For the last eleven years, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of Lev Echad. Literally, One Heart, it really represents connection. Lev Echad is an outreach effort by the Caring Community to make or maintain connections with members of our TBE community who may be feeling isolated and alone as they cope with a crisis or a stress in their lives.
All of us have those times. A loss or an illness unsettles our lives. That is when we realize how important family and community may be. But sometimes the connections have been broken, or hard to make. Illness or age may have changed the way we are able to interact. Feelings of sadness and disappointment cause us to feel no one cares. The natural connections we have known all our lives through our children, our friends, our partners, may be gone. But our TBE community is not gone and Lev Echad was established to let people know they are not forgotten. Lev Echad will reach out.
Lev Echad visitors have received specialized training by Rabbis Beth Naditch and Marcia Plumb, in addition to the invaluable guidance of Cantor Jodi Sufrin, Rabbis Philip Sherman and Rachel Saphire. The training was designed to enhance the listening and awareness skills needed to be a pastoral visitor. All the participants agree this training has been an occasion for personal growth and the development of skills that are life-enhancing. Some of the benefits of training have been shared. You may remember when Lev Echad presented a program for the Caring Community on making that first difficult outreach call.
Lev Echad visitors reach out to people who have been brought to our attention by clergy, relevant staff, or by family members who are concerned. A member of Lev Echad will call and, in pre-covid days, offer to stop by. A visit was only made to those who wanted it and the contact is entirely confidential. These days , our connection is made by phone. Over the years, many meaningful relationships have been established through these visits and calls.
If you have any questions about Lev Echad, email Helene Kress.
