The Torah teaches at the very beginning that it is not good for man/woman to be alone, isolated. For a decade, members of the Jewish community have lived out this teaching by giving their time and treasure to visit people in area hospitals and elder care centers through the Jewish Family Services Chaplaincy Program. Under the leadership of Community Chaplain Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick, these spiritual care volunteers have dedicated hours to performing the mitzvah of bikur holim — visiting and extending aid to the sick and those in need. They play a vital role within the Chaplaincy Program’s overall goal of helping release the spiritual strength of the individual to facilitate the healing process. It’s all about connecting with the person in need and helping them connect with spiritual care resources, meeting them at their point of need.
Since Rabbi Rudnick started the spiritual care volunteer (SCV) program, he has trained 41 volunteers to provide these special visits at eight area hospitals and seven eldercare centers. More than 2,900 visits have been made to individuals in need; 73 percent of those SCV visits were made to people who were unaffiliated, providing support during difficult times and life transitions.
Among the SCVs, two individuals have served since the beginning of this outreach effort — Harold Schlozman and Esther Rudnick. The pair was recently honored at an SCV gathering.
“I am deeply indebted to both of them for their deeply rooted dedication to being there for others way above and beyond the call of duty,” Rabbi Rudnick said.
Schlozman decided to become an SCV after retiring from work.
“I wanted to do something that would be fulfilling and bring me satisfaction that I was helping others,” he said. “I worked for many years as a pharmacist at the V.A. Hospital, supplying elderly veterans with their medications and talking to them about their problems. In addition, my father lived at Village Shalom the last few years of his life and I saw how important my visits were to him. The elderly want and deserve visits by others who treat them with dignity and respect. They want and deserve someone to talk to with a few kind words and a smile. That is what I try to provide,” Schlozman said.
Schlozman recruited his long-time friend Herb Simon to become an SCV and the twosome make regular visits at Delmar Gardens of Lenexa as well as at The Atriums.
Already active in the Jewish community, Esther Rudnick wanted to explore a new area of volunteering.
“This gave me an opportunity to work with people who were ill or in nursing homes,” she said. “People in nursing homes don’t get many visitors, so my being there and saying a prayer as well means a lot.”
Rudnick combines her weekly visits at Villa St. Joseph, an elder care center, with calls at Saint Luke’s Hospital on the Country Club Plaza.
Both Schlozman and Rudnick have visited scores of individuals during their 10 years of service. It has had a tremendous impact on them.
“I get so much more than I give,” Rudnick said. “It is very enlightening in many ways.”
Rudnick told a story of a young man she visited in a nursing home who didn’t have control of his arms and legs.
“One day when I went to see him he said, ‘Can you please give me a hug?’ so I moved everything away from the edge of his bed and I gave him a hug. I realized that’s so not a part of what he gets every day because staff members are not allowed to do that. … His asking for a touch meant a lot to me,” she said.
The visits to others is special for Schlozman, as well.
“Being able to interact with them gives me great joy,” he said. “I went through losing my mother and my father so I want to help other people who are going through illness and loneliness. … Many of these people never have someone come to see them so I am their sole visitor.”
Rabbi Rudnick said Esther Rudnick and Schlozman epitomize what it means to be SCVs through JFS’ Chaplaincy program.
“Over the past 10 years, the faithful service of both Harold and Esther has exemplified alignment with our mission to be the central spiritual care address for any Jewish person in the Greater Kansas City community and their loved ones regardless of denomination or affiliation,” the rabbi said. “Esther is often praised for her smile and welcoming spirit, communicating unconditional positive regard and support for those in her care. Harold has been described by staff as ‘glue’ that connects Jewish residents to one another, motivating them with his encouragement to be part of communal gatherings to connect to both Jewish community and tradition.”
Both Rudnick and Schlozman plan to continue serving as SCVs.
“I really feel I want to be there for someone else in their time of need,” Rudnick said.
Schlozman gave some advice for others considering serving as an SCV.
“If you enjoy being with other people, truly listening to them, and knowing that you being there helps get them through the day, then I encourage you to join me in this endeavor,” he said.
Rudnick agreed.
“You will never regret it and you will always be thankful for doing it and being healthy every day,” she said.
At present, together with Schlozman and Rudnick, there are 14 SCVs making visits on a regular basis.
To find out more, or to become a spiritual care volunteer, visit www.jfskc.org/services/chaplaincy, or contact Taly Friedman at 913-730-1445 or email her at .