The End of Life is Different for Holocaust Survivors
In JTA, Melissa Apter writes about the special challenges that Jewish hospice chaplains, including JSSA’s Rabbi David Rose, experience when providing spiritual support to Holocaust survivors and their families at the end of life.
Hospice offers families pre-bereavement counseling, 13-months of aftercare and access to preferred clergy.
Special sensitivity is paid to spouses who are also survivors.
“Survivor couples, particularly if they met before the war or just after the war are generally exceptionally protective of each other,” said Rose. “A few different couples come to mind – every time I visited, the partner was sitting right next to their spouse, holding hands the whole visit.”