Illness & Healing
At Temple Isaiah we support our members during times of illness through the supportive pastoral care and counseling of our clergy and the member-to-member reaching out through our Angel Network. If you or a family member contacts the synagogue to let us know you are in the hospital, a rabbi will visit you there. If you are home-bound because of illness, you will receive a visit at home. After surgery or during chronic illness, you will receive calls from members of our Angel Network to ask if they can bring meals, help get you to doctors’ appointments, bring your children to Religious School, or help with other tasks that will speed your healing and aid your family.
Cancer Support Group
Once a month members of our community who are cancer survivors, those currently in treatment and their family members meet with Rabbi Shanks to share our stories, share information on treatment, physicians and other resources, support each other on this challenging path and study and pray to gain strength and healing from our Jewish sources. Please check the our calendar for the next meeting and/or contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information.
P’tach Libeynu - Open our Hearts
We strive to banish the stigma of mental illness in our community by educating our members about psychological diagnoses, providing a welcoming environment for members to tell their stories and receive support, sponsoring confidential, facilitated support groups, and creating member-to-member opportunities to socialize, offer support to each other and share information on treatment and referrals. Visit our P’tach Libeynu page or contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information.
You may also visit our web pages on groups and activities for adults for more information about support services available for congregants. These include our Angel Network, cancer support group and mental illness support.
Sacred Chant - Healing Circles
For all those in need of healing…for the places in each of us in need of healing…for yourself…for our community…it’s always a good time to be part of a healing circle. Open sessions now meeting monthly at Temple in addition to the smaller groups that go to congregant’s homes in times of need. Beginners Always Welcome! For more information about healing circles & chanting please visit http://www.sacredhebrewchant.com where you can listen to many of the chants & join the growing list of volunteers for this Mitzvah. Sacred Chanting meets monthly on Monday evenings at Temple Isaiah for everyone, as well as in private homes as needed for members of the community who are ill or dying. If you or a loved one are in need of a healing circle, please contact Rabbi Judy Shanks at 925-283-8575. For information about the monthly Sacred Chant meeting contact Jeanette Gross at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Additional Resources
Bay Area Jewish Healing Center http://www.jewishhealingcenter.org/
The Bay Area Jewish Healing Center is dedicated to providing Jewish spiritual care to those living with illness, to those caring for the ill, and to the bereaved through direct service, education and training, and information and referral. Established in 1991 as the nation’s first Jewish healing center, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center provides chaplaincy and support services to anyone who wants to see a rabbi, regardless of affiliation or financial resources.