Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC, NAJC Immediate Past President, appeared on The Grief Journey Podcast, and discusses in depth the role of the chaplain in support patients, families and staff in a health care setting. The Grief Journey Podcast is a production of Mayrim and shares stories from families who have experienced loss, offering listeners comfort, understanding, and a sense of connection. NAJC thanks Mayrim for allowing this episode to be shared with the NeshamaCast audience.
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.