Dwelling in the 'Who Knows' - Chaplaincy in Crisis | Ep11

What happens when medicine says "I don't know" and chaplains step in to hold the unknown? In Episode 11 of Healing People, Not Patients, Rabbi Kara Tav shares her experience starting as a palliative care chaplain at NYU Langone Brooklyn just weeks before the world recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic. She describes transforming hospital units, supporting weeping doctors who couldn't admit uncertainty, ministering to isolated dying patients, and navigating moral injury amid refrigerated trucks, empty trains, and public gratitude that didn't fully grasp the horror. Drawing on Jewish teachings, she explores chaplaincy as presence in the "who knows," helping access inner spiritual resources for healing, and emerging from trauma with hope that survival itself is a miracle. Top 3 Takeaways: Chaplaincy's Unique Role: Chaplains minister to the spirit alongside medical teams, helping patients and staff access inner resources and meaning especially vital when doctors face the limits of knowledge and say "I don't know." Dwelling in Uncertainty During Crisis: In the early pandemic chaos, chaplains were comfortable in the unknown, providing quiet support to frustrated clinicians, creating prayer cards for unaccompanied deaths, and holding space for moral distress and isolation. Healing Through Presence and Survival: True healing involves mutual noticing of suffering; chaplains model being present without fixing. Survival amid unimaginable loss reminds us people are meant for freedom, health, and rejoicing not endless suffering. About the Guest: Rabbi Kara Tav, MA, BCC, is a rabbi, board-certified chaplain, educator, and spiritual counselor based in Pittsburgh. With extensive experience in hospital chaplaincy including as manager of spiritual care and palliative care chaplain at NYU Langone Brooklyn during the height of the early COVID-19 pandemic she now offers consulting, counseling, teaching, and community education. She specializes in supporting spiritual needs in times of illness, crisis, and uncertainty, drawing on Jewish tradition to help individuals and professionals find meaning and resilience. 🔗 Connect with Rabbi Kara Tav: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbikaratav About the Show Healing People, Not Patients explores ways to enhance medical practice by infusing it with compassion, humanity, and a deeper sense of purpose, aiming to help healthcare professionals rediscover the "soul" of their work. Framed around the four questions of the Passover Seder, it probes how to transform medicine for the better, promoting an empathetic and supportive approach that empowers patients to create meaningful, sober lives, while drawing on Jewish teachings about community and friendship. "Our theme song, "Room for the Soul," is available on Bandcamp at https://jonathanweinkle.bandcamp.com/track/room-for-the-soul." About the Host: Dr. Jonathan Weinkle is an internist and pediatrician who practices primary care at a community health center in Pittsburgh. He strives to be a "nice Jewish doctor" focused on  patient-centered healthcare, emphasizing effective communication and holistic well-being. He teaches the courses, “Death and the Healthcare Professions” and “Healing and Humanity” at the University of Pittsburgh, authored the books Healing People, Not Patients and Illness to Exodus, and runs ‘Healers Who Listen’, where he blogs on healing and Jewish tradition. Once an aspiring rabbi, he now integrates faith and medicine to support other physicians and his own patients. 🌐 Website: healerswholisten.com 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathan-weinkle-3440032a 📸 Instagram: @HealersWhoListen 📘 Facebook: @JonathanWeinkle   The Healing People, Not Patients Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals regarding your personal or organizational decisions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.