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 Israel and in the United States at 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.

Painting by Georges Stessin, Rabbi Stessin’s late father.

About our host:

Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the producer and host of NeshamaCast. 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 Rabbi Katja Vehlow was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is Director of Jewish Life at Fordham University. She trained as a chaplain at Moses Maimonides Medical Center in New York. Previously, she served as Associate Professor of Religious Studies at University of South Carolina. A native German speaker, she is planning a forthcoming German-language podcast on the weekly Torah portion with a focus on pastoral care.

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 Bikur Cholim Conference. 

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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.

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We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at NeshamaCast@gmail.com. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.