About the Kalsman Institute on Judaism & Health
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR)
The Kalsman Institute was founded by Rabbi William Cutter and is now led by Dr. Joel L. Kushner. It was endowed through the generosity of Mark z’l and Peachy Levy and their family in memory of Peachy’s parents, Red and Lee Kalsman. Working with Rabbi Cutter, the Levy family had the vision of creating a center at the intersection of Judaism and health with a focus on spiritual care and healing. In the connections between Judaism and health, the Kalsman Institute of HUC-JIR is a catalyst for interaction, learning and partnerships among spiritual leaders, healthcare providers, and Jewish community professionals and members. Internally, Kalsman provides pastoral education to future Reform leaders on the Los Angeles HUC-JIR campus. Conferences and workshops created, convened and co-sponsored by Kalsman generate ideas and projects on Jewish spirituality and healing, bioethics, illness and wellness, and the health of the healthcare system. Jewish Wisdom and Wellness has now become the latest of those projects. Through an international network of nearly 3,000 Kalsman Partners, the Institute makes positive contributions to Jewish thought and practice through training, collaboration and dialogue.
As part of its pioneering work in the field of Judaism and Health, the Kalsman Institute has produced three authoritative books on Judaism and its interconnection with health, spirit and wellness including Midrash & Medicine: Healing Body and Soul in the Jewish Interpretive Tradition, Healing and Jewish Imagination: Spiritual and Practical Perspectives on Judaism and Health. Their most recent publication, Judaism and Health: A Handbook of Practical, Professional and Scholarly Resources, edited by Michele F. Prince, LCSW, MAJCS (a former Kalsman Director) and Jeff Levin, PhD, MPH (Jewish Lights), is the first comprehensive resource guide in this field. The Handbook encompasses basic and applied research and scholarly writing on scientific, clinical, bioethical, pastoral and educational themes, as well as communal and liturgical programming. To purchase this book, go to: http://www.jewishlights.com/page/product/978-1-58023-714-7
For more information about the Kalsman Institute and its publications, go to: http://kalsman.huc.edu/
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the nation’s first institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and communal service professionals, and offers graduate and post-graduate degree programs for scholars of all faiths. With campuses in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York, and Jerusalem, HUC-JIR’s scholarly resources comprise renowned library and museum collections, the American Jewish Archives, biblical archaeology excavations, research centers and institutes, and academic publications. For more information, visit HUC-JIR at http://www.huc.edu
