Skokie, IL. Rob is also the senior rabbi at Congregation Anshe Tikvah. Rob serves on the faculty of The Family Institute of Northwestern University where he is the course lead for Research Methods in Counseling, in addition to teaching Assessment in Counseling, and Addiction Counseling. His article on Jewish metaphors in narrative practice with people resisting addiction can be found in the International Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work. He has a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision, a Masters in Narrative Therapy and Community Work from the University of Melbourne, and an MA in Counseling from Northwestern University. Rob is a board certified chaplain with NAJC, and in 2026 was installed as President-Elect, with expected election as President scheduled for 2028.. Rob is also a BCC member of the Association of Professional Chaplains. Rob is a member of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and the Cantors Assembly. Rob is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois and a Certified Reciprocal Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  Rabbi Benjamin Perlstein, BCC (NAJC), is a staff chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, serving primarily in psychiatric andacute care settings on the Weill Cornell Medical Center campus and as site leader for spiritual care and chaplaincy at Gracie SquareHospital. Ben received rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also completed an M.A. in JewishThought, focused on mysticism and ethics. He graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. in Political Philosophy and has worked in a range of international contexts, especially involving Jewish history and the Holocaust. He is passionate about creative,multidisciplinary and multifaith applications of spiritual wisdom and practice to issues of public concern and pastoral need.  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.

Chaplains in healthcare settings are often called upon to work in clinical ethics. In this episode of the Neshamacast, Chaplain Karen Lieberman, Rabbi Jason Weiner and Rabbi Neal Loevinger discuss the intersection between the fields of chaplaincy and clinical ethics and challenges and opportunities that arise as a result.About the guests on this episodeChaplain Karen Lieberman, JD, MSJS, MA, BCC, serves as the Jewish Chaplain for the Midwest Region of Advocate Health. She is board-certified by NAJC and has worked in adult and pediatric hospital settings for over 15 years. Previously, Karen practiced law in both the public and private sectors and served as an adjunct law school faculty member at Marquette University. In addition to her law and Jewish studies degrees, Karen holds a master’s degree in bioethics and health policy. She has served on multiple hospital ethics committees and is the immediate past co-chair of the ethics committee at Aurora Medical Center—Grafton. She has a special interest in the intersection of law, medicine, ethics and spirituality.Chaplain Lieberman is co-author of:  “The Expanding Role of United States Healthcare Chaplains in Clinical Ethics,” from the Journal of Religion and Health, M. Jeanne Wirpsa, Nina Redl, Karen Lieberman & Krys Springer. She also contributed a chapter to Karen Pugliese & Jeanne Wirpsa, Eds., Chaplains As Partners in Medical Decision-Making, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020. In addition, Chaplain Lieberman has published or been featured in a number of other articles in Plainviews, The APC Forum, The Journal of Legal Medicine, The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, The Stanford Law Review, and The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle.Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC, is the senior rabbi and executive director of the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where he oversees the chaplaincy team and all spiritual care services across the health system. He also serves as rabbi of Knesset Israel Synagogue of Beverlywood and as a senior consultant to Ematai.Formerly the assistant rabbi at Young Israel of Century City, Rabbi Weiner holds two rabbinic ordinations, a doctorate in clinical bioethics, a master’s in bioethics and health policy from Loyola University (Chicago), and a master’s in Jewish history from Yeshiva University. He completed four units of clinical pastoral education and is a board-certified chaplain.He serves on the executive committee of the Cedars-Sinai Bioethics Committee and is a past president of the Southern California Board of Rabbis. He has received chaplaincy and rabbinic leadership awards from the Rabbinical Council of America, Orthodox Union, Chabad On-Call, Chai Lifeline, and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains, where he chairs their ethics committee. In 2023, he donated a kidney to a stranger.Rabbi Weiner frequently lectures nationwide as a scholar-in-residence on Jewish medical ethics, pastoral care, and wellness, and teaches hands-on Jewish medical ethics to high school students throughout Los Angeles.In addition to dozens of articles and book chapters, he is the author of Guide to Observance of Jewish Law in a Hospital (Kodesh Press), Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making (Urim Press), cited in a Supreme Court brief, and Care and Covenant: A Jewish Bioethic of Responsibility (Georgetown University Press), a finalist for the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Book Prize. Rabbi Dr. Neal Loevinger, BCC, is the director of Spiritual Care and the Ethics Coordinator at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, in Poughkeepsie, New York, now part of Northwell Health. He has held rabbinic positions in Toronto, Massachusetts and New  York, and has studied at both the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Neal also holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto, a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Seminary, now called Hartford International University, and a Certificate in Clinical Ethics from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he is slowly working on a Master's Degree in clinical ethics. He currently also serves as the rabbi of Congregation Temple Beth-El, in Kauneonga Lake, NY, the heart of the Borscht Belt, and is the kosher supervisor for the Vassar College kosher kitchen.   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.

Bassie Taubes, RN, is the Director of Community Outreach for Ematai. Go to www.ematai.org for more information and resources. Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC, is the President of NAJC. For information and resources related to Jewish spiritual care and chaplaincy, go to www.najc.org.  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.