1st Edition

Jewish Relational Care A-Z We Are Our Other's Keeper

By Jack H Bloom Copyright 2006
    478 Pages
    by Routledge

    478 Pages
    by Routledge

    A collection of caregiving tools combining the values of Jewish tradition and self-relations—useful for practitioners of ANY faith!

    Self-relations, a powerful framework for doing respectful and humane caregiving for oneself and for others is here brought into relationship with Jewish thought.

    Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper is an extensive resource for caregiving tools and approaches. Using Jewish tradition and Self-Relations as take-off points, experts from many fields provide insightful perspectives and effective strategies for caregiving.

    In the language of self-relations each of us is not referred to as a Self. Instead, each of us is more accurately described as a relationship between “selves”—relationship is the basic psychological and religious unit! Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper sensitively centers on relationships and the healing process, using the understanding that to spark healing in others, a loving, respectful relationship must first be present between every aspect of our “selves.” Thirty-six categories of caregiving are comprehensively presented, allowing its use as a helpful resource for any clergy considering any of the included topics. Each author’s personal reflections, and personal experiences using care tools clearly illustrate how love-respect relationships within oneself can transcend into effective care for others.

    Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper provides helpful tools and explores:

    • the use of language as a relational care tool
    • time management for optimum performance for oneself and for others
    • compassion fatigue, the need for self-care, and nurturing your own spiritual and psychological development
    • purposeful visiting as a sacred task
    • silence as an important part of spiritual care
    • the profound difference made in lives through relational listening
    • music as sacred power—a communion between humans and the Divine
    • chanting as an intimate expression of the soul
    • creative ritual in relational healing
    • spontaneous prayer, and its place in relational care
    • relational care with other faiths inside and outside of the community
    • care for those going through divorce
    • care when a pregnancy is unwelcome
    • relational care for sexual orientation and gender identity issues
    • successful caring for those who don’t care about you
    • dealing with traumatic loss
    • care for those who have sinned sexually
    • fragile relationships
    • care with the healthy aging
    • relational care and retired clergy
    • care for those traumatized by sexual abuse
    • care for the cognitively impaired, mentally ill, and developmentally disabled
    • care for the final moments of life
    • care for the sick and dying
    • care within the grieving process
    Jewish Relational Care A-Z: We Are Our Other’s Keeper is practical, insightful reading for clergy and caregivers of all denominations, educators, students, and lay people who care about clergy and their work.

    • About the Editor
    • Contributors
    • Acknowledgments
    • A Guide for the Reader (Jack H Bloom)
    • THE ABCS OF JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE
    • 1. Premises of Jewish Relational Care (Jack H Bloom)
    • 2. Language As a Relational Tool: Using Your Mouth with Your Head? (Jack H Bloom)
    • CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER’S RELATIONAL “SELF”
    • 3. Taking Care of Ourselves: It’s About Time! (David J. Zucker)
    • 4. Managing Compassion Fatigue (David J. Stern)
    • 5. Maintaining Balance: The Kabbalah As a Resource (Susan Gulack)
    • HEALING MUSES FOR JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE
    • 6. The Muse of Visiting (David J. Zucker and Bonita E Taylor)
    • 7. The Muse of Silence (Jeffery M. Silberman)
    • 8. The Muse of Relational Listening (Samuel Chiel)
    • 9. The Muse of Music and Song (Shira Stern)
    • 10. The Muse of Chanting (Bonita E Taylor)
    • 11. The Muse of Creative Ritual for Relational Healing (Marcia Cohn Spiegel)
    • 12. The Muse of Spontaneous Prayer for All the [TzelemÛN’shamah] Relationships (Charles P. Rabinowitz)
    • HOW SPACIOUS IS OUR TENT?
    • 13. Caring for the Non-Jews Within Our Community (Gordon M. Freeman and Stuart Kelman)
    • 14. Caring for Non-Jews Outside Our Community (Judith B. Edelstein)
    • 15. What We Gentiles Need in Jewish Relational Care: A Minister’s Perspective (Richard L. Rush)
    • WHEN LIFE CHALLENGES OUR HUMAN “BEING”
    • 16. Caring for and Supporting Those Going Through Divorce (Judith Levitan)
    • 17. When a Pregnancy Is Unwelcome (Bonnie Margulis and Douglas Maben)
    • 18. Caring for Those Whose Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Vary (Nancy H. Wiener)
    • JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE WHEN THE RELATIONSHIP IS FRAGILE
    • 19. Relating to and Caring for Those Who Don’t Care About You (Stephen Bayar)
    • 20. Blessing Those We Have Trouble Blessing (Jack H Bloom)
    • 21. A Story of Brokenness and Healing: The Relationship of Rabbi and Congregant (Rena Halpern Kieval and Dan Ornstein)
    • 22. T’Shuvah in Sexual Violations with Direct Implications for Other Situations: Relational Care for Those Who Have Sinned and Wish to “Return” (Jack H Bloom)
    • 23. Jewish Relational Thinking and a Difficult Text: Amalek and Us (Jack H. Bloom)
    • JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE IN THE “GOLDEN” YEARS
    • 24. Jewish Relational Care with the Healthy Aging (Richard F. Address)
    • 25. Jewish Relational Care and Retired Clergy (Jack H Bloom)
    • JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE WITH THE TRAUMATIZED
    • 26. There and Back Again—Journey into the “Death Zone”: Jewish Relational Care and Disabilities (Judith Z. Abrams)
    • 27. When the Rabbi Needs Care (Andrew R. Sklarz)
    • 28. Caring for Those Violated by Child Sexual Abuse and Incest (Rachel Lev)
    • JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE WITH THE IMPAIRED
    • 29. Relating Gently and Wisely with the Cognitively Impaired (Cary Kozberg)
    • 30. Caring for the Mentally Ill (Judith Brazen)
    • 31. Caring for the Institutionalized Developmentally Disabled (Bernie Robinson)
    • JEWISH RELATIONAL CARE AT LIFE’S END
    • 32. Relating to the Sick and Dying (Steven Moss)
    • 33. The Vidui: Jewish Relational Care for the Final Moments of Life (Alison Jordan and Stuart Kelman)
    • 34. Jewish Relational Care with the Grieving (Mel Glazer)
    • Healing Notes. Frames for Blessing All “Selves” As [Breath-TakingÛModels of Divinity] (Jack H Bloom)
    • Index
    • Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Jack H Bloom