In this emergency podcast, Rabbi Valerie Stessin, Director of Kashouvot: The Center for Spiritual Care in Israel, discusses the first three days of the crisis following the massive terrorist incursion from Gaza on October 7, 2023. Then, Rabbi Joe Ozarowski, President of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains, provides a message of reflection on the situation and words of comfort.
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 the best programs in Israel and in the United States: 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.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 0:00
Shalom and welcome to Neshama cast, exploring Jewish spiritual care today, brought to you by the Neshama association of Jewish chaplains. I'm your host, Rabbi Ed Bernstein.
We are recording this emergency episode of Neshama cast on October 9, 2023. We are three days into the crisis since the horrific invasion of Israel on Shabbat and the Shemini Atzeret Simchat Torah holiday by Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip who have murdered hundreds of Israelis, injured 1000s and abducted dozens of hostages into Gaza. Israel has not experienced a crisis of this magnitude since the Yom Kippur War exactly 50 years ago. Now Neshama cast is not a program of news and analysis. We'll leave that to other outlets. The purpose of this program is to profile the different ways in which Jewish chaplains from the Neshama association of Jewish chaplains provide spiritual care in multiple settings. It was our intent to invite our colleague Rabbi Valerie Stessin of Jerusalem to discuss her pathbreaking role in helping to establish the profession of livui ruchani or chaplaincy in Israel. That fuller conversation will have to wait. However, I am grateful that Rabbi Stessin has taken time in the midst of this crisis to update us on the situation from her perspective, Rabbi Stessin is the director of khushu vote the Center for Spiritual Care in Israel. She makes her home in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Valerie Stessin. Welcome to Neshama cast. And thank you for taking the time on this difficult day.
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 1:59
Thank you, Rabbi Bernstein. And thank you to all my colleagues, to all the people who are, as I'm sure all praying, and just wishing for the best for all Israelis, and especially for people who were wounded and lost people during this awful war.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 2:20
We'll talk about the broader scope of the situation, but our colleagues and I are anxious to know how you are doing and your closest dear ones at this time.
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 2:31
Thanks. Thanks. So as you know, I saw someone on Facebook and answering to someone else We are safe, but we're not okay. And I think it's really in a short way it's, it's a way it is my closest people, my closest family, my parents are in Tel Aviv in and out of the safe, if it can be called a safe place, the stairs because most of the people they live on the third floor was so aware. So most of the people go to the stair room, and not to some to a place which is really, really safe. So my parents are there. My daughter, Oriyana, the youngest one was called on duty already on Shabbat morning. We were in Jerusalem, we were awakened by the by the siren at something like 8, 8:30 am. Of course, we were not the first ones and it was much earlier and much harder in the south and close to the frontier. But it was surprising because it's really rare that we have these kind of alerts in Jerusalem. So you know, the first reaction was okay, is it real? Maybe something just doesn’t work. But quite quite quickly, we understood what's happening. And we opened the phones, we checked what was happening in the news.
So already at noon she was called and, and with all the people who were called on milluim, on the on reserves, you know, she went to the north, she's now on the northern frontier in Rosh Hanikrah, and many, many people were called to this area because of the fear that something will happen from the north and Lebanon, and from Hizbollah, so she’s there and so she there were many other people, the young people and other people that we know around.
Altogether, we are mostly worried by the situation, especially all the things that happened in the South. I mean, the trauma is really at a level that that's it's difficult to describe. It's difficult to describe the pain of people who are now looking for, for the young people who were at this party, near the frontier new, near Kibbutz Beerim. All the people were abducted and we just begin I think even if it's the third day, you know, it takes time to really understand the shock surprise, it's something that no one no one imagines that it will happen this way. I mean, no one imagines that we will be caught by such surprise and with such a harsh level of numbers of people who were we you know, murdered and it just released you know, like everyone all our colleagues and the spiritual caregivers I think are also it takes some time.
Yesterday I had a meeting with all the spiritual care associations in Israel, which is the like the parallel of Neshama in Israel. And you know, on one way we try to think about oh, we can be a fallen where it will be more effortful to try to volunteer and to go on to and to, you know, to help. On the other time, it's so it was so quick so sudden that it takes time to understand yesterday was mostly a day of chaos you know. People were moved from the south, kibbutzim and moshavimi, places which were hurt. And so people who were moved to other places to the Dead Sea to the north to as other kibbutzim would seem, it's still really difficult to find, what are the best ways to add but we already have chaplains who went to nursing homes to hospitals, where there are usually as students who were last year during their clinical time, in geriatric Hospital in Petach Tikva a. And we were in touch with those places and say, right, always say that they need people, even if they're, if the people there are not the wounded, you know, they are usual people who are staying there most of them old people, weak people, and all of them are saying that they need to help.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 7:18
Yeah, I'm just going to ask what is the situation like in the hospitals? Are there a lot of injured people there?
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 7:25
Yeah, lot, a lot in the south. And I admit that I also, you know, I sent mails and messages to say that we are here and we are ready to come to help But I understand that also the first hours and days, you know, as are very busy with also the r urgent needs. As I'm sure you saw all the issues of families who are looking for dear ones who disappeared, or, or this is just just beginning to get organized. So it's, you know, as many individual initiatives, WhatsApp groups, we joined as a, you know, we're trying to send the information to all of our alumni and students or to give them opportunities.
Some people are joining some psychologists, organizations who are, you know, just just suggesting people to just be in touch and if they want, and then they match people with psychologists or any other kind of care caregiver with. So so it's clear that spiritual caregivers are accepted in this in those places and and needed, we still need to find, let's say, a more organized way, I think to bring or support, and to suggest or support, but for now, it's it's a mess. I mean, no one was ready. Even if Israelis are usually quite prepared to kind of, you know, difficult events like this, it seems like this was much, much more than what we were able to know to organize so quickly.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 9:15
Yeah. And as we're recording, as I said at the outset, we're still in the very early stages of this. We don't know the full extent of the losses or the casualties, and we don't know the full extent of what kind of infrastructure we will need to be built to support the nation grieving at this time. But I'm wondering since you're on the ground in in the field of spiritual care, what are your first thoughts as to what will be put in place or what do you hope to put into place to support the people of Israel at this time?
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 9:57
Yeah, so first, it's very early but you know, it's not something new, it's just something which is maybe, which needs to be more available for everyone, I think grieving support support groups for grieving people will be something that we will need to, to really, to be able to give those opportunities to every, to all the people who need, you know, it's for sure some people are the real, the closest circles of people who lose someone, but, but Israel is so small and so and people are so close to each other, and the feeling is as all the country is in is in, you know, in a grief process now. So I think there will be a huge, huge need of grief counseling and support groups for people who are grieving, and to accompany people in those processes, because it's, it will take time and it will be at various levels and people who have, you know, various difficulties as illness and aging, and the trauma of what happens now, I think they will need a lot of support a lot of presence, and we will have to be able to give, you know, professional and, and professional and say yes, to many, many places, nursing homes, hospitals, but just even just congregations, either a religious congregations or just any, you know, any village or places like this, where usually there is there are awesome professionals, you know, and someone who really needs unwanted we'll go to some psychological counseling, but it's not something which is so easily available to everyone. And I think we really will have to think about are we are we try to slowly heal so many groups, so many people in this country,
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 12:06
I have no doubt that your colleagues in Neshama are all praying fervently for Israel's wellbeing now. The Jewish communities in the diaspora have all launched emergency fundraising campaigns. Are you able to describe any other ways in which we outside of Israel can support the effort of Jewish spiritual care, livui ruchani?
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 12:34
You know, I mean, especially when something like this happen, I feel that I mean, many of my colleagues in Neshama always already heard my, you know, my ani maamin, my, my vision, and I really think that our goal is, is not modest, but our goal is to get to a point where everyone when he's in needs when he wants, you know, can have find spiritual care where, where he is, if it's in a hospital, or if it's a nursing home, if it's any other framework where people in need can, can be and we know also different situations and increases when people need spiritual care. So when something like this happens on one way, I feel, okay, I'm so sad that we still are not enough implemented in all those places, that on the other away, I know that we have many people now who are certified and who are able to do it.
And I know that we have more and more connections with different places where we can at least try to be presented try to support. You know, my dream is that it will be something that is that is more organized and that there is a chaplain in every place and we don't need to, to try to invent the wheel and to look for how we can implement and bring someone for at least for a while. So I think everything that can help us you know, to to move towards this goal to be really part of all the professional staff who are dealing and taking care of the body but also for the nefesh also for the soul, everything can be helpful will be will be glad you know to to learn from your experience in in grieving counseling, which is something which is less developed in Israel, and they think we will be very glad you know, to get any support.
As always, we also need the means to be able to organize projects and to give to these different frameworks as much as possible services for free or for a single exam. So so all the helpelves that can be gathered if it's Wisdom, if it's your support, if it's counseling, or connections, or fundraising, all of these can be helpful to develop spiritual care and to help us trying to do the work, that will be hard. And we have to be down here to try to repair a little bit of what does be destroyed.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 15:19
Yes, we are with you in spirit. And as time moves forward, I'm sure there will be concrete ways developed in which Chaplain, Jewish chaplains around the world will be there to help you in your holy work. Before we conclude, I'm wondering if you have any other message at this time for your colleagues and friends around the world?
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 15:44
First, I really want to thank you because I think your wishes, your prayers, your presence are for us as spiritual caregivers in Israel, knowing we are a small group and a group of fellow team of pioneers who are still a little bit outsiders. And it's great support to know that you are there that you're thinking about some of that work. And you have these credits. This is credit, you know, that we have we have this support on that view yourself. I know that you worried I know that you're following what's happening. And I really hope that you will also find a ways to be able to be supportive in in any ways that you can. I know that it's it's hard to be for. I mean, it's hard to be far, it's hard, because I know that all of you are very much connected to Israel, to the Israeli people to what's happening here. And I can understand how hard it is to be so far to see what's happening to listen to those people and you know, the witnesses and people telling what they went through. And they can imagine that it can be very frustrating. But I I hope you understand that your support and all the you know, all the as Bala has been with the explanation, nations to people who are around you, some of them don't know, as well, some of them don't know what it means to live in the reality where we live. And I don't have any political message in this. But I just think that it's important for people to try to understand and to try to imagine what's happening here. So I think your role is also important on this level in being some representatives of what's what we are leaving out the reality here and try to explain it around you.
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 17:54
I'm amazed that at a time where I along with other colleagues outside of Israel are trying to offer you support you found within you the empathy to offer support for me and many of our colleagues who feel helpless outside of Israel in offering support. So let us just pledge to support one another, going forward. This is going to be a challenging time but together we will make it through.
Rabbi Valerie Stessin, thank you for taking time on short notice on this dark day to have this conversation. Chizki and imzi, may you have the strength and courage to support our brothers and sisters and Israel. And of course, take care of yourself and your family as well. We as chaplains know the importance of self-care, taking care of ourselves so that we can then help others may we soon be blessed with peace.
Rabbi Valerie Stessin 18:52
Thank you very much. Todah rabba, Adona oz leammo yiten, Adonai yevarech et amo be shalom..
Rabbi Ed Bernstein 19:01
May God bless our people with strength and peace.