Changing realities of religious life in America include growing numbers of multi-faith families, an aging population, and declining rates of religious affiliation. Recognizing these trends, the Revson Foundation has granted over $1.5 million to Jewish spiritual care, including a large grant to build out the Center for Pastoral Education that secured a Jewish address for chaplaincy and multi-faith spiritual care at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.  The Center teaches the art of pastoral care to seminary students and ordained clergy of all faiths and is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education to offer credits toward certification as a  chaplain.

Jewish spiritual care, expressed in actions like bikkur holim/visiting the sick, is very old, but professional Jewish chaplaincy is relatively recent. Beginning in the mid-19th century in the military, Jewish chaplaincy has evolved with the field of professional chaplaincy that works increasingly with people of diverse beliefs in multi-faith settings.  Seeking to understand the work of Jewish chaplains and to bolster their efforts, Revson commissioned a mapping by the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab: an organization seeking to spark practical innovation in chaplaincy by bringing together chaplains, theological educators, clinical educators and social scientists. The process included a survey, interviews, and focus groups. It convened for the first time a group of Jewish chaplains across settings; hospitals, higher education, prison, hospice, and community-based organizations that provide elder care and social services.

This process resulted in the report “Leading Where Life Happens”. The report found that chaplains are an underutilized resource largely invisible to Jewish communal leaders and provides recommendations for future investment to help chaplains meet communal needs like  addressing the effects of loneliness in young people and frail elderly. The grant also supported this history of Jewish chaplaincy in America and an informative and convenient posting of resources for people interested in exploring Jewish chaplaincy as a career path.

The report identified community chaplaincy as an area for growth and impact. In 2022, Revson again partnered with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, creating a grant fund to demonstrate what innovative Jewish chaplaincy could look like with pilot projects in community settings with little or no access to professional spiritual care.  Four settings were selected for two-year demonstrations: (i) Jewish Social Services of Madison, WI (substance abuse and addiction in Dane County); Towers in New Haven, CT (isolation in older adults, particularly among low-income residents); Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network in West Bloomfield, MI (extending care beyond the death of a loved one); and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, CA (chaplain-in-residence). 

To help disseminate learning from these projects and to encourage better alignment between educators and daily demands on chaplains, grant funds also supported quarterly convenings of Jewish educators who teach spiritual care. Learn more about these projects here.

As part of its commitment to chaplaincy and to New York City, Revson supports the Worship Service at Rikers Island Project at the Jewish Community Relations Council. The Project coordinates regular visits by members of local synagogues and Jewish community groups to provide support and spiritual connection for people in custody and to bolster the capacity of the Jewish chaplains who serve them. Read about this effort here.

Learn more about Jewish Chaplains here.

Photo credit: Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images