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Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
CPE IN CINCINNATI
Rabbi Julie S. Schwartz ‘86,
Jay Stein Director of Clinical Pastoral
Education and Pastoral Care, HUC-JIR/Cincinnati
T
his summer, our groundbreaking program of Clinical Pastoral Education
on the Cincinnati campus was recommended to receive re-accreditation
upon the completion of its Five Year Review by the Association for Clinical
Pastoral Education (ACPE), the international body for education, certification,
and accreditation. While we were the first Jewish seminary to offer CPE
through our own curriculum and the first seminary to be fully accredited as
an independent center, this is another landmark attainment demonstrating
our role as the leaders in rabbinical formation, which integrates classic aca-
demic studies with supervised clinical practice. We are especially proud that
our CPE program includes placements in both adult and children’s hospitals,
specialized care for families suffering traumatic losses, and focused outreach
to the frail, elderly, and those in hospice care.
In the coming year, our students will continue these responsibilities as well
as offer training workshops for local congregations' lay pastoral care outreach
groups. Because Jewish texts and resources are intentionally woven into our
CPE curriculum, our students can immediately apply their learning to the unique
concerns and challenges of today's complex Jewish community. At the same
time, we continue to include Christian clergy and seminarians, as well as other
lay people, in our student groups. This outreach enriches our rabbinical students'
experiences and provides a meaningful introduction to Jewish traditions for
those outside the walls of our seminary. We are especially grateful to the
members of the Pastoral Care Advisory Committee, a group of Jewish lay
leaders, HUC-JIR faculty, and local clergy and specialists in pastoral care.
This committee, chaired by Kathy Claybon, provides ongoing guidance and
ensures that our program can meet the high standards of the ACPE.
Supporting Illness
and Wellness
Michele Prince,
Director, Kalsman Institute on Judaism and
Health, HUC-JIR/Jack H. Skirball Campus/Los Angeles
H
UC-JIR is deeply committed to creating a new generation of Jewish leaders
who are prepared to sensitively and capably help congregants and
community members deal with the critical issues they face throughout their
lives. The Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health worked with HUC-JIR’s rab-
binical program in Los Angeles to adopt a new requirement for all students to
complete a pastoral internship as a prerequisite for ordination, in addition to
their years of congregational work. The pastoral fieldwork complements course-
work that provides academic grounding in Jewish theology, rabbinical practice,
and pastoral counseling. HUC-JIR faculty, as well as local rabbis and healthcare
professionals, teach medical ethics, creative use of prayer at bedside, responses
to beginning and end-of-life issues, and Jewish death and mourning practices,
and draw from ancient and contemporary texts related to health and healing.
Taking advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of studies on campus, the
Kalsman Institute oversees pastoral education for students not only in
the rabbinical program, but also Jewish education and Jewish nonprofit
management students. Second-year education students participate in an
updated Human Development II course, which examines how issues around
illness and wellness impact students, educators, school, and community. Skill-
building opportunities are provided for students to strengthen their ability to
assess and respond effectively, acknowledging that educators are frequently
first-line responders during times of need.
Periodic lectures, panels, and other events with Kalsman leaders on behaviors
considered taboo or stigmatized in the Jewish community, and other topical
subjects related to health and healing, are shared by all students, including
those in the Jewish nonprofit management cohorts. Students are exposed
to a concept of health that is broadly defined, encompassing physical, mental,
emotional, spiritual, and sociopolitical elements, focusing on resiliency and
strength-based approaches. Students participate in the annual Case Presen-
tation, a “Grand Rounds”-style experience. One student from each of the
three programs helps dissect a complicated case vignette, addressing a broad
community and professional perspective.
Rabbinical
student Sara
Abrams '13
is a Kalsman
Institute
chaplaincy
intern at St.
John's Health
Care in Los
Angeles.
Rabbinical student chaplains April Peters ‘15 and Brandon Bernstein ‘14
supervised by Rabbi Rafael Goldstein (center), Director of
Department of Pastoral Care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in
New York, and a Doctor of Ministry student at HUC-JIR/New York.
The Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health
and
Cedars-Sinai
are co-sponsoring “Jewish Wisdom and Wellness:
A Week of Learning.” From April 21 to 28, 2013, a community-wide series of lectures and workshops throughout
Southern California will mine the Jewish tradition to improve health and well-being in the Jewish community.
For more information: (213) 765-2184;
Jewishwisdomandwellness.org
The Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health was endowed by the Lee and Irving Kalsman
Philanthropic Fund and The Kalsman Trust, with the support of Peachy and Mark Levy.
