Personal and Professional Background

• Rabbi Siris is an American immigrant to Israel (since 1997), with experience living in several Israeli cities and neighborhoods.
• Transitioned from yeshiva study to chaplaincy after recognizing a lack of spiritual care in Israeli hospitals, inspired by American models.
• Helped establish the first chaplaincy program at Soroka Medical Center as a research project, initially working alone.

Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in Israel

• Spiritual care is underdeveloped in Israel compared to the U.S., where it is more widely recognized as integral to healthcare.
• The chaplaincy program had to be introduced carefully, leveraging Israelis’ curiosity about English terms (e.g., “chaplain”) to spark conversations.
• The chaplain’s primary role is to accompany patients and families during difficult times, focusing on their values, beliefs, and needs—without imposing an agenda.
• Emphasis is placed on listening: in Israel, patients are often eager to talk, and chaplains facilitate meaningful conversations, often with minimal intervention.

Soroka Medical Center: Role and Demographics

• Soroka is the primary hospital for southern Israel, serving a diverse population of about one million, including Jews, Bedouins, foreign workers, and international personnel.
• The hospital is chronically overcrowded and underfunded, with limited privacy for patients (e.g., multiple beds per room separated only by curtains).

Crisis Response: October 7 and Missile Strike

• On October 7, 2023, Soroka rapidly mobilized all staff in response to the Hamas attack, treating trauma cases arriving every 40 seconds, often brought in by civilians.
• Emergency response measures included triage in the parking lot during repeated rocket sirens—ultimately saving hundreds of lives.
• One June 13, 2025, Israel attacked Iran, raising fears that Soroka would be targeted. The hospital preemptively moved patients into reinforced bunkers.
• A missile did strike the hospital on June 19, but due to the prior evacuation, there were no casualties—a fact later viewed by staff and patients as miraculous.

Impact on Patients and Families

• Moving patients into bunkers further reduced their privacy and autonomy, deepening feelings of dehumanization and isolation.
• Families, particularly those with loved ones on respirators, experienced intense anxiety and trauma due to restricted access and limited communication.
• The chaplain’s presence became vital—offering families someone to talk to and helping them process their fears and uncertainties.

Staff Wellbeing and Spiritual Needs

• Staff mental health is a top priority; their ability to care for patients depends on their own resilience and support.
• Chaplains provide a calming, supportive presence for staff—often simply by being available and attentive.
• The analogy of “putting on your own oxygen mask first” underscores the need for caregivers to care for themselves.

Community and International Support

• Visits and support from American Jewish organizations and medical professionals are deeply appreciated, boosting morale and reinforcing a sense of global solidarity.
• The chaplain emphasizes that spiritual and communal support extends beyond physical presence; sharing stories and raising awareness abroad is also impactful.
• Financial and moral support from the diaspora is crucial for ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Reflections on Miracles, Presence, and Resilience

• Miracles—such as the avoidance of mass casualties—are acknowledged, but they require ongoing spiritual and practical follow-up.
• The chaplain underscores the power of simple presence and shared humanity during trauma, rather than rushing to offer consolation or solutions.
• Israel’s unique position as a global focal point is seen as both a burden and a mission, with the Jewish people called to teach and inspire through resilience and unity.

Conclusion

• Soroka’s experience highlights the essential role of spiritual care during crisis, the challenge of maintaining humanity under duress, and the strength drawn from communal support—both local and international—in healing and rebuilding.
• The chaplain invites continued engagement, support, and mutual exchange between Israeli and diaspora communities, reinforcing the sense of a global, interconnected Jewish people.

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Bio

Siris grew up in New Jersey and, after graduating from Harvard University in 1997, moved to Israel, where he spent 25 years studying Torah. He never expected to be in this line of work until he met Professor Itzhak Avital, director of the Legacy Heritage Oncology Center and the Larry Norton Institute at Soroka, who spoke to him about the importance of hospital chaplaincy. One thing led to another; Novack helped initiate the program at Soroka, and then invited Siris to be part of it.

Meanwhile, Siris went to study at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and has continued his CPE studies online.
His first wife, Noa, died of cancer in 2007 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, an experience which made Siris understand what it was like to be a patient. Since then, Siris has remarried, and has four children, including one from his first wife.

Now, as a chaplain, Siris goes “down to the pit where the patient is, and sits with them.” But first, he said, he needs to get patients to talk to him, something not all patients are willing to do. He breaks the ice by saying in Hebrew that he’s a chaplain, to which people ask, “Mah zeh?” “What’s that?” He then tries to offer empathy and compassion, sometimes explaining that he isn’t there “just to get a patient a pair of tefillin.”

Siris said chaplaincy does not discriminate. It does not make a difference if a patient is religious; it does not matter if someone is Jewish or what their lifestyle is. It is not about judging or giving advice or coaching, he said; it’s simply navigating according to the person’s own strengths.

“Suffering is suffering and pain is pain,” Siris said. “It doesn’t know any religious or ethnic boundaries.”