“When you walk these halls, there’s the sense of complete disconnection,” relates Rhonda R, who’s been spending days at a time at the hospital with her nine-year-old son while he undergoes cancer treatments.
“Life, normal life, has disappeared. We who are here wake and dream of playing outside with our children or reading beneath the trees. We even dream of the things we never thought we’d miss, like grocery shopping and cooking. It’s easy to feel alone. When I smelled the homemade chicken soup Chabad brought us, the smell took me back home, to my normal life before all this began. It was a bit of light in my dark world.”
In response to a growing need for the development of Jewish hospital services across the United States, Merkos Suite 302 opened Chabad on Call. Dedicated to training the next generation of chaplains, Chabad on Call recently launched a CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) online training course accredited by ACPE (Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Inc.).
“We blend hands-on practice, clinical supervision, and academic study,” said Chani Goldberg, Director of Chabad on Call. “The course empowers its participants to serve their patients more effectively,” said Goldberg.
The program, which began earlier this month, will equip the Shluchim with the medical and halachic knowledge to become valuable members of the healing team.
“It is going incredibly well! I’m enjoying both the didactic and clinical parts of the course, said Rabbi Peretz Shapiro, an inaugural participant and Chabad representative to Plano, Texas.
Chabad on Call is committed to creating a warm community within the hospital environment by reaching out to patients, families of patients, and medical staff, addressing both their emotional and spiritual needs. By equipping Shluchim with chaplaincy training, educational material, and appropriate seed funds, Chabad on Call will enable Shluchim to devote more time to the hospital. The organization also provides numerous resources such as prayer booklets for patients and their families, an online database allowing users to locate the Chabad services at any given hospital, and educational webinars and courses.
“We are excited about this incredible opportunity to provide more focused support to shluchim in this most vital component of their shlichus,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Director of Suite 302.
As the organization continues to grow, Chabad on Call hopes to pierce the walls of loneliness and despair pervading hospitals around the world, building a network of shluchim and ensuring that all patients have someone to advocate for their personal needs, offer comfort and support, and inspire them with renewed hope for the future.
To build on the success of the experienced Shluchim so that Shluchim in every city can offer the same services to hospitals and every one can benefit from each others success instead of all the other organizations who use Chabad and dont give them credit.
Go Sholly!! Keep up the great work
You should learn from him what he has accomplished, The entire city has been transformed by him.
Glad youre catching up but its far from new
The pioneers of this field of Shlichus. They are an inspiration-
Thank you Rabbi and Mrs Gopin at Johns Hopkins hospital for all that they’ve done to help patients that have come from near and far with so much warmth and care!!
May Hashem bless you with much success in your beautiful work!
Amazing work. Just like the Chicago Mitzvah Campaign here in, obviously, Chicago, but focused on hospital visits and stays.
You are a true inspiration, rocking shluchim!!!!
The Greenes at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN are amazing. Such warmth and love and caring and delicious food!
Yasher koach to these wonderful shluchim, who are helping sick people around the world! With great appreciation, Rabbi Avraham Lider, Ahavas Chesed
Their chesed is incredible, on all levels. It makes a huge difference to sick people’s lives. Quick question: I know of two families from out of town who have had to come to America to have their children be treated for cancer, with specialized treatment only available here. Can this shluchim program help these two families in any way? The patients are now here in New York for treatment. Hospital visits, babysitting, counseling, food, housing, any of those things would be hugely helpful. Can this shluchim program help out these two families?
Mesiras Nefesh mamash by Lazer & Rochel Lazaroff. I once visited there house for a simcha, people knock at their doors even in the middle of the night!
They cook, give housing, counsel, on and on and on. There chessed knows no bounds.
They have been doing this for 20years already. The article is a bit misleading i think.
rabbi zalman and Yehudis you rock
This is not something new. Shluchim, Rochel and Lazer Lazaroff of Houston, Texas have been quietly doing this work for 20+ years with their organization ‘Aishel House’. There is no end to their giving and the kindness, respect, privacy and dignity they give to each individual who they help. An article written on the subject without mentioning their years of work is not complete in my humble opinion.
Rabbi Mendy Levy saved a deceased person from cremation with the help of donors. Apparently a cremation is a mere $600, while a Jewish burial can be $20,000 in certain states!
https://togetherforshluchim.com
Wow, what a thoughtful program!! I am brought to tears just thinking about the bit of light you provide these patients and their families!! May they all have a speedy refuah shileima!!!!!
R Mendy Levy is changing the face of Hospice care in Florida!