Healing Torah: A Series of Workshops for Spiritual and Emotional Caregivers in Jewish Life  

Date: Apr 18, 2023 - May 09, 2023

Time: 11:45 am - 1:00 pm

Sponsor: Center for Pastoral Education | Online Learning | Online Learning for Clergy

Location: Online

Category: Clergy: Continuing Ed Online Learning Pastoral Education

Healing Torah: A Series of Workshops for Spiritual and Emotional Caregivers in Jewish Life

Tuesdays, April 18–May 9, 2023
11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
Online

Presented by the Center for Pastoral Education at JTS

Religious and spiritual leaders have been impacted both professionally and personally by the sharp spike in mental health concerns among their constituents. After conducting conversations with Jewish professionals over the past year, Rabbi Noach Shapiro, LCSW, of the Center for Pastoral Education at JTS has developed a series of online workshops to give those who are providers of spiritual care and educators an opportunity to deepen their skills as healing professionals, while also doing the essential work of caring for themselves.

This series is open to rabbis, cantors, chaplains, educators, and others working in Jewish caring and teaching professions.

Healing Torah is cosponsored by The Rabbinical Assembly, The Cantors Assembly, and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains.

Workshops and Dates

April 18

Framing the Issue

In this first session, participants will share their personal and professional journeys, and the unique emotional and spiritual challenges of self-nourishing that are embedded in caregiving. We will begin our exploration of the dynamics of healing relationships by looking together at an unpredictably powerful and poignant moment of healing between two rabbis of the Talmud. 

April 25  

The Metaphor

Using EMT first-responder protocol as a metaphor, Rabbi Shapiro will begin to walk participants through a seven-step path toward an emotional and spiritual first response for someone in mental health and/or spiritual crisis.  

May 2 

Assessment and Triage  

Discussions will address the fundamental elements and challenges of deep listening, assessing a situation, and creating an action plan that moves healing forward. 

May 9

Putting It All Together

In the final session, participants will explore the boundaries that define ethical and effective caregiving relationships, what those boundaries look like in practice, and how self-nourishment for caregivers are not acts of self-indulgence, but rather foundational elements of ethical and effective practice.

About the Instructor

Rabbi E. Noach Shapiro, LCSW, serves as the coordinator of the Mental Health Project at the Center for Pastoral Education at JTS. He was ordained at JTS in 1999 and received an MSW from NYU in 2012. He served as spiritual leader at Congregation Ahavath Achim in Atlanta, GA and Congregation Shomrei Emunah in Montclair, New Jersey.  Rabbi Shapiro is currently a psychotherapist in private practice in Montclair, New Jersey, and has served as adjunct faculty at Montclair State University and JTS.