Abstract
This thesis will explore Jewish communal work in the area of emotional and spiritual care across the lifespan, focusing on the necessity of culturally and spiritually sensitive mental health services in the face of an increase in emotional and psychological suffering, growing intergenerational trauma, and identity confusion within the Jewish community. With the use of personal narrative and data, grounded in conversational interviews with Jewish professionals—rabbis, educators, wellness directors, and mental health clinicians—this project explores how Jewish texts, rituals, music, and historical consciousness have the power to heal. The project has two main focuses: the influence of Jewish intergenerational trauma on emotional health, and the contribution of Jewish spiritual models in cultivating resilience and holistic well-being. Case studies illustrate how Jewish schools, camps, synagogues, and other Jewish institutions cultivate emotional caregiving practices, including community building, pastoral care, and trauma-informed education. This work argues that all Jewish leaders, regardless of role, are inherently caregivers, and calls for the intentional embedding of emotional and spiritual support in every facet of Jewish communal life. Ultimately, this thesis offers a model for a Judaism that heals, rooted in tradition, enriched by vulnerability, and sustained by communal responsibility.