The term "interfaith" can be understood and approached many different ways, and it would be impossible to explain all the ways that folks interpret and relate to the concept. In my work, part of embracing this concept involves affirming and respecting individual spirituality, whether it aligns with a belief in a higher power or not, and honoring and lifting up faith traditions that are not rooted in, and do not perpetuate harm or oppression. Balancing this stance is challenging, especially considering the historical and present day harm perpetuated in the name of religions or religious doctrine. However, rejecting all aspects of spirituality and religion because of that fact overlooks the fundamental human need for systems that provide purpose and meaning in life.

My work involves meeting people where they are on that spiritual / religious / humanist spectrum. I joke that my spectrum goes from Woo to Camus. Each point along this spectrum is equally valid; there's no hierarchy of belief. We're all navigating the journey of understanding existence, grappling with the realization that we will never fully comprehend the universe's workings or the ultimate meaning behind it all. To quote my favorite author Douglas Adams, "The chances of finding out what's really going on in the universe are so remote, the only thing to do is hang on to the sense of it and keep yourself occupied."

Interfaith ministry and chaplaincy encompass various aspects, which may be emphasized differently by individuals in the field. In my case, since I primarily work within secular environments like most Chaplains, I focus on the secular dimensions of personal spirituality and how individuals express their values through their work and actions. However, in situations involving acute trauma, such as the sudden loss of an employee or a personal tragedy, my role may shift towards more traditional chaplaincy.

I identify as a Jewitch with a misleading surname (truly should have seen interfaith ministry coming sooner), and as such it was important for me to to incorporate aspects of Jewish values and symbolism into my work. The Shamash is the 9th candle of the Hanukiah that lights the other candles; the word is also used in Hebrew to mean caretaker, custodian, or helper. I feel that now more than ever it’s important for me to affirm and reflect the Jewish values of pursuing justice and liberation for all people, and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).

I am, and have always been a fiercely loud and unwavering anti-zionist Jew. And as such I call for an immediate ceasefire to the current genocide and ethnic cleansing that is taking place in Gaza and the West Bank, and an end to the violent settler occupation and apartheid that is being perpetrated by the Israeli government (and that has been allowed to happen in no small part thanks to the US and other western imperialist interests). I unequivocally do not believe that Israel has a right to exist in it’s current form, because I do not believe that any one faith should be allowed a theocratic ethnostate (see more below about what keeps me up at night). Jews should be safe regardless of where they are in the diaspora. No safety can be achieved through the oppression of others, full stop. Humans of all identities, faiths, and ethnicities should be allowed equal rights to safety and self-determination regardless of where they happen to have been born. I welcome chatting with folks who are working to deconstruct from their indoctrinated beliefs around Zionism and American exceptionalism. Let’s have a hard conversation, I promise to show up non-judgmentally and with a lot of love for how we all got here, but we cannot go back, and we cannot ignore objective facts about the history of white settler colonialism and the consequences it has wrought.

Such a good question that I ask myself on a near daily basis because sometimes I am not quite sure. Ultimately I think that we have reached a point in our collective evolution as a species and society where we are really going to have to confront the reality of what we have sown. Rapacious capitalism and growth at any and all costs is a cancer that has metastasized into every system of life on Earth. Climate collapse is rapidly intensifying and we are in uncharted territory as to what the extrapolatory impacts will be on our planet. If you aren’t quite at the stage of doom that I am at, that is okay. I trust that everyone will get here in their own time because there is nowhere that is safe. Climate fascists may be able to doomsday bunker themselves into safety, but for the majority of people on this planet, we will all be impacted (though of course not equally). So back to the question, what am I trying to do? Given all of that, I am trying to support individuals and institutions through this death process. To hold people in their grief and anger for these systems of oppression that have taken so much from us, and from future generations. I am trying to influence the organizations that I work with to do things differently, and to show up for their employees and communities in ways that are not expected but that are necessary. We cannot continue what we have been doing. We can no longer just expect that someone or some miraculous technology will save us from a grim fate. We can only get through it collectively, and every single one of us and the medicine we carry is needed. I encourage you to find the places and causes that boil your blood, and to use that heat to cook up some good trouble.

As I mentioned above, one of the reasons that I am fervently against theocratic ethnostates (or theocracies in general), is because the only way to maintain one is through oppression, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and/or genocide. There is no way to maintain such a system without those components. And if one country is allowed a theocratic ethnostate, then what is stopping that from happening elsewhere? The rapid intensification of Christian Nationalism in this country should be alarming to every single citizen of America who was still under the assumption that they lived in a secular, representative democracy. There is a concerted and very public effort to bring about a white Christian fascist theocracy in this country. The idea that this could never happen is exceedingly misguided since it already is. As the late Fred Hampton once said: “Nothing is more important than stopping fascism, because fascism will stop us all.” I heard someone once say that the best kind of anti-fascist you can be, is a pre-mature anti-fascist. So consider me your canary.