Sacred Partnerships: Integrating Jewish Spiritual Care into Clinical Teams with Rabbi Bruce Pfeffer cover art

Sacred Partnerships: Integrating Jewish Spiritual Care into Clinical Teams with Rabbi Bruce Pfeffer

Sacred Partnerships: Integrating Jewish Spiritual Care into Clinical Teams with Rabbi Bruce Pfeffer

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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 NeshamaCast@gmail.com 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 ...
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