The following vignettes are examples of pastoral internship experiences from rabbinical students of HUC-JIR:
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Josh Samuels
Josh Samuels was ordained at Hebrew Union College May, 2010. Over the course of his HUC education, this extraordinary student held four pastoral internships. He was most recently placed in a hospice setting, working with patients at the end of life. His vignette demonstrates how pastoral internships affect our rabbinical students and how our rabbinical students provide emotional and spiritual comfort for patients and their families in times of crisis.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Ilana Mills
Ilana Mills was the 2009 summer intern at Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC). Ilana is student at HUC-JIR/LA, and is pursuing a master's degree in Jewish education at HUC's Rhea Hirsch School of Education. Ilana was able to help a Jewish woman express herself at a time of crisis and help that woman find a personal connection with God based on her own questions, her experiences, and her emotions.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman was the 2010 summer intern at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles (CHLA). He is currently a rabbinic student at the HUC-JIR/LA, and is pursuing a master's degree in Jewish education at HUC's Rhea Hirsch School of Education. His vignette illustrates a natural ability to listen to the needs of patients and families and provide support and guidance.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Jake Singer-Beilin
Jake Singer-Beilin was the summer 2010 intern at Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC). Jake is currently a rabbinic student at HUC-JIR/LA. He illustrates the importance and significance in giving spiritual care to patients who are both conscience and unconscious of his presence.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Heath Watenmaker
Heath Watenmaker was the 2010 summer intern at Skirball Hospice this summer in Los Angeles. Heath Watenmaker is a rabbinic student at HUC-JIR/LA. During the course of his internship, Heath learned how to communicate in a way that truly showed he was listening to caregivers' needs.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Lisa Kingston
Lisa Kingston was the 2010 summer intern at UCLA in Santa Monica. Lisa Kingston is a rabbinic student at HUC-JIR/NY. She came to us this summer for a pastoral internship opportunity. She expressed gratitude for this learning opportunity. She shared "that being a chaplain isn't all about comforting people or giving them hope. It is about challenging people to be in the state they are in, no matter how intolerable that feels. Chaplaincy is about asking the hard questions and discovering oneself based on the answers."
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Suzy Stone
Suzy Stone was the 2009 summer intern at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles (CHLA). She is a student at HUC/JIR LA. She expressed that through her internship she learned, "It no longer feels like being a rabbi is a role or a job; rather, I believe that CPE taught me how to truly be a spiritual leader."
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by LuAnne Tyzzer
LuAnne Tyzzer was the 2011 summer intern at Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC). LuAnne is the first Rhea Hirsch School of Education student at HUC-JIR/LA to be a pastoral intern. Her vignette beautifully tells the story of a patient that showed her the power of presence and compassion in pastoral care.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Sara Abrams
Sara Abrams was the 2011 summer intern at St. John's Health Center. Sara is a rabbinic student at HUC-JIR/LA. During the course of her internship Sara learned how to use prayer as a tool for compassionate care.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Laura Abrasely
Laura Abrasely was a 2010 fall intern at the Jewish Home of San Francisco (JHSF). Laura is a rabbinic student at HUC-JIR/LA. She offered the following insight, "The pastoral role so often feels so word-centric..." noting that sometimes, just being present is enough.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Deana Sussman
Deana Sussman was the 2011 William Cutter Pastoral Intern and did her first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, summer 2011. Through her internship, Deana honored Dr. Cutter’s work in education, health, and healing through their mutual ties to St. Louis and her self-driven desire to improve her pastoral skills.
A Vignette on Pastoral Care by Keara Cummings
Keara Cummings was the 2011 fall intern at UCLA in Santa Monica. Keara is the first Barbara S. Zolla Memorial Pastoral Intern. Keara is currently a rabbinical student at HUC/LA. Keara is the perfect “first” intern to honor the Zolla family. Barbie’s daughter, Debbie, lovingly called her mother her energizer bunny—someone with a lot of chutzpah, unstoppable, brave, and always on the go. Keara, on the other hand, struggled with confidence in the hospital setting. She strived for, and attained, what her mentor called rabbinic chutzpah, the “confidence to go into a stranger’s hospital room, sit down, and help them start sharing.”
Two Sermons by Sydney Henning
Sydney Henning was the 2010 fall intern at UCLA Medical Center and Health System in Westwood. She is a Schusterman Fellow at the HUC/LA rabbinic school. Henning wrote two important sermons during her internship: one sermon comments on America's current healthcare system and the other, her fourth year sermon, on the power of Shabbat for healing. This sermon tells the story of a pastoral visit she made with a patient going through neuro rehabilitation as a pastoral intern. She relayed the story of how he engaged in the rituals, and learned about Shabbat with her one week, and was thus moved to celebrate Shabbat with his floor the next. Henning was touched by the experience and wrote in her sermon that Shabbat gave him "something that he desperately needed: a sense of comfort, a reminder of family, and a sense of order and meaning in his chaotic universe."
Blessing for Family Planning by Aron Klein
In 2011, Aron Klein, a fifth year rabbinic student and a member of the Spiegel Seminar planning committee at HUC-JIR, created the following blessing for family planning.
Fourth Year Sermon on Parshah Tazria by Ilana Mills
Student Ilana Mills, a two-time Kalsman pastoral intern, devoted her fourth year sermon to the topic of bereavement.
Fourth Year Sermon on Parsha Metzora by Suzy Stone
In 2011, Stone focused her fourth year sermon at the intersection of her community organizing interest and her desire to have as many people as possible execute an Advanced Directive form. Here is a link to her sermon for Parsha Metzora. Stone discussed the rituals of life, death, and illness in the Jewish tradition, measured against guidance from the Shulchan Arukh, which teaches that "a sick person should be encouraged to settle his affairs." Our student worked to catalyze members of the HUC community to fill out the AD form through her sermon and also by hosting a house event with Neil Wenger, MD to educate and answer questions. Wenger is a Kalsman partner and UCLA physician and bioethicist.