Who Is Wise? The One Who Learns from All: The Nexus Between Mental Health and Jewish Spiritual Care

This episode is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Chaplain Ilisia Kissner, BCC (1953- 2026)Chaplain Ilisia Kissner, of blessed memory, served the Jewish community as an educator for over 25 years, both as a teacher and principal in synagogue schools. Her B.A. is from Queens College in New York, M.A. from New York University and Principal’s Certification from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.After completing four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Overlook Hospital in 2011, Chaplain Kissner worked as a hospice chaplain and as a group home chaplain for Jewish Services for the Developmentally Disabled. In 2013 she became the Jewish Chaplain at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey, where she served until her death on February 6, 2026. She became a Board Certified Chaplain with NAJC in 2016. Chaplain Kissner also provided religious services and pastoral care at Village Apartments in South Orange, one of the facilities of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of the Federation of Greater Metrowest New Jersey.Chaplain Kissner, z"l, approached Rabbi Ed Bernstein, NeshamaCast producer and host, in May 2025, and proposed an episode on mental health. She then became an active member of the NAJC Social Media Committee and was intimately involved in the planning of this episode. This episode was in the final stages of production at the time of Chaplain Kissner's death on February 6, 2026. May the memory of Chaplain Ilisia Kissner be for a blessing.  Cantor Rabbi Rob Jury, PhD, BCC, CRADC, LCPC, NCC, is the Founder and Clinical Director of the Tikvah Center for Jewish Recovery & Healing, a state licensed and JCAHO accredited, Jewish addiction treatment program in Northbrook, Illinois. His Rabbinic ordination is from the Hebrew Seminary for the Deaf in Skokie, IL. Rob is also the senior rabbi at Congregation Anshe Tikvah. Rob serves on the faculty of The Family Institute of Northwestern University where he is the course lead for Research Methods in Counseling, in addition to teaching Assessment in Counseling, and Addiction Counseling. His article on Jewish metaphors in narrative practice with people resisting addiction can be found in the International Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work. He has a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision, a Masters in Narrative Therapy and Community Work from the University of Melbourne, and an MA in Counseling from Northwestern University. Rob is a board certified chaplain with NAJC, and in 2026 was installed as President-Elect, with expected election as President scheduled for 2028.. Rob is also a BCC member of the Association of Professional Chaplains. Rob is a member of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and the Cantors Assembly. Rob is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois and a Certified Reciprocal Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  Rabbi Benjamin Perlstein, BCC (NAJC), is a staff chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, serving primarily in psychiatric andacute care settings on the Weill Cornell Medical Center campus and as site leader for spiritual care and chaplaincy at Gracie SquareHospital. Ben received rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also completed an M.A. in JewishThought, focused on mysticism and ethics. He graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. in Political Philosophy and has worked in a range of international contexts, especially involving Jewish history and the Holocaust. He is passionate about creative,multidisciplinary and multifaith applications of spiritual wisdom and practice to issues of public concern and pastoral need.  About our host:Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the executive producer and host of NeshamaCast. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives. NeshamaCast contributor Chaplain David Balto is a volunteer chaplain at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. and Western Correctional Insitution, Maryland’s maximum security prison. He coordinated the annual National Jewish Healing Conference. Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. For sponsorship opportunities as either an individual or institution, please write to Rabbi Ed Bernstein at [email protected] Thank you to Steve Lubetkin and Lubetkin Media Companies for producing this episode. Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs. Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine. Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers. Opinions expressed on NeshamaCast reflect those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect official positions of NAJC. We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at [email protected]. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.