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KERI GUTEN COHEN
Story Development Editor
ore than 125 rabbis and
cantors, mostly from the
Northeast, attended a
one-day end-of-life con-
ference in Manhattan June 13 to learn
more about the clergy's role in helping
the dying and their families. A group
from Detroit represented a microcosm
of the entire audience.
The Detroit delegation consisted of
four Orthodox rabbis (including one
Lubavitch), three Conservative rabbis,
one Reform rabbi, a Reform rabbinic
student, a compassionate volunteer, a
funeral director and an African
American minister.
Seven of these rabbis (plus another
Lubavitch rabbi unable to make the
trip) have been studying together for
two years as part of a Clinical Pastoral
Education (CPE) certification course.
The New York conference was the cul-
mination of their time together, but
-hardly the end of their relationships.
Though from diverse backgrounds
that usually don't mesh because of the-
ological differences, these men have
found common ground in a desire to
provide skilled, compassionate care to
Jews dying in metro Detroit.
There's real camaraderie among the
rabbis, who tease each other good-
naturedly and don't hesitate to call on
each other when they're stumped by
how to help a patient or just to say
hello.
"It's phenomenal to have Orthodox
and Reform rabbis together. This is
the first time I'm in the minority,"
said Rabbi Dannel Schwartz of
Temple Shir Shalom and a chaplain at
Beaumont Hospital. He and Rabbi
E.B. "Bunny" Freedman, director of
the Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy
Network (JHCN), initiated the local
CPE program.
"There's a sense of historic propor-
_tions that we're - all on the same page.
We struggle together with issues. The
relationships are heartfelt now," Rabbi
Schwartz said.
The Detroit group is the first
Jewish clergy group outside New York
to come together for the CPE train-
ing, which requires 400 hours of class
time and individual supervision to
Pausing a moment at the Ground Zero viewing platform are members
of the Detroit delegation to an end-of-lift conference in New York City:
from left, the Rev. Urias Beverly; Rabbis Dovid Polter, Avie Shapiro and
Hershel Klainberg; Keri Guten Cohen of the Jewish News; Rabbi Amy
Bolton; rabbinic student Jennifer Tisdale; Rabbis Jim Michaels, Dannel
Schwartz and E.B. "Bunny" Freedman; funeral director David Techner;
and volunteer Nathan Shiovitz. Missing is Rabbi David Nelson.
earn one credit. Certification takes
four credits. The class is a joint effort
between the JHCN and the Michigan
Board of Rabbis.
Supervising the Detroiters for the
first year was Rabbi Israel
Kestenbaum, considered the mentor in
the Jewish CPE field. Rabbi
Kestenbaum came in twice monthly
from New York for all-day sessions
with the eight rabbis.
Orthodox Rabbi Avie Shapiro, who
recently joined the JHCN full-time,
recalls the early days.
"When the class started, there were
doubting Thomases in the community
who bet against our success," he said.
"How often would a group of this sort
become homogenous?
"We had to come to the table with
the decision not to judge each other
for religious approaches. Our common
goal was to sharpen our pastoral skills.
Now I know I can call on any one of
them."