Judaism Unbound Episode 432: Radical Spiritual Care – Elliot Kukla
Elliot Kukla (he/they) is a rabbi, author, and activist. They have worked at the intersection of justice and spiritual care to those who are ill, dying and bereaved since 2007. They are currently on the faculty of SVARA, where they also direct the Collective Loss Adaptation Project (CLAP). Kukla joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about justice-based radical spiritual care, and what both the experience of chronic illness and the Jewish tradition offer our world as we contend with grief, loss, and the need for rest.
[1] Check out Kukla’s website and read about Kukla in the news.
[2] This episode references Kukla’s work leading the Communal Loss Adaptation Project, associated with SVARA. The Communal Loss Adaptation Project (CLAP) provides a supportive, non-judgmental context with a queer spiritual framing to form empathetic connections among those grieving.
[3] Explore Kukla’s prolific published writing and visual art on their website.
[4] Lex mentions an article Kukla wrote in The Forward about living with chronic illness, which discusses the fraught idea of “real life” as tied to productivity.
[5] Kukla cites disability thinker TL Lewis on the nature of ableism as a “fertilizer” and sustainer of dehumanizing oppressions.
[6] Lex references an article Kukla wrote about laziness for the New York Times. Kukla also notes that this article is being adapted into a children’s book, “The Lazy Day,” soon to be published!
