Spiritual care in Israel: The future is now

Abstract

Spiritual care is a relatively new healthcare discipline in Israel. It has evolved over the past decade through the collaboration of multiple Israeli healthcare professionals, with assistance from interested professionals primarily from the US. The goal has been to create a spiritual care model unique to Israel. The study by Bentur et al. significantly contributes to the advancement of spiritual care in Israel by giving spiritual care providers valuable knowledge as to how the patients they care for cope with the existential and spiritual suffering of advanced illness. As the Israeli model of spiritual care is, to some degree, modeled after its counterpart in the US, this commentary compares and contrasts the two in the areas of: history, population demographics, acceptance by the healthcare system, and the available body of research. Recommendations are then presented as to how Israel, by mirroring the US experience, can create a spiritual care model that is unique to the specific needs of Israeli patients, while fostering its increased recognition as a fully integrated healthcare discipline in Israel.